The Cape Cod baseball league is a summer league for collegiate baseball players to play over the summer and get used to using a wooden bat to help them prepare for playing at the next level. One of the top returning players for the 2023 season for Maryland baseball team this upcoming season did exactly that as Matt Shaw ended up winning the MVP of the league.
In doing so, Shaw became the first Terp honored with the award since Jim Norris took home the honors in the summer of 1969. After Shaw’s sophomore season where he was named first-team All-Big Ten after posting a .290 batting average while hitting 22 home runs and 67 RBIs, he competed for the Bourne Braves in the Cape Cod Summer League. Shaw would help lead the Braves to a 23-14-7 record during the regular season as well as winning the title game over the Brewster Whitecaps. He capped off his summer as a Cape Cod League champion and was one of two Terps named to the All-Star game, joining catcher Luke Shliger.
CAME. SAW. CONQUERED🏆
Matt Shaw and Nigel Belgrave are 2022 Cape Cod League Champions🐢⚾#DiryTerps pic.twitter.com/dN6LKtyl5t
— Maryland Baseball (@TerpsBaseball) August 11, 2022
Shaw led the CCBL in batting average hitting .360. Shaw also hit five home runs and had 19 RBIs and was also finished in the top three in the league in hits (49), doubles (10), and triples (2). “He shows up at the ballpark, works diligently on his defense and in the batting cage, wins,” one scout told The Athletic regarding the rising Terp. The honor comes one month after being named the 25th-best draft prospect for the 2023 MLB Draft by Prospects Live.
“Shaw does a little bit of everything well. He’s a big, strong, thick middle-infielder who could certainly stick at shortstop, though some believe he could end up at second base or third base because of his shorter strides and muscular frame. Shaw was a force in the Big 10 as a true freshman and figures to anchor the middle of the Maryland lineup for the next two years. He’s got the potential to net double digit homers and stolen bases at his collegiate peak whilst developing into a Kike Hernandez type pro.”
After putting up these impressive numbers in the CCBL, Shaw will lead a Maryland roster looking to replace ample production following four Terps now off to the major league. Shaw sits fifth in slugging percentage (.578) and ninth in home runs (29) in Maryland history. He also sits in the top ten in home runs (22), RBIs (67), total bases (148) and extra-base hits (33) in Maryland’s single-season record book. Shaw, who signed with Maryland out of Worcester Academy, was also named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team back in 2021.
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