Four Braves Named CCBL All-Stars

By: Jacob Janower

The Cape Cod Baseball League revealed its All-Stars on Saturday, and four Braves were chosen to the West Division team.

Catcher Zac Susi (Connecticut), second baseman Grant Williams (Kennesaw State), and pitchers Ryan Feltner (Ohio State) and Luis Alvarado (Nebraska) will be among the rising stars that will play at Spillane Field in Wareham on July 22.

After an initial struggle to earn consistent playing time, Susi has carved out a regular role in the middle of the Braves lineup and has been their best defensive catcher. He is currently tied for second on the team with a 296 batting average.

Susi mentioned that he is excited to represent not only the Braves, but the UConn Huskies, his family, and his hometown of Southington, Connecticut.

“All-Star games are supposed to be fun and a good time,” he said. “I’d like to meet some new guys and just pick some brains and see how other guys do things and see how other guys in the Cape handle their business.”

The only Brave with a better batting average than Susi this season is Williams, who is hitting at a .313 clip. The rising senior has been a mainstay at one of the top two spots in the order and has six multi-hit games so far this season.

“It’s a blessing,” he said about the prestigious honor.

He also leads the team with 14 walks and has struck out just six times in 80 at-bats.

“It’s sticking with my approach and not trying to do too much,” Williams said. “I’ve been in the 1 or 2 spot in the lineup so my job is to get on and have guys drive me in. I’ve just embraced my role and taken off from there.”

Perhaps the best story of any of the All-Stars is Alvarado, a second-year Brave who was a position player last summer.

He was a two-way player with the Cornhuskers in 2017 and has solely pitched so far this season in Bourne.

The three scoreless innings that he threw on Friday night against Chatham are most likely a big reason for his selection, as they upped his total to 13 innings pitched this season. He has allowed just one earned run.

“Any player, that’s what they envision, it doesn’t matter what position they play,” Alvarado said. “You want to perform as best as you can for the team. That was one of my accomplishments for the summer.”

Feltner was viewed as a lock for the team for quite awhile, as the Braves closer has looked nothing short of dominant since the start of the season.

He has yet to allow an earned run in 11 and 1/3 innings pitched.

For the right-hander, his dominant run all started with his initial appearance on the Cape.

“The first outing was big for me just to come down here and I think after that it just takes off, the confidence and the pitches,” he said. “It’s all been good from there.”