Twelve Panthers Playing in Collegiate Summer Ball Leagues
6/7/2023 1:23:00 PM | Baseball
PITTSBURGH, PA -- Twelve players on the Panther's current roster are playing in collegiate summer ball leagues this summer, with their destinations spanning from Massachusetts to Southern California.
"The opportunity to continue to learn & compete is a big part of the development of our student - athletes. These experiences and relationships that are developed in the collegiate summer leagues create memories that these guys can carry with them forever." said head coach Mike Bell.
The Panthers have five players who are playing in the Cape Cod Baseball League this summer, the most iconic and arguably the most prominent summer league to play in. The ten teams in the league are located all around Cape Cod, Massachusetts, their regular season ends August 2nd.
RHP Kyle Demi and OF CJ Funk will be playing for the Wareham Gatemen, RHPs Dylan Simmons and Matthew Fernandez will be pitching for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, and RHP Logan Evans is pitching for the defending champion Bourne Braves. Tatem Levins played in The Cape Cod Baseball League the last two summers, he was a Cape League All-Star in 2021.
In five appearances Demi threw in 3.1 innings for Pitt this spring and struck out two batters. CJ Funk played and started in all 55 games during his junior season for the Panthers, slugging .549, knocking in 43 runs, and finished tied for the home run lead with Noah Martinez with 13 long balls. Both Dylan Simmons and Matthew Fernandez served as key pieces in relief for Pitt last season. Simmons often threw multiple innings as the setup man, bridging the gap from the starter to the closer. He struck out 60 batters and recorded one save in his 24 appearances over 39.1 innings. Fernandez recorded 56 strikeouts during his 52 innings pitched, he appeared in 22 games and made two starts. Evans finished with a 5-3 record in his nine starts, pitching into the seventh inning in five of those outings. He struck out at least six batters in four starts last season, which included a nine-strikeout performance at No. 7 Virginia and a career high ten-strikeout day against California.
Pitt has four more players playing in the Valley League, located in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia. LHP Ryan Reed and OF Caleb Sturtevant will continue to be teammates this summer as they are both playing for the Woodstock River Bandits, INF Anthony LaSala is competing for the Strasburg Express, and INF Nolan Kutney is playing for the New Market Rebels. Regular season play wraps up July 23rd. Dom Popa, Luke Lambert, Kyle Demi, and Will Droll all played in the Valley League last year.
During his freshman season, Ryan Reed allowed just one run in his six appearances. He finished with a 2.08 ERA in 4.1 IP and struck out four batters. Caleb Sturtevant started in 12 of the 25 games he played in this past season, he hit two doubles, a triple, and swiped two bags. Anthony LaSala appeared in 43 games for Pitt this spring and started in 40 of them. He hit one home run, five doubles, knocked in eleven runs, and helped turn 24 double plays. Nolan Kutney took a medical redshirt last season and did not play.
Both OF Dom Popa and RHP Kyle Mosley are playing in the Southern California Collegiate Baseball League for the Palm Springs Power this Summer. As a junior, Popa started in 27 of the 39 games he played in, he hit home runs in back-to-back games in the 2023 ACC Tournament and knocked in 10 runs last season. Pitt's Sunday starter Kyle Mosley made 13 starts and threw 54.1 innings, he struck out 45 batters last season.
Noah Martinez is playing in the PBR Draft League for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. The Scrappers home, Eastwood Field, is located 12 miles from Youngstown State University and is where the Youngstown State baseball team plays their home games. As a senior last year Martinez started in all 55 games for the Panthers, led the team in hits (63) and RBI (53), and finished tied for the lead in home runs (13). Their regular season will end on Saturday, September 2nd.
Below are the leagues, teams, and locations of where the twelve Panthers are playing this summer.
Cape Cod Baseball League
Kyle Demi - WareHam Gatemen (WareHam, MA)
CJ Funk - WareHam Gatemen (WareHam, MA)
Dylan Simmons - Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (South Yarmouth, MA)
Matthew Fernandez - Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (South Yarmouth, MA)
Logan Evans - Bourne Braves (Barnstable County, MA)
Valley Baseball League
Ryan Reed - Woodstock River Bandits (Woodstock, VA)
Caleb Sturtevant - Woodstock River Bandits (Woodstock, VA)
Anthony LaSala - Strasburg Express (Strasburg, VA)
Nolan Kutney - New Market Rebels (New Market, VA)
Southern California Collegiate Baseball League
Kyle Mosley - Palm Springs Power (Palm Springs, CA)
Dom Popa - Palm Springs Power (Palm Springs, CA)
PBR Draft League
Noah Martinez - Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Niles, OH)
"The opportunity to continue to learn & compete is a big part of the development of our student - athletes. These experiences and relationships that are developed in the collegiate summer leagues create memories that these guys can carry with them forever." said head coach Mike Bell.
