Hoosier paves way for future in Cape League

At the Dawicki house, where IU sophomore catcher Josh Phegley resides during his stint with the Cape Cod Baseball League’s Wareham Gatemen, Ken Dawicki preserves his family tradition of the golden pry bar.\n“When you screw up,” Dawicki explained, “you take this pry bar, and you pry your head out of your ass.”\nDuring Wareham’s game last Tuesday against the Falmouth Commodores, Phegley struck out three times to high-school nemesis, fellow Cape League All-Star and University of Missouri pitcher Kyle Gibson. Phegley proceeded to punch his team’s dugout, breaking his hand less than a week before the league’s All-Star Game.\nWhen he returned to Dawicki’s home after the game, the pry bar was lying on the counter.\n“We let him know that he was here to showcase his abilities,” Ken Dawicki said. “We expect only good things out of him; we don’t expect him to screw up.”\nWith a .269 batting average, 15 stolen bases and only two errors on the season, Terre Haute native Phegley is certainly making his trip to the Cape worthwhile. He was selected to be the starting catcher for West Division squad in the 2007 CCBL All-Star Game but could not play because of the broken hand.\nKnown predominantly for his play behind the plate, Phegley has posted a .989 fielding percentage for Wareham while throwing out 65 percent of runners stealing. He has started 19 of the 27 games in which he has played.\nHis biggest improvement over the summer has been his hitting, Phegley said, but the exceptional pitchers the league offers have also made him better defensively.\n“You’re seeing everybody’s ace from the top programs in the nation,” said Phegley. “Catching these guys has really helped me behind the plate. You catch the best pitchers day in and day out.”\nKnown for its distinguished talent level – one out of every seven MLB players has played in the CCBL – the Cape League is equally renowned for its simplicity. Giving an optional donation to the league remains the only cost of attendance. No synthetic sound of titanium is heard; the league stays faithful to wooden bats with Barnstable Bat, Co., located on Cape Cod, the leading provider of bats to the league. \n“I guess the words to describe (the league) would be ‘wicked awesome,’” said Josh’s grandmother Phyllis Phegley. She traveled to Massachusetts with her husband Carl – who claims to have collected every home run ball of Josh’s high school career.\nRepetition seems to be the defining characteristic of Phegley’s summer days. Each day commences with an 8:30 a.m. wake-up. From 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Phegley serves as a counselor at Wareham Gatemen Baseball Camp. After picking up lunch at the Country Market, it’s back to the ballpark for batting practice, and the day is concluded with a game. Phegley has become accustomed to the sameness. \n“I go to bed, then the same thing again,” he said.\nDespite the monotony, Phegley and Dawicki both feel it has been a pleasant and rewarding experience.\n“They’ve been the nicest family, they really have (been),” Phegley said. “We hang out sometimes at home. It’s really worked out.”\nIn mid-July, two IU pitchers, right-hander junior Tyler Tufts and lefty sophmore Matt Bashore were added to the Wareham roster. The newfound relationship between IU and the CCBL speaks to the progression of the program, Phegley said.\nPhegley has already been asked back to the CCBL next summer and is certain it is the path he will take, considering the reputation of the league. Major League scouts are fixtures at games; more than 100 were among the 5,000 fans at the All-Star Game.\n“Everyone comes out here to watch these guys because they’re going to be the next big stars in the major leagues,” Phegley said.