Delta alum Austin Conway throws for Bourne in the Cape Cod League.
Delta alum Austin Conway throws for Bourne in the Cape Cod League.
Delta alum Austin Conway throws for Bourne in the Cape Cod League.
Austin Conway admits it took things falling into place to make it to Cape Cod this summer.
The Delta alum and current Indiana State baseball player was slated to play his summer ball in Ohio, but because last season went well, he went to his coach, Mitch Hannahs, wondering if he could find a more competitive league. Hannahs had once played for Harvey Shapiro, manager of the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod League, the best and most decorated summer league.
That’s how Conway, a star with the Eagles, found himself slotted into a temporary spot in a league where he calls every team an all-star squad loaded with top talent, including college All-Americans.
“It’s been an honor to be able to get out here with all the history behind it,” Conway said. “Kind of overwhelming to think about, coming from Delta and a mid-major school.”
It was supposed to be just a few-week stint, but it wasn’t temporary for long.
“Before the first game actually, coach Shapiro came and told me he made me a permanent player,” Conway said.
Put in that spot, he’s showed he belongs.
He wasted no time becoming a dominant closer in Bourne. And he recently got the payoff of a nod for the league’s all-star game, set to be played Saturday.
That can happen when you go much of the season without giving up an earned run.
A closer with the Sycamores, Conway naturally slotted into that position with the Braves. Across 16 innings as of Monday, he’s struck out 19, collected seven saves, and given up only a single unearned run. He learned about his all-star selection at a player assembly, just after a seminar on the MLB draft.
The now all-star was an ace and all-around force for Delta in 2013 and developed into a top option in the late innings, with a 2.26 ERA, eight saves and a 4-2 record. He’s now got sights set on the postseason, as his team is 15-16 and in the hunt for a spot, and he’d like to grab some extra hardware before heading back to Terre Haute.
But going to Cape Cod offers a far rarer chance than just playing baseball against foes from top programs.
The league has been a crucible for future professionals, with 276 former players in the major leagues in 2014. The peninsula and its community also gets behind the league in a big way, creating an almost festive atmosphere around each season, pouring in energy and interest.
Part of the deal with summer baseball is players get put up with host families. As players need to maintain NCAA eligibility, they can’t be compensated in any real way. So they stay with families as they get a taste of an intense, day-in, day-out baseball schedule.
Conway has roomed with Gavin Pittore, another player from a lower-level school making his way against top competition. A product of Division III Wesleyan, Pittore joined Conway as Bourne’s other all-star.
For Conway, this arrangement took some getting used to. At Indiana State, he has lived on his own for the past few years. Now he’s back in a family home, an adjustment and another different experience made possible with a question to a coach and things falling into place.
“My host mom and dad couldn’t be any better to me and my roommate,” Conway said. “(They) cook for us whenever we want, whatever we want. They do anything they can to make us comfortable. The area’s gorgeous. Being out here is just awesome.”