CONWAY, S.C. – Coastal Carolina baseball has a total of 26 student-athletes playing across nine different summer leagues this year, spanning all across the country.
The Chants have two experienced players up in the Cape Cod League, as second-team All-American
Tyler Johnson joined the Cotuit Kettleers and is hitting .333 with a .800 slugging percentage. He has two home runs and a double over just 15 at-bats this summer. On the mound,
Teddy Sharkey has thrown 1.2-scoreless innings for the Harwich Mariners having joined the team just one week ago.
Coastal has a trio of newcomers playing in the Appalachian League this summer, as pitcher Jacob Morrison has posted a 1.50 ERA with 12 strikeouts, one walk, and just one earned run allowed over 6.0 innings of work for the Princeton WhistlePigs. Outfielders Jake Tomlinson (Bristol State Liners) and Houston Koon (Kingsport Axmen) have both picked up over 35 at-bats thus far this summer for their respective teams, as Tomlinson has one home run, a double, eight RBIs, five runs scored, and three stolen bases, while Koon has an on-base percentage of .422 with a double, 10 walks, five RBIs, eight runs, and two stolen bases to date.
A total of four Chants are playing in the Coastal Plain League, as
Luke Barrow has thrown 8.0 innings for the High Point-Thomasville HiToms and sits at 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA but an impress 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings average. Three Chants are suiting up for the Tri-City Chili Peppers this summer, as
Colin Yablonski (0-0, 8.78 ERA, 4.1 IP, 11.0 K/9) and Levi Huesman (0-1, 16.36 ERA, 1.1 IP, 16.4 K/9) have both seen limited action on the mound while rising sophomore catcher
Derek Bender is hitting .300 with four home runs, a double, eight RBIs, six runs, four stolen bases, and a .733 slugging percentage.
CCU also has three players on the same team in the North Shore Navigators of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, as Matt Potok has posted a save and a 1.50 ERA over 6.0 innings pitched, while fellow Chant
Matt Joyce has not seen any action yet. In the infield, incoming Chant Ty Dooley has a triple, one RBI, one run, and one stolen base over 30 at-bats for the Navigators.
In the Northwoods League, Coastal has four Chants playing for four different teams in
Keaton Hopwood (Rockford Rivets),
Chase Hudson (Green Bay Rockers),
Connor Kurki (Wisconsin Rapids Rafters), and Zach Meddings (Rochester Honkers). Kurki has thrown 6.0 innings overall, posting a 3.00 ERA with seven strikeouts and just two walks on the mounds, while Hudson and Meddings both have over 60 at-bats this summer and have 15 base hits each, with Meddings totaling 10 RBIs and Hudson posting five extra-base hits.
Heading back East, the Chants have three players in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League in infielders
Orlando Pena (Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs) and Payton Eeles (Niagara Power), as well as pitcher
Darin Horn (Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs). Pena has six base hits over just 35 at-bats this summer but has walked six times and driven in three RBIs, while Eeles is hitting .393 with a .500 on-base percentage, nine RBIs, 18 runs scored, and 15 stolen bases. On the mound, Horn has gone 1-1 with a 6.97 ERA but has struck out 15 hitters over 14.2 innings of work.
Playing in the Valley Baseball League,
Graham Brown has one home run and five RBIs in just 15 at-bats for the Strasburg Express, while both
Tanner Garrison and
Zack Beach have suited up for the Waynesboro Generals, with Garrison having driven in 10 RBIs and scores 10 runs over just 39 at-bats. Pitchers
Jack Billings and
Riley Eikhoff are both members of the Charlottesville TomSox, as Billings has posted two saves, a 1.73 ERA, and totaled 10 strikeouts over 5.2 innings of work, while Eikhoff has not yet thrown a pitch this summer.
To cover the rest of the country, rising junior
Billy Underwood has one home run, three RBIs, and three runs scored for the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs out of the Florida League, while newcomer Mike Davinni has hit .292 with a home run, four doubles, nine RBIs, 10 runs, and a stolen base for the Wenatchee AppleSox in the West Coast League.
Appalachian League
Jacob Morrison * P * Princeton WhistlePigs
Jack Tomlinson * OF * Bristol State Liners
Houston Koon * OF * Kingsport Axmen
Cape Cod League
Tyler Johnson * INF * Cotuit Kettleers
Teddy Sharkey * P * Harwich Mariners
Coastal Plain League
Luke Barrow * P * High Point-Thomasville HiToms
Derek Bender * C * Tri-City Chili Peppers
Levi Huesman * P * Tri-City Chili Peppers
Colin Yablonski * P * Tri-City Chili Peppers
Florida League
Billy Underwood * OF * Winter Park Diamond Dawgs
New England Collegiate Baseball League
Ty Dooley * INF * North Shore Navigators
Matt Joyce * P * North Shore Navigators
Matt Potok * P * North Shore Navigators
Northwoods League
Keaton Hopwood * P * Rockford Rivets
Chase Hudson * INF * Green Bay Rockers
Connor Kurki * P * Wisconsin Rapids Rafters
Zach Meddings * INF * Rochester Honkers
Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League
Darin Horn * P * Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs
Orlando Pena * INF * Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs
Payton Eeles * INF * Niagara Power
The Valley Baseball League
Jack Billings * P * Charlottesville TomSox
Riley Eikhoff * P * Charlottesville TomSox
Graham Brown * OF * Strasburg Express
Tanner Garrison * C * Waynesboro Generals
Zack Beach * INF * Waynesboro Generals
West Coast League
Mike Davinni * INF * Wenatchee AppleSox
For complete coverage of CCU baseball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalBaseball (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUsports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.
