Nick Senzel took the Cape Cod Baseball League by storm in the summer of 2015. Ahead of his junior season at Tennessee, Senzel batted .364 with a .976 OPS across 40 games and was named the Cape Cod Baseball League’s MVP and Outstanding Pro Prospect while playing for the Brewster Whitecaps.
Almost a decade later, Senzel was immortalized among the Cape League’s best at the 2024 CCBL Hall of Fame induction ceremony Sunday. Senzel was inducted alongside Todd Helton (Orleans), Pat Neshek (Wareham), Todd Cunningham (Falmouth), Andrew Calica (Wareham), Brick Smith (Hyannis) and Jeff Trundy (Falmouth).
“I'm overwhelmed with gratitude that I have been selected for the Cape Cod Hall of Fame,” Senzel said Sunday. “So proud to be a part of a long tradition of exceptional people who have received this honor.
“I want to thank my Brewster Whitecaps teammates, the organization, Ned Monthie, my coaches and obviously Jamie (Shevchik), for pushing me that summer,” Senzel added.
Senzel was a part of Whitecaps head coach Jamie Shevchik’s first team in Brewster. The manager had just gotten the job following multiple years coaching in the New England Collegiate Baseball League and the Whitecaps were behind in their recruiting, Shevchik revealed Sunday.
As a result, Shevchik compiled what at the time they described as the “runts of the litter,” players who were the “last misfit toys remaining in college baseball” left to be untapped by summer teams. Late in the fall, Chip Dill, a former Brewster pitching coach then at Tennessee, recommended Senzel to Shevchik. Shevchik agreed and quickly reaped the benefits.
“When we arrived in Brewster that summer of 2015, it didn’t take long for me to figure out that (Senzel) was the best of what we had,” Shevchik said Sunday. “But even then I had no idea that I was about to have a front-row seat to watch good become great. To watch an amateur become a professional. And watch someone’s dreams become a reality.
“(Senzel) would become the benchmark for how I evaluate players up until today,” Shevchik added. “The words of a player’s makeup would be redefined and a standard for me would be set for the future.”
Senzel said the drive into Cape Cod this past weekend brought many memories to mind. At the beginning of his freshman year with the Volunteers, he knew he wanted to play in the CCBL. He remembers older guys on the team going to play on the Cape and speaking so highly of it.
His routine was simple: wake up, eat a hearty spinach omelet courtesy of his host parents Art and Judy Arnold, go to Willy’s Gym, then Brewster Village Marketplace for a sandwich and onto field to prepare for the day’s game.
The routine worked like a charm, as Senzel instantly elevated to the top of the league and stayed there despite facing multiple injuries throughout the season. His wrist was tweaked. His groin was pulled. Art says trainers came over nightly to ice him down. They weren’t serious injuries but enough to send a player home for the summer. Senzel wouldn’t give in.
“This league taught me how to mature. How to mentally and physically prepare to play baseball on a daily basis. The sacrifices it would take to become the best baseball player I could be,” Senzel said.
Following his historic season with the Whitecaps, Senzel added on in his junior year at Tennessee. From there, he was selected as the top college prospect in the 2016 MLB Draft, going third overall to the Cincinnati Reds. Since then, he’s played for the Washington Nationals and Chicago White Sox.
Through all of his professional experience, he’s never lost sight of where he first broke out. The CCBL was Senzel’s first stop toward the big leagues. And years later, he’ll now be immortalized among the league’s best forever.
“The impact the Cape had on me was tremendous. Without the Cape, I wouldn't have been able to fulfill my dream to play man will be and to continue to pursue that dream. Still to this day, it did really change the trajectory of my career,” Senzel said.
