WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Three members of Purdue baseball were part of summer league champions as returning student-athletes Nolan Daniel and Pat Clohisy as well as incoming Boilermaker Curtis Washington Jr. all helped lead their teams to championships in wood-bat leagues.
SUMMER LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP BREAKDOWN
• Boilermaker: Curtis Washington Jr.
• Team (Location): Cape Catfish (Cape Girardeau, Mo.)
• League: Prospect League
• Date of Championship Game Victory: Aug. 12
• Playoff Success: Cape Girardeau went 4-1 in the Prospect League playoffs, with all four victories coming in elimination games (three on the road). After emerging victorious in a pair of winner-take-all matchups to qualify for the championship series, the Catfish scored 10 runs on consecutive nights at Loeb Stadium to rally past the top-seeded Lafayette Aviators for the league title. In Thursday's decisive Game 3, Cape scored its 10 runs over the final five innings, overcoming a 4-0 deficit while rallying for a 10-8 victory in 10 innings.
• More Notables: After playing center field for much of his time with the team, Washington moved to shortstop for the championship series while batting second in the lineup. He was 5-for-10 with two triples and two runs in the two victories in Lafayette, reaching base safely three times in both wins and posting a three-hit effort in Game 3. The switch-hitter joined Cape in mid-July after playing for the State College Spikes of the MLB Draft League for the first six weeks of the summer. Including the playoffs, the Catfish went 15-3 in the games in which Washington played. The Wabash Valley College transfer batted .345 with six extra-base hits, 19 runs scored and nine stolen bases. The Lafayette Aviators also enjoyed a memorable summer in their inaugural season at the new Loeb Stadium. Including the playoffs, the Aviators were 44-20 this year, finishing atop the Prospect League's Wabash River Division in both the first (19-9) and second half (22-9) of the summer.
• Boilermaker: Nolan Daniel
• Team (Location): Savannah Bananas (Savannah, Ga.)
• League: Coastal Plain League
• Date of Championship Game Victory: Aug. 7
• Playoff Success: After posting a 36-8 record in the regular season to win the CPL's West Division, Savannah emerged victorious in a pair of rubber games to win their best-of-three playoff series. Both decisive games were blowout wins, 10-0 in the divisional round and 13-3 in the championship series.
• More Notables: Daniel struck out three of the five batters he faced in a flawless relief appearance in Game 2 of the championship series on Aug. 6. He pitched in nine games during the regular season, racking up 23 strikeouts vs. 14 hits allowed in 17 2/3 innings. Daniel was an All-CPL reliever for Savannah during the summer of 2020. The Savannah Bananas have created some national buzz in recent years for their unique yellow uniforms as well as gameday promotions and on-field hijinks aimed at creating a fun environment at the ballpark. The club has a long sellout streak and lengthy waitlist for tickets, leading to attention from the likes of ESPN, CNN and Wall Street Journal.
• Boilermaker: Pat Clohisy
• Team (Location): Bag Bandits (Westfield, Ind.)
• League: College Summer League at Grand Park
• Date of Championship Game Victory: July 31
• Playoff Success: The Bag Bandits rallied for three ninth-inning victories – including two walk-offs – to win the Grand Park League's eight-team, single-elimination tournament as the No. 3 seed.
• More Notables: Clohisy started in right field and batted second in the lineup in all three playoff games for the Bag Bandits. The team scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to win its quarterfinal game and won again in walk-off fashion in the semifinal with a two-run ninth. In the championship game vs. the top-seeded Snapping Turtles, the Bag Bandits trailed by a run entering the ninth but rallied for an 8-6 victory. Former Boilermaker Jeremy Schork, who opted to transfer to Southern Illinois this summer, was also a starter for the Bag Bandits. Returning Boilermaker Jack Firestone was the Player of the Year in the Grand Park League this summer, joining Clohisy's classmate Jake Stadler on the all-league team.
