Issue date: 2/21/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Tommy Tang Junior Kyle Thebeau is ready to take a leadership position on the team after practicing with the Cape Cod League in the offseason. [Click to enlarge]

In baseball, the bat is a pitcher's mortal enemy. While the pitcher is trying for strikeouts, groundouts or even flyouts, that pesky bat always seems to mess things up. However, the pitcher's efforts are sometimes made easier when the bats are made of wood, instead of the aluminum used in collegiate games.

Texas A&M junior pitcher Kyle Thebeau spent his summer in Falmouth, Mass., pitching for the Commodores of the prestigious Cape Cod League, a summer league for college players. The Cape, as it is often called, uses wooden bats to best simulate how college players would play on a professional level.

"I wish I could pitch to wood bats everyday," Thebeau said. "I feel like some of the homeruns I've given up [at Olsen], aluminum bats made the difference on them going out."

Thebeau pitched 19 innings in 11 games, striking out 29 and posting a 3.79 earned run average against some of the best college prospects in the nation.

"The Cape was really fun," he said. "There were a couple of guys on my team that I feel strongly that they'll be in the pros someday, and there were a lot of guys in the league that were really talented."

The Cape has played host to pros such as Mark Teixeira, Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio and Todd Helton. The Cape was also featured in the 2001 film "Summer Catch." Thebeau said that there were similarities between real life and the film, but it was still different.

"The weather and scenery are beautiful," Thebeau said about the locale. "It was a really positive experience and I'm glad I got the opportunity to do that."

Thebeau's second to last game in the 2007 season was a complete game showing against Louisiana-Lafayette in the College Station regional. Thebeau struck out a career-high 13 while only allowing two runs in his first start in nine weeks, leading the Aggies to their first regional championship since 2004.

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