NORFOLK, Va. -- The Old Dominion baseball program completed a busy few months of summer ball action as a total of 13 Monarchs competed across a variety of NCAA-sanctioned summer leagues.
| ODU Baseball Summer League Roster | ||
| Turner Bishop | Menlo Park | CCL |
| Jake Josephs | DC Grays | CRCBL |
| Culver Lamb | Vermont | NECL |
| Morgan Maguire | Vermont | NECL |
| Will Morgan | Vermont | NECL |
| Isaiah Nelson | Owensboro | OVL |
| Zach Rutherford | Hyannis | CCBL |
| Kurt Sinnen | Peninsula | CPL |
| Sam Sinnen | Yarmouth-Dennis Peninsula | CCBL CPL |
| Brett Smith | Peninsula | CPL |
| Nick Walker | Peninsula | CPL |
| Bryce Windham | Owensboro | OVL |
| Seth Woodard | Owensboro | OVL |
Collegiate summer baseball leagues feature student-athletes who have attended college for at least year and have one year of eligibility remaining. The wooden-bat leagues typically run for eight to ten weeks from June to August and feature some of the best talent in DI baseball. The Cape Cod League is the most prominent of these summer leagues.
“We feel that the summer baseball leagues provide our players an outstanding compliment to their collegiate experience,” said Old Dominion head coach Chris Finwood. “We typically try to help place our players in situations with high-character coaches and organizations that will help them continue to grow their baseball abilities.”
Headlining the summer Monarchs were Zach Rutherford (Cape Cod) and Kurt Sinnen (Coastal Plain), who were both named All-League in their respective leagues. In addition, each player also earned All-Star Game MVP honors.
Rutherford went 3-for-3 with a double, home run and 2 RBIs on his way to Cape Cod All-Star Game MVP honors, while Sinnen clubbed a two-run home run to garner the Coastal Plain MVP award.
Aside from Rutherford’s all-star game performance, the middle infielder hit .278 with four home runs, 20 RBIs and five stolen bases for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks. The Chesapeake native’s 11 doubles were tied for third in the league, while his 16 extra-base hits ranked second.
The Hampton-based Peninsula Pilots (Coastal Plain) advanced to the league championship game with a large cast of ODU talent. The Sinnen twins, along with Brett Smith and Nick Walker, played a key role in the Pilots’ successful season. Smith (5-1, 3.48 ERA, 1 SHO) and Sam Sinnen (3-0, 3.75 ERA) guided the Pilots’ pitching staff, while Kurt Sinnen (.326, 4 HR, 32 RBI, .471 OBP) and Walker (41 R, 18 RBI, 20 SB) led the offense.
The Vermont Mountaineers (New England Collegiate) also hosted a bevy of ODU talent, as three Monarchs competed for the Mountaineers. Culver Lamb (4 games, 1-0, 0.00 ERA) did not allow an earned run in 15 innings, while Will Morgan (.294, 8 2B, 11 RBI) was a key contributor to the Mountaineer offense. Morgan Maguire (3 games, 6.2 innings, 5 Ks) contributed to the Vermont bullpen.
The Owensboro Oilers (Ohio Valley) also featured three Monarchs on their roster, headlined by All-Star selection Seth Woodard (.358, 10 HR, 34 RBI, 1.155 OPS). Infield mate Bryce Windham (27 R, 13 RBI, 4 SB) also put together a solid summer season for Owensboro, while Isaiah Nelson (19 IP, .284 opp. avg.) was a key member of the Oilers’ bullpen.
Turner Bishop (.269, 3 HR, 25 RBI) spent the summer with the Menlo Park Legends (California), ranking tied for 23rd in the league in RBIs, despite playing less than half of the season.
Jake Josephs (3 starts, 2-1, 3.80 ERA) competed for the DC Grays (Cal Ripken), fanning 19 in 26 innings, while walking just three.
In other ODU baseball summer news, 2016 draftees Connor Myers and Nick Hartman are off to great starts in the minors, while PJ Higgins (’15) and Ryan Yarbrough (’14) have emerged as top prospects in their respective organizations. For more information on all of the former Monarchs in the majors and minors, visit the Monarchs In The Pros page.
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