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Brewster's Roster Unsettled But Not Shaky

06/16/2004 10:51 AM

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for immediate release: 16 June, 2004

Defending Eastern Division Co-Champs Brewster’s Roster
Unsettled But Not Shaky for 2004 Campaign


CAPE COD, Mass. – Because the Cape Cod Baseball League is the cream of the college baseball crop, the start of the league’s season is often inconvenient, coinciding with the NCAA playoffs, eventually leading to the College World Series in Omaha. Inevitably, the best players will be carrying their teams at this time, trying to win the NCAA Championship. 

     This is exactly the case with the Brewster Whitecaps, who have a number of players either still with their college teams, trying out for Team USA, or in the midst of draft negotiations. To say the least, this is a harrowing time for managers and coaches, such as Dave Porter, General Manager of the Brewster Whitecaps. The team he began to put together as early as a year ago looks very different now. “We’re pretty sure the guys invited to Team USA from our team will make it. They’re just so talented, most likely eventual first rounders,” Porter said. 

     It would all be so simple if people could be in two places at once. The players in whom Porter places so much confidence are Travis Buck (Arizona State), Blair Erickson (California-Irvine), Jed Lowrie (Stanford), and teammates Cesar Ramos and Troy Tulowitzki from Long Beach State. 

     Even though he expects to lose these players from his roster, Porter puts an equal amount of faith in the talent he’s picked up in temporary players to fill the void. “The tryouts gave us some interesting choices, and these guys are great players,” he said. “All these guys are competing for a job, a starting position, playing time. What we might lose to Team USA will be regained in these excellent players.”

     There is only one permanent returning player, Phil Davidson, from the 2003 Brewster team which tied the Orleans Cardinals for the best record on the Cape and earned a playoff berth. Davidson, a junior from North Carolina State University, brings his excellent right-handed pitching back to the Whitecaps’ rotation. A native of Warwick, Rhode Island, Davidson is right at home on the Cape. 

     Jason Twomley (UMass), returns again to the Brewster team as a temporary player. In the brief time that he played with the Whitecaps last summer, Twomley impressed both Brewster fans and coaches alike with his batting and defense in the outfield. “Native son” Eric Rasmussen (Yale) a Brewster, MA native, also joins the team as a temporary player. Rasmussen, once a bat boy for the Whitecaps, earned an academic scholarship to Yale in addition to his prowess as an athlete.

     Besides losing players to Team USA, the need for so many “temps” (Porter chose ten in addition to his initial roster) is caused by the number of Brewster players still in the NCAA playoffs. Jason Determann (LHP) and Matt Liuzza, Brewster’s catcher, are in hot pursuit of a championship for Louisiana State University. 

     Miami’s Gaby Sanchez, a 3rd Team All-American pick, and his teammates Ryan Braun and Cesar Carrillo will join the team as soon as their stint for Miami in the playoffs is over. Braun was the 2003 Baseball America Freshman of the Year, a season in which he batted an astounding .364 with 17 homeruns and 76 RBI. 

     Along with California-Irvine and Long Beach State, South Carolina’s success in the post-season is also keeping players Michael Campbell (OF) and Steven Tolleson (IF) from Brewster. Tolleson had a successful summer in 2003 in the Coastal Plain League, and was named one the of the league’s top ten prospects. 

     Colin Matheny, a Rice southpaw, will undoubtedly be a challenge for other CCBL teams to hit. Matheny was a member of the 2003 Rice NCAA National Championship team. Adam Gold (Cal-Berkeley) and Ryan Falcon (UNC-Greensboro) are also coming off successful seasons as freshman. Gold was 4-0 in the Great Lakes League in 2003.

     The deadline for the final rosters in the CCBL is July 1. Some of the best players in college baseball will float in and out of Brewster until this deadline is reached and a permanent team is established. With a stress on pitching depth, and a mixture of young talent and older experience, the Whitecaps believe they have what it takes to make it back to the top of the Eastern Division and possibly take home the league Championship.

     The Whitecaps host the Orleans Cardinals in a show-down of the 2003 Eastern Division Co-Champions at Cape Cod Technical High School on Opening Day at 5:00 p.m.-- Britt Berry, 2004 CCBL Intern, [email protected]

John Garner, Jr.
CCBL Director of
Public Relations & Broadcasting
(508) 790-0394 [email protected]