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Boys of Summer return to Cape Cod for 2022 league season

andré simms, cape cod times
·2 min read

The stars of tomorrow shone once again Sunday as the 2022 Cape Cod Baseball League season began. Opening Day brought fresh faces, fresh optimism and fresh opportunities for the nation's best college baseball players to showcase their skills in the premier collegiate summer league.

As always, the league is laced with names from the country's blue blood programs. Vanderbilt, LSU, Mississippi State, Oregon State and more will all be well represented across the league's 10 teams.

For the next two months, the players on these 10 teams will battle not only to secure the league championship trophy come season's end, but also to improve their draft stock as they hone their craft in front of the numerous Major League scouts who will be in attendance as the season rolls on.

Cape Cod Baseball League: Bourne Braves start 2022 season with a win

In front of a packed Doran Park, Bourne's Christopher Brito keeps an eye on the ball during a third inning play. The Bourne Braves hosted the Brewster Whitecaps in Cape Cod Baseball League action Sunday night at Doran Park. Sunday was opening night for the Cape Cod Baseball League. To see more photos, go to www.capecodtimes.com/news/photo-galleries.

Last year represented a return to normalcy for the Cape Cod Baseball League. After the 2020 season was abandoned due to COVID-19, restrictions were loosened before the 2021 season began, allowing fans to return to the ballparks to support their teams.

In the end, the Eastern Division Champion Brewster Whitecaps took home the title after sweeping the Bourne Braves.

High school baseball: Falmouth baseball continues Cinderella journey with win in Round of 16

The Bourne Braves head into the 2022 season with a first-year coaching staff. After a season-long stint with Brewster as pitching coach, Scott Landers takes the helm of the Braves in 2022. His staff also features a name familiar to those locally, as former Boston Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia joins the staff as an assistant coach.

Bourne's Ryan Proto swings at a pitch during a second inning play. Proto is a catcher for the Bourne Braves and is from Centerville. He is a student at UMass-Lowell.
Bourne's Ryan Proto swings at a pitch during a second inning play. Proto is a catcher for the Bourne Braves and is from Centerville. He is a student at UMass-Lowell.

In a league that features plenty of head coaches with decades of experience, the first-year staff at Bourne will look to make their mark.

Earlier this year: Cape Cod Baseball League struggles to find enough host families for the first time

This season began with a full, five-game slate. Bourne defeated Brewster 5-3, Harwich traveled to Falmouth and got the road victory 9-2, and Wareham edged out Hyannis 2-1 at Spillane Field.  Elsewhere Yarmouth-Dennis traveled to Orleans and tied 4-4 and Chatham and Cotuit played under the lights at Veterans Field where the Kettleers shutout the Anglers 5-0.

Brewster Whitecap Joseph Mancini makes a pitch to a Bourne Braves player in the first inning.
Brewster Whitecap Joseph Mancini makes a pitch to a Bourne Braves player in the first inning.

This year's All-Star game will be held at Wareham's Spillane Field on Saturday, July 23, and keeping with the tradition of having a game take place at a Minor League field, the Bourne Braves will take on the Wareham Gatemen at Polar Park, home of the AAA Worcester Red Sox.

Fans hoping to watch from afar can catch the best young broadcasters in the country as well, as the CCBL league teams have various forms of streaming available.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod Baseball League returns this summer for 2022 season