Three Gamecocks entered a completely different territory this summer, leaving the heat and humidity of South Carolina for a much cooler environment in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to play against some of the best college baseball players in the country.
Adam Hill, Jacob Olson and Carlos Cortes all saw time with the Cape Cod Baseball League this summer, getting the chance to advance their skills alongside some of the top players from around the country.
The Cape Cod Baseball League consists of ten teams featuring college players from schools and conferences all over the country. Players who compete in the Cape often go on to get drafted the following year, using the skills they learned to help raise their draft stocks while back in school. Many Gamecocks have spent time there over past summers, but three players from the current team got the chance to play against the best.
Cortes spent the entire summer up in Massachusetts, playing 45 games for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. He had 21 runs on 37 hits with five doubles, one triple and four homers, while driving in 21 runs. He was also named a 2017 CCBL All-Star, but received the honor by replacing the injured Olson. Cortes helped the defending champion Red Sox return to the playoffs, but they fell short of trying for another title.
Cortes, who last collegiate season was looked at as one of the top freshman in the country, lived up to expectations but went through a slump during the Gamecock's season. He tried too hard to get the big hits every at bat instead of just playing smart, but the hitting finally clicked again, and he began to break out of his slump. He went to the Cape to try to work on chasing those bad pitches and learned a lot from playing there couple with his struggles last season.
"It was good, I got to be on my own, no coaches to pat me on the back," Cortes said of playing for Yarmouth-Dennis. "It was a good experience. It made me more mature as a baseball player, as a man, to be ready at any time. And just kind of learning, struggling and then doing good and learning what I need to do, what I need to keep my body ready to play every day, because obviously we played every day."
Olson and Hill got to stay teammates on the Cape, as they both had brief stints with the Chatham Anglers. Hill played just three games for the Anglers but had a 2.76 ERA and struck out seven batters while walking four over 13 innings of work. Getting to pitch against some of the best players in the country gave Hill the chance to deal with pressure as he prepares to take the Friday night role for the Gamecocks.
"There's not much of a comparison, it's about as close to the SEC as you can get," Hill said. "It's the best from everywhere playing in one league. It was a great experience, I mean I enjoyed my time on the Cape. It really helped develop me as a pitcher because there's no off hitters in the lineup ... so it really helped me grow and learn how to attack every hitter."
Olson played 23 games for Chatham over the summer, using his versatility to play all over the field. He hit .308 with 16 runs on 28 hits, plus 11 doubles and two home runs during his time. The strong display earned him a spot as a Cape Cod All-Star team, but he got injured before the game arrived. Getting to play on the Cape helped Olson tune up the things that he really wanted to improve on during the offseason.
"It's a new experience, you're playing every day so that's something you don't do here," Olson said. "Up there with the competition, it's the best of the best of the best. Every pitcher you see is someone who dominates college, so pitch selection was good for me and working on that because it was the best pitches I could see."
Olson had his ideas about what he wanted to improve on, but now he has an even more motivating factor behind him. Olson's cousin recently passed away, and Olson is now ready to play every game in memory of him.
These three players said they enjoyed their time on the Cape, and Olson and Hill especially enjoyed getting to play together. While they had the chance to improve their skills against the best, they hope they can use what they learned to lead South Carolina to a successful season.