Like many George Washington University students during the summertime, Max Haug and Robbie Lavey gained valuable experience in their field. Except theirs was a literal field—the baseball diamond. And instead of dress slacks and loafers, their business attire called for high socks and brimmed caps.
The pair of teammates for the Revolutionaries baseball team spent the summer playing in the Cape Cod League, widely regarded as the nation’s best summer collegiate baseball league as top players from programs around the country convene in coastal Massachusetts to compete against highly skilled peers while emulating what a professional baseball schedule—playing every single day—looks like.
Haug, who pitched for the Cotuit Kettleers, and Lavey, who played first base and catcher for the Orleans Firebirds, each enjoyed their fair share of success on the field while going through the gauntlet of 40 games in a month-and-a-half span.
Haug, a rising senior accountancy major at GW, made nine appearances on the mound and started four contests, striking out 19 batters in 23 innings pitched for the Kettleers. He only issued six walks on the summer—with one of those being to Lavey on June 16. “It was a good at bat,” Haug laughed.
Lavey, a rising junior business major, had plenty of good at bats this summer. He hit .262 with 18 runs batted in (RBI) in 36 games for the Firebirds. His efforts even earned him a Cape Cod All