CAPE COD, Mass. — LSU outfielder J.C. Holt has been named the 2003 MVP of the Cape Cod Baseball League, the wooden-bat summer league for the nation’s top collegiate players. Holt, who played for the Brewster Whitecaps, and pitcher Eric Beattie of the Bourne Braves head the list of the CCBL All-League Team, selected by the league’s 10 field managers.
The CCBL completed its championship series this week, as the Orleans Cardinals defeated Bourne, 5-4, in the final game. Infielder Clay Harris and outfielder Jon Zeringue of LSU helped lead Orleans to the title, as each player provided a sacrifice fly in the championship game.
Holt, a rising junior from Sieper, La., led the Cape League with a robust .388 (52-for-134) batting average with six doubles, one triple, one homer, nine RBI, 25 runs and 13 steals in 33 games. Zeringue, a rising junior from Thibodaux, La., hit .283 (36-for-127) during the season with eight doubles, three homers and 22 RBI, while Harris, a rising junior from Slidell, La., hit .308 in the CCBL playoffs with two homers and four RBI.
LSU outfielder Ryan Patterson (Brewster), a rising junior from Rowlett, Texas, batted .288 (24-for-118) on the year with eight doubles, two homers and 24 RBI. LSU pitcher Justin Meier (Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox), a rising sophomore from Windemere, Fla., posted a 1-1 record, six saves and a 1.19 ERA as a reliever. In 14 appearances, Meier allowed just three earned runs in 22.2 innings with 42 strikeouts and four walks.
The LSU players report back to Baton Rouge next week for the beginning of the fall semester on Monday, August 25.
The CCBL all-league pitching staff is led by Beattie (University of Tampa), who posted a 4-0 record with a league-leading 0.39 ERA (second-best all-time), along with 51 strikeouts and just six walks.
Beattie is joined on the all-league staff by starter Jeremy Sowers (Vanderbilt) of the Wareham Gatemen, who posted a 4-3 record with a 1.20 ERA and 64 Ks, and relievers Jarrett Santos (North Carolina-Greensboro) of
Brewster, who posted a league leading 11 saves and 23 appearances along with a 1.42 ERA, and Zane Carlson (Baylor) of the Chatham A’s, who registered 10 saves. Carlson is the league’s all-time saves leader with 34.
The all-league infield consists of first baseman Joey Metropoulos (Southern California) of the Falmouth Commodores, who hit .243 with a league-leading 11 homers and .493 slugging percentage along with 21 RBI; second baseman Hyung Cho (Houston) of Yarmouth-Dennis, who hit .336 (4th in CCBL) with four homers and 22 RBI; shortstop Ryan Klosterman (Vanderbilt) of Chatham, who hit .279 with four homers and 15 RBI; and third baseman Warner Jones (Vanderbilt) of Wareham, who finished third in league batting average at .344 with one homer and 12 RBI.
Also named as an all-league infielder was Playoff MVP Cesar Nicolas (Vanderbilt), who hit .243 with five homers and a league-leading 28 RBI.
The outfielders include Holt, Sam Fuld (Stanford) of the Hyannis Mets, who finished second with a .361 batting average with one homer, 14 RBI and a league-leading .450 on-base percentage; Justin Maxwell (Maryland) of Bourne, who hit .307 with two homers and 17 RBI and Eric Nielsen (UNLV) of the Cotuit Kettleers, who finished fifth with a .333 batting average, along with two homers and 23 RBI.
The all-league catcher is Curtis Thigpen (Texas) of Yarmouth-Dennis, who hit .280 with 13 RBI and the designated hitter is teammate Sean Gamble (Auburn), who finished sixth in the league with a .319 batting average, one homer and seven RBI.