DeLand to Orleans: How four Stetson Hatters made a seamless transition to the Cape League

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Art or Photo Credit: Sophia Soropoulos

The Cape Cod Baseball League, known as one of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, features players from universities nationwide. Among these schools is Stetson University, which has fostered a strong connection with the Firebirds.

This June, eight Stetson Hatters traveled up the east coast to play in the Cape League, half of whom headed to Orleans.

The quartet of Hatters turned Firebirds for the summer includes Landon Moran, Evan Griffis, Lorenzo Meola and Brendan Walker, who are all grateful to be sharing the Cape League stage with one another.

While many collegiate athletes find the transition between spring and summer ball challenging, that hasn’t been the case for the four Stetson products.

Moran, who has consistently been a bright spot for the Firebirds offense, credits his seamless transition to Orleans to the endless support of his fellow Hatters.

“When you’re coming in you’re just trying to get a feel for everyone, so just knowing I had those guys to fall back on helped a lot,” Moran said. “They’re always there to pick you up or be there for you if you need someone to talk to. It’s made the transition incredibly easy.”

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Lorenzo Meola (Left) and Landon Moran (Right) chatting it up with their summer ball teammate, Mike Mancini (Center)|Art or Photo Credit: Sophia Soropoulos

Moran's sentiments are echoed by his fellow Hatters, each of whom value the unique opportunity to play alongside each other in such a prestigious league.

For Griffis, who notched the Birds' longest homer of the season so far (402 feet) in their Monday contest in Falmouth, the experience is just as he envisioned.

“I was pumped when I found out I was on the same team as my Stetson guys,” Griffis said with a smile. “It’s just like I imagined, we’re all living our dream together.”

Meola, who along with Moran finished within the top five for hits during his '24 campaign at Stetson, preaches the pivotal role his shared spring ball experiences played in his immediate success.

“I’ve played with these guys for two years and we’ve become closer than I could’ve ever imagined,” Meola said. “We all have such a great connection that translates to what you see on the field every night.”

Competing at the highest level in college baseball, the close-knit group is not only thriving, but is applying lessons learned at Stetson to excel as professionals both on and off the field.

As Griffis preaches, his growth at Stetson goes beyond his play on the diamond.

"Stetson prepares us by teaching maturity as a player and person," Griffis said. "They showed me what it's like to act professionally with everything I do, on and off the field."

The Stetson products have played key roles in the Firebirds' summer success and continue to thrive against the best collegiate competition in the country. They are living proof that preparation, maturity and strong connections with one another are essential ingredients to success.