The Panthers have five players who are playing in the Cape Cod Baseball League this summer, the most iconic and arguably the most prominent summer league to play in. The ten teams in the league are located all around Cape Cod, Massachusetts, their regular season ends August 2nd.
RHP Kyle Demi and OF CJ Funk will be playing for the Wareham Gatemen, RHPs Dylan Simmons and Matthew Fernandez will be pitching for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, and RHP Logan Evans is pitching for the defending champion Bourne Braves. Tatem Levins played in The Cape Cod Baseball League the last two summers, he was a Cape League All-Star in 2021.
In five appearances Demi threw in 3.1 innings for Pitt this spring and struck out two batters. CJ Funk played and started in all 55 games during his junior season for the Panthers, slugging .549, knocking in 43 runs, and finished tied for the home run lead with Noah Martinez with 13 long balls. Both Dylan Simmons and Matthew Fernandez served as key pieces in relief for Pitt last season. Simmons often threw multiple innings as the setup man, bridging the gap from the starter to the closer. He struck out 60 batters and recorded one save in his 24 appearances over 39.1 innings. Fernandez recorded 56 strikeouts during his 52 innings pitched, he appeared in 22 games and made two starts. Evans finished with a 5-3 record in his nine starts, pitching into the seventh inning in five of those outings. He struck out at least six batters in four starts last season, which included a nine-strikeout performance at No. 7 Virginia and a career high ten-strikeout day against California.
Pitt has four more players playing in the Valley League, located in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia. LHP Ryan Reed and OF Caleb Sturtevant will continue to be teammates this summer as they are both playing for the Woodstock River Bandits, INF Anthony LaSala is competing for the Strasburg Express, and INF Nolan Kutney is playing for the New Market Rebels. Regular season play wraps up July 23rd. Dom Popa, Luke Lambert, Kyle Demi, and Will Droll all played in the Valley League last year.
During his freshman season, Ryan Reed allowed just one run in his six appearances. He finished with a 2.08 ERA in 4.1 IP and struck out four batters. Caleb Sturtevant started in 12 of the 25 games he played in this past season, he hit two doubles, a triple, and swiped two bags. Anthony LaSala appeared in 43 games for Pitt this spring and started in 40 of them. He hit one home run, five doubles, knocked in eleven runs, and helped turn 24 double plays. Nolan Kutney took a medical redshirt last season and did not play.
Both OF Dom Popa and RHP Kyle Mosley are playing in the Southern California Collegiate Baseball League for the Palm Springs Power this Summer. As a junior, Popa started in 27 of the 39 games he played in, he hit home runs in back-to-back games in the 2023 ACC Tournament and knocked in 10 runs last season. Pitt's Sunday starter Kyle Mosley made 13 starts and threw 54.1 innings, he struck out 45 batters last season.
Noah Martinez is playing in the PBR Draft League for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. The Scrappers home, Eastwood Field, is located 12 miles from Youngstown State University and is where the Youngstown State baseball team plays their home games. As a senior last year Martinez started in all 55 games for the Panthers, led the team in hits (63) and RBI (53), and finished tied for the lead in home runs (13). Their regular season will end on Saturday, September 2nd.
Below are the leagues, teams, and locations of where the twelve Panthers are playing this summer.
Cape Cod Baseball League
Kyle Demi - WareHam Gatemen (WareHam, MA)
CJ Funk - WareHam Gatemen (WareHam, MA)
Dylan Simmons - Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (South Yarmouth, MA)
Matthew Fernandez - Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (South Yarmouth, MA)
Logan Evans - Bourne Braves (Barnstable County, MA)
Valley Baseball League
Ryan Reed - Woodstock River Bandits (Woodstock, VA)
Caleb Sturtevant - Woodstock River Bandits (Woodstock, VA)
Anthony LaSala - Strasburg Express (Strasburg, VA)
Nolan Kutney - New Market Rebels (New Market, VA)
Southern California Collegiate Baseball League
Kyle Mosley - Palm Springs Power (Palm Springs, CA)
Dom Popa - Palm Springs Power (Palm Springs, CA)
PBR Draft League
Noah Martinez - Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Niles, OH)
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— Pitt Baseball (@Pitt_BASE) June 9, 2023
Good luck to our 12 Panthers playing in their summer ball leagues!
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