2025 Cape Cod League Standouts

Elijah Ickes – INF, Hawaii

He may play his college baseball 5,130 miles away from Cape Cod, but that didn’t stop Ickes from transitioning incredibly quickly to CCBL action.

Across 131 at-bats, Ickes smashed five home runs with six doubles, and an .859 OPS. Perhaps most impressive of all, he walked 29 times, the most of any player in the league. While the strikeout numbers hit 36, Ickes proved to be a highly capable bat for Orleans all summer; he was an on-base machine.

For Hawaii, Ickes’ summer growth signals an impressive player when it comes to changing games with both his approach and his bat. His performance on the Cape showed he can adjust to elite pitching and thrive against it.

Christian Rodriguez – RHP, Florida

On the mound, few arms were more dominant than Florida’s Christian Rodriguez. The 20-year-old right-hander was awarded the Al Graeber Outstanding Pitcher Award after a breakout summer with Harwich.

Following a rocky freshman season in Gainesville, where he posted a 5.32 ERA across 23.2 innings, Rodriguez flipped the script on the Cape. Working exclusively in relief, he appeared in 12 games and was nearly unhittable, finishing with a 0.93 ERA over 19.1 innings. He struck out 26 hitters while walking nine, good for a 12.1 K/9 and a 2.89 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

For Florida, Rodriguez’s summer emergence signals a major step forward. If he can carry that dominance into SEC play, the Gators will have another late-inning weapon ready to shut games down.

Caden McDonald – TWP, Florida

Sticking with the Gators, Caden McDonald may have delivered the most well-rounded summer of anyone on the Cape. The two-way standout pulled double duty for Wareham, logging 25.2 innings on the mound while stepping to the plate for 86 at-bats — and excelling in both.

On the hill, McDonald struck out 17 and posted a 3.51 ERA, providing steady innings in a league known for punishing pitchers. At the plate, he showcased his power potential, blasting six home runs with 18 RBIs and finishing with an .873 OPS.

At 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, the incoming redshirt sophomore offers Florida valuable depth as a reliever and legitimate middle-of-the-order thump. His two-way success on the Cape only reinforces his ability to impact the Gators in multiple ways.

Jack Natilli – C, Cincinnati

Coming off a breakout season with Cincinnati in the Big 12 (1.006 OPS), Natilli carried that momentum straight into the Cape. The wiry catcher was a mainstay in Cotuit’s lineup, appearing in 37 games and proving to be one of the Ketts’ most reliable bats.

Natilli finished tied for the league lead in RBIs with 24, while posting a .798 OPS and adding six home runs. His production stood out even more given the humid Cape conditions that tested players’ stamina throughout the summer.

A native of Washington, PA, Natilli impressed with both his grit and his steady leadership by example. For Cincinnati, he returns as a proven run producer and durable presence behind the plate.

Tyler Pitzer – RHP, Mississippi State

Last, but certainly not least, Tyler Pitzer was nothing short of dominant on the mound for Y-D this summer. The Mississippi State transfer carved through Cape League lineups with remarkable efficiency, cementing himself as one of the most impressive arms in the circuit.

Over 26.1 innings, Pitzer surrendered just one earned run, finishing with a microscopic 0.34 ERA. He struck out 36 hitters, walked only nine, and allowed just 15 hits. These numbers highlight both his command and his ability to overpower opposing bats.

After logging only 0.1 innings last spring at South Carolina, Pitzer’s breakout on the Cape sets the stage for a fascinating 2026 season in Starkville. If his summer is any indication, the Bulldogs may have landed one of the SEC’s biggest difference-makers through the portal.