ALUMNI IN PRO BALL
• Kevin Plawecki (2010-12) has made five consecutive starts for the Boston Red Sox from Aug. 7 to 12, earning starts behind the plate and at designated hitter during that stretch. A three-hit, three-RBI effort Aug. 8 at Toronto has headlined his recent hot stretch that has seen him reach base safely in six straight games. The 2012 Big Ten Player of the Year has his batting average up to .302 in 42 games this year after batting a career-high .341 over 24 games in the shortened 2020 campaign.
• Purdue's most recent pro ball signees, Zac Fascia (2019-21) and Calvin Starnes (2021), have been officially assigned to the Rookie Ball affiliates of their big league clubs. Fascia is with the Arizona Complex League Indians and Starnes with the Florida Complex League Yankees. Both teams play their games at big league spring training complexes.
• Patrick J. Smith (2018-19) has been promoted to the High-A level in the Kansas City Royals system, joining the Quad City River Bandits (Davenport, Iowa) on Aug. 10. Quad Cities leads its division with a 58-27 record.
• Jacson McGowan (2016-18) hit his 14th home run of the summer for the High-A Bowling Green Hot Rods (Tampa Bay Rays affiliate) on Aug. 7. As of Aug. 12, Bowling Green leads its division with a 62-25 record.
• Nick Dalesandro (2016-18) continues to lead all catchers in Minor League Baseball with 25 stolen bases for the Hillsboro Hops, a High-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
• Alec Olund (2015-18) has been heating up in August as an everyday starter for the Gary SouthShore RailCats of the independent American Association. Since Aug. 2, he's 12-for-35 with seven extra-base hits, eight RBI and 10 runs scored. A four-year starting outfielder for Purdue, he's been seeing time at third base this summer with Gary.
• Kyle Johnson (2013-16) has been an effective relief pitcher for the Windy City ThunderBolts of the independent Frontier League this year. He has come all the way back from Tommy John Surgery, which he underwent in the fall of 2018 after his third season in the New York Yankees farm system. A four-year starting center fielder for Purdue, Johnson made the transition to the mound in pro ball and joined the ThunderBolts in May of this year. As of August 12, he has 20 strikeouts vs. 19 hits allowed in 22 2/3 innings this summer.
SUMMER LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP BREAKDOWN
• Boilermaker: Curtis Washington Jr.
• Team (Location): Cape Catfish (Cape Girardeau, Mo.)
• League: Prospect League
• Date of Championship Game Victory: Aug. 12
• Playoff Success: Cape Girardeau went 4-1 in the Prospect League playoffs, with all four victories coming in elimination games (three on the road). After emerging victorious in a pair of winner-take-all matchups to qualify for the championship series, the Catfish scored 10 runs on consecutive nights at Loeb Stadium to rally past the top-seeded Lafayette Aviators for the league title. In Thursday's decisive Game 3, Cape scored its 10 runs over the final five innings, overcoming a 4-0 deficit while rallying for a 10-8 victory in 10 innings.
• More Notables: After playing center field for much of his time with the team, Washington moved to shortstop for the championship series while batting second in the lineup. He was 5-for-10 with two triples and two runs in the two victories in Lafayette, reaching base safely three times in both wins and posting a three-hit effort in Game 3. The switch-hitter joined Cape in mid-July after playing for the State College Spikes of the MLB Draft League for the first six weeks of the summer. Including the playoffs, the Catfish went 15-3 in the games in which Washington played. The Wabash Valley College transfer batted .345 with six extra-base hits, 19 runs scored and nine stolen bases. The Lafayette Aviators also enjoyed a memorable summer in their inaugural season at the new Loeb Stadium. Including the playoffs, the Aviators were 44-20 this year, finishing atop the Prospect League's Wabash River Division in both the first (19-9) and second half (22-9) of the summer.
• Boilermaker: Nolan Daniel
• Team (Location): Savannah Bananas (Savannah, Ga.)
• League: Coastal Plain League
• Date of Championship Game Victory: Aug. 7
• Playoff Success: After posting a 36-8 record in the regular season to win the CPL's West Division, Savannah emerged victorious in a pair of rubber games to win their best-of-three playoff series. Both decisive games were blowout wins, 10-0 in the divisional round and 13-3 in the championship series.
