By Matt Ford-Wellman, Brewster Whitecaps Reporter
If we’ve learned anything from the NCAA basketball tournament, it’s never just the blue bloods. While some people get stuck on the big programs, mid-majors stack talent and produce the kinds of players who dominate the future.
This past week, a handful of future Whitecaps delivered some March Madness-esq performances on the diamond.
Charlie West - LHP - UConn
Charlie West worked like a point guard who never wastes a dribble — no hero ball, just command. It was a sharp contrast from his fluke start against San Jose State the week prior. Rebounds are just as important on the turf as they are on the court.
Against Xavier on March 27, the UConn left-hander turned in his best performance of the year. West kept the Musketeers quiet all night and gave the Huskies exactly what they needed at the front end of a weekend.
The real test came after the fourth inning, when UConn jumped ahead. With a three-run cushion behind him, West needed to lock down the rest of his outing. A groundout and two strikeouts later, the Huskies were back in the dugout and West had posted a fifth scoreless frame.
The New York native didn’t just protect the lead — he finished it off with authority, racking up key punchouts in high-leverage spots. Brewster will gladly take that kind of poise and grit this summer, especially with a strong presence behind the plate helping guide arms like his.
Jacob Lee, C, VCU
On the subject of catchers, let's discuss one of the best in college baseball; or at least mid-major play. Jacob Lee will have plenty more time to prove his merit; but he hardly needs to with how he’s playing right now.
Jacob Lee spent the week doing damage left, right and center. The VCU catcher opened the weekend Friday against St. Bonaventure slow and easy, going 2-for-2 with two runs and a homer.
He came back Saturday and stepped it up ripping a two-run triple, part of a four-RBI day. Then, after reaching again in Sunday’s series finale, Lee carried the hot bat into Tuesday and launched a two-run homer against Longwood.
By the time the week closed, Lee had gone 8-for-14 with five runs, a triple, two home runs, seven RBIs and four walks. That is star-level production from a catcher, and it came from VCU, not one of the sport’s usual power-conference billboard programs.
When MLB fans think of athletic and powerful catchers, Buster Posey, Pudge Rodreguez and more recently, William Contreres. This summer, Brewster fans will only think of Jacob Lee.
Frank Carney - INF UC Irvine
Frank Carney’s week was less about fireworks and a lot more about tough at-bats that showed up in big spots.
In UC Irvine’s 11-inning comeback win over Long Beach State, Carney delivered a game-tying RBI single in the sixth as the Anteaters clawed back from a five-run hole. He scored two more runs in the eighth and 11th innings, pushing the Anteaters through a brutal back and forth against the Dirtbags.
He followed that by doubling in Sunday’s series-clinching win over the Beach, then came right back Tuesday against No. 1 UCLA and ripped another double before coming around to score UC Irvine’s lone run.
The San Diego native continues to find himself in tight spots, but again and again finds new ways to give his team a push towards victory. We will see how the future Whitecap fares on the Cape, but if his day-to-day work is any indication, Brewster’s in for some late-inning magic.
This is the sign for Brewster fans to get in on some mid-major baseball. When summer ball rolls around, these guys are what win CCBL hardware.
Matt Ford-Wellman can be reached at mfordwellman.media@gmail.com and followed on X @MattFW_4
Photo Credit to Kayla McCullough.
