Although the college baseball season only runs from mid -February to late June, the work never stops for Zach Cone, a sophomore outfielder on the Georgia baseball team. Take Cone’s summer for example.

Instead of heading home to Stone Mountain, Ga., to spend time with family after the Bulldogs loss to Florida State in the NCAA Regionals, Cone headed to Cotuit, Mass., to play for the Cotuit Kettleers in the revered Cape Cod Baseball League.

The Cape Cod League – the most prestigious amateur summer baseball league in the country – is a haven, of sorts, in the summer for college baseball’s best players. For example, during the 2008 Major League Baseball season, 208 players were alumni of the Cape Cod League with the alumni list reading as a who’s who of professional baseball. Therefore, Cone jumped at the chance to move a thousand miles from home in exchange for a summer of competing against the nation’s best – a summer that was well worth the sacrifice, according to Cone.

“It was fun. It was real long, but I learned a lot and got a lot better so it all worked out,” Cone said. “It is kind of tough because I did not get to see my family much, and I did not get back until three days ago, so it is pretty tough, but I know it is going to be worth it down the road.”

Coming off a solid regular season in which he batted .323 and posted 20 starts in the outfield for the Diamond Dogs, he shined in the postseason, batting a team-high .417 in postseason play.

And the momentum didn’t stop there as Cone parlayed his freshman success into a great summer in the Cape Cod League, earning a berth on the All-Star team. Cone’s selection to the all-star team was particularly special for him because he received the opportunity to play in historic Fenway Park for the all-star game.

“It was real cool being named an all-star. Playing at Fenway was great, and it was just completely different than anywhere we had ever played before. I loved it, it was crazy.”

In addition to playing in a Major League ballpark, Cone also experienced first-hand what it will be like to use wooden bats when he moves up to the next level. The Cape Cod League doesn’t allow metal bats, which Cone believes will help him greatly this upcoming season.

“I didn’t face one pitcher all summer that threw below 90 [miles per hour], so I was facing great pitchers every time I went to bat, which really showed me what I need to work on,” Cone said. “And with aluminum bats you can get some lucky hits, but with wooden bats, you have to hit it in the right spot every time to get a hit, and so now playing with aluminum bats in college again, I’ll be able to get a lot more hits I think.”

Along with dealing with the best pitchers college baseball has to offer on a nightly basis and dealing with the tribulations of being a thousand miles from home, Cone also had to adjust to living with a host family for the entire summer.

“At first, it was really different, but I started getting more comfortable as time went on, but it ended up being great,” he said. “The people I stayed with were great people, and I had a lot of fun.”

Cone wasn’t the only Diamond Dog to enjoy success this summer in the Cape Cod League. He was joined on the Cotuit team by teammates Justin Grimm and Jeff Walters. The trio helped lead the Kettleers to a runner up finish in the Cape Cod Tournament.