• More Notables: Daniel struck out three of the five batters he faced in a flawless relief appearance in Game 2 of the championship series on Aug. 6. He pitched in nine games during the regular season, racking up 23 strikeouts vs. 14 hits allowed in 17 2/3 innings. Daniel was an All-CPL reliever for Savannah during the summer of 2020. The Savannah Bananas have created some national buzz in recent years for their unique yellow uniforms as well as gameday promotions and on-field hijinks aimed at creating a fun environment at the ballpark. The club has a long sellout streak and lengthy waitlist for tickets, leading to attention from the likes of ESPN, CNN and Wall Street Journal.
• Boilermaker: Pat Clohisy
• Team (Location): Bag Bandits (Westfield, Ind.)
• League: College Summer League at Grand Park
• Date of Championship Game Victory: July 31
• Playoff Success: The Bag Bandits rallied for three ninth-inning victories – including two walk-offs – to win the Grand Park League's eight-team, single-elimination tournament as the No. 3 seed.
• More Notables: Clohisy started in right field and batted second in the lineup in all three playoff games for the Bag Bandits. The team scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to win its quarterfinal game and won again in walk-off fashion in the semifinal with a two-run ninth. In the championship game vs. the top-seeded Snapping Turtles, the Bag Bandits trailed by a run entering the ninth but rallied for an 8-6 victory. Former Boilermaker Jeremy Schork, who opted to transfer to Southern Illinois this summer, was also a starter for the Bag Bandits. Returning Boilermaker Jack Firestone was the Player of the Year in the Grand Park League this summer, joining Clohisy's classmate Jake Stadler on the all-league team.
ALUMNI IN PRO BALL
• Kevin Plawecki (2010-12) has made five consecutive starts for the Boston Red Sox from Aug. 7 to 12, earning starts behind the plate and at designated hitter during that stretch. A three-hit, three-RBI effort Aug. 8 at Toronto has headlined his recent hot stretch that has seen him reach base safely in six straight games. The 2012 Big Ten Player of the Year has his batting average up to .302 in 42 games this year after batting a career-high .341 over 24 games in the shortened 2020 campaign.
• Purdue's most recent pro ball signees, Zac Fascia (2019-21) and Calvin Starnes (2021), have been officially assigned to the Rookie Ball affiliates of their big league clubs. Fascia is with the Arizona Complex League Indians and Starnes with the Florida Complex League Yankees. Both teams play their games at big league spring training complexes.
• Patrick J. Smith (2018-19) has been promoted to the High-A level in the Kansas City Royals system, joining the Quad City River Bandits (Davenport, Iowa) on Aug. 10. Quad Cities leads its division with a 58-27 record.
• Jacson McGowan (2016-18) hit his 14th home run of the summer for the High-A Bowling Green Hot Rods (Tampa Bay Rays affiliate) on Aug. 7. As of Aug. 12, Bowling Green leads its division with a 62-25 record.
• Nick Dalesandro (2016-18) continues to lead all catchers in Minor League Baseball with 25 stolen bases for the Hillsboro Hops, a High-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
• Alec Olund (2015-18) has been heating up in August as an everyday starter for the Gary SouthShore RailCats of the independent American Association. Since Aug. 2, he's 12-for-35 with seven extra-base hits, eight RBI and 10 runs scored. A four-year starting outfielder for Purdue, he's been seeing time at third base this summer with Gary.
• Kyle Johnson (2013-16) has been an effective relief pitcher for the Windy City ThunderBolts of the independent Frontier League this year. He has come all the way back from Tommy John Surgery, which he underwent in the fall of 2018 after his third season in the New York Yankees farm system. A four-year starting center fielder for Purdue, Johnson made the transition to the mound in pro ball and joined the ThunderBolts in May of this year. As of August 12, he has 20 strikeouts vs. 19 hits allowed in 22 2/3 innings this summer.