Hyannis has been the home to many great ballplayers over the years, with many of its alumni making headlines around the world. Some alumni want another chance to summer with the Harbor Hawks, with the 2024 team bringing back three of its players from the year prior.

These guys come in with experience that they can share amongst the clubhouse to players new to the Cape Cod Baseball League, while also hoping to produce individually as well. Here are the three players making the trip back to the Cape to suit up for the Hawks in 2024.

Jon Jon Gazdar, Infield, Austin Peay University

One of the Harbor Hawks' most productive players from the 2023 season is coming back to hold down an infield spot on opening day for Hyannis. Jon Jon Gazdar quickly became a fan favorite with the Harbor Hawks upon his arrival last summer, with his personality as well as his success in the field and at the plate making him stand out throughout his tenure with the team.

"The overall environment that we had, just being over here on the Cape as a whole, it was just awesome last year," Gazdar said. "Being that next year is gonna be my last year for sure at school as far as eligibility goes, I just wanted to come up here and get a good summer in."

The redshirt junior boasted the highest batting average on the team among hitters with at least 50 plate appearances, finishing .361 in 19 games with Hyannis over the summer. He got time in both middle infield spots defensively, playing 14 games at shortstop and five at second base.

"He's a team-first individual, understanding that while summer ball is a highly competitive place to try and get your name up in the draft, It's also about building a team culture," Harbor Hawks Broadcaster Jacob Irons said. "I think he was a huge influential part, that later half of July, when he came in, the culture somewhat started to flip, and was able to bring that next level forward for the team."

The summer with the Hawks sparked something in Gazdar, who returned back to college and improved upon an already impressive 2023 campaign. His batting average improved by 97 points, from .308 to .405. He also enhanced his power output, with 13 homers compared to just three the year prior.

"He had an awesome spring again, and we needed another middle infielder for some pre-draft stuff," Harbor Hawks Head of Baseball Operations Mikey Lucario said. "We're very excited to bring him back."

Combine those stats with an increase in just about every other metric there is to judge a player on, and it's no wonder why Gazdar was named to the 2024 Brooks Wallace Award Watch List for the second year in a row.

Zach Yorke, First Base, Grand Canyon University

Another Harbor Hawks standout is making his return to the Cape, with Zach Yorke bringing his electric bat back up from GCU. The first baseman made his presence known in his 20 games played with the team, coming up big in the important moments throughout the summer.

The sophomore finished tied for second among his teammates in Hyannis in RBIs with 19, despite having nearly half the plate appearances due to his late arrival to the team. That combined with a .338 batting average and three home runs rounded out an all around solid season for the lefty slugger.

One of Yorke's most impressive traits is his plate discipline which he's shown over the course of his collegiate career. In his two stints with the Lopes, as well as his summer with Hyannis, he's walked more than he's struck out.

"This guy knows where the zone is, he adjusts for the zone," Irons said. "He's a big dude, you may think he's just gonna go out there and strike out, but he knows where that imaginary box is day and day out, and he made sure that he uses it to his advantage to control his at-bats."

After a little bit of a down year statistically in his sophomore season, Yorke will be looking to get back on track where he left off at the end of last summer, with some goals of things to work on.

"I learned that you can't take any at-bats off [last summer]," Yorke said. "I think every guy out here has earned their right to being in this league and every pitcher you face is going to be really good."

Eric Snow, Infield, Auburn

Eric Snow is the final returner to the Harbor Hawks for 2024, coming back to the Cape after his sophomore season at the University of South Florida. The infielder put his name in the portal after the spring and will be transferring to Auburn in the fall.

Snow is a name that Harbor Hawks fans will most likely recognize, as he played the fourth most games in 2023 with 34. The infielder finished the summer with a .257 batting average, with one homer and 18 RBIs.

"You know where you take [batting practice], you know how it operates, you know your host family. Those are all things that sometimes get taken for granted, that have a huge impact on how a player performs," Irons said. "[Snow] having that experience is tremendous."

Similar to Yorke, Snow will be looking to bounce back after a bit of a down year to his standards, finishing with very similar stats to his time on Cape. The righty has a new opportunity coming up with his transfer to play with the Tigers, and hopes this summer sets him up for success.

"You're playing with a lot of the most talented kids throughout the whole country and it's a blessing to play with all of them," Snow said. "I think playing in this environment, you [improve] all of your talents. I feel like that's how you get the best out of yourself, so you know, it's a blessing to be up here and play, and I'm excited."