The start of the Cape Cod Baseball League is fast approaching and the Bourne Braves are looking for a three-peat this summer.
Before they embark on their championship defense, the players from the 2024 Braves roster are finishing up their respective collegiate seasons.
Through May the Braves roster features 10 players on teams represented in the USA TODAY Sports Baseball Coaches Poll.
Here is a check-in on how some of this season’s Braves are faring in the month of May.
The Chanticleer tandem of Caden Bodine and Blake Barthol has been nothing short of impressive at the plate this season. Barthol is hitting .310 with 15 homers and 61 RBI on the season. He boasted an eight-game hitting streak from May 5 to May 18 that saw him go 10-for-32 with six doubles, a homer, 11 RBI, and six runs scored. Bodine is hitting .328 on the season with nine homers and 71 RBI. He recorded a nine-game hitting streak from May 5 to May 21. That streak featured six multi-hit games with 17 RBI.
John Abraham (Florida State) is a late addition to the roster, but brings a 3.82 ERA across 33 innings for the Seminoles through May. He's gone 5-1, with two starts and 23 appearances. He's given up 14 earned runs while striking out 40. Opposing batters are hitting a paltry .156 against the freshman right-hander.
Another late addition to the roster is Connor Wietgrefe (Minnesota). The left-handed starter has an 8-4 record on the year while throwing 118.2 innings and posting a 2.77 ERA. He came up on the wrong end of a home game against Nebraska on May 4 despite pitching a complete game, allowing one earned run, and striking out six. He followed that up with a win against Michigan State on May 11 after going 5.2 and allowing one earned run on six hits with five strikeouts.
Nolan Sparks (Rochester) is finishing up his college career in dominating fashion. He's 4-2 as a starter and has posted a 2.25 ERA in 60 innings while striking out 80 strikeouts and walking 19. He pitched a complete game—his second of the year— on May 9 against Rensselaer allowing one earned run and striking out 13.
Jack Penney (Notre Dame) is returning to his home state this summer. The Wakefield native was recently added to the Braves roster and is hitting .269 on the year with nine homers and 37 RBI for the Fighting Irish. He's added three triples, 11 doubles, and six stolen bases in 52 games played in 2024.
Don't overlook the small-school players. Junior Nick Roselli (Binghamton) flirted with hitting .400 on the season. With a .388 average through May, sparked with a 10-game hitting streak from May 3 to May 23. That stretch featured five multi-hit games.
Marek Houston (Vanderbilt) is wrapping up his sophomore season with a .326 average, 25 extra-base hits, and 39 RBI for the Commodores. He started off May riding a 10-game hitting streak from May 1 to May 17. The highlight performance from that stretch was on May 12 against Clemson when he went 2-for-3 with a triple, homer, and four RBI.
Another small-school player, Beau Bryans (Jones College), has stood out on the mound. He's gone 7-1 as a starter on the year with a 3.67 ERA in 70.2 innings pitched this season. In his last start, on May 15, he pitched seven innings of one-hit, one-walk baseball while striking out 11 against Meridian. That followed up a May 4 seven-inning, one-earned-run, eight-strikeout performance against East Mississippi.
Along the Pacific coast, Drew Smith (Oregon) has put together a strong sophomore season at the plate for the Ducks. He's hitting .314 on the year with three homers, 15 doubles, and 28 RBI. He's had six multi-hit performances in May, including three straight two-hit games during a road series against Washington from May 10 to May 12.
