Baseball’s Summer Ball Tracker

By Jimmy Friery

Twelve Vaqueros from the 2026 Baseball team are competing in summer leagues around the country, but fans could see some familiar faces here in Santa Barbara County.

ABCA/Rawlings National Player of the Year Wylan Nelson is playing for the Santa Barbara Foresters. Worth noting, the two-way star will stay off the mound for the California Collegiate League (CCL) club, who play their home games at Santa Barbara High through July 19.

Two members of the 2025 Vaqueros—Aidan Camberg and Max McGrady—are Nelson's teammates for the summer. Catching Coach Brian Aguilar is also on the Foresters staff.

Other local players include pitchers Drew Cappel, playing for the Santa Maria Reds, and Nathaniel Gomez for the California Halos.

In the Bay, infielder Lucas Carlisle is playing for the Walnut Creek Crawdads. Redshirt Raphi Hall is competing with the Solano Mudcats, as is outfielder Adam Kamin with the Bay Area Marauders.

Further north, Cedar Cline is pitching for the Humboldt Crabs. Founded in 1945, they are "the oldest, continuously-operated summer collegiate baseball team in the country."

In the Midwest's Northwoods League, a trio of Vaqueros have already crowned themselves champions. Western State Conference (WSC) North Player of the Year William Matuszak and First Team selection Cole Ide are both playing for the Kenosha Kingfish, led by popular former Vaquero Aidan Wirshing. The Kingfish clinched a first half championship just before the end of June, earning a playoff berth for the first time since 2018.

Also in the Northwoods League, pitcher Max Collins—an All-State selection for the Vaqueros—has teamed up with Andrue Dosztan-Campbell on the Waterloo Bucks.

The lone other out-of-stater is southpaw Ryan Baker. Returning to his native Massachusetts, he will spend the summer as a Rockland Cardinal in the Cranberry Baseball League.

The Vaqueros went 29-18 this past year, advancing through two postseason rounds to make an appearance in the 3C2A Regional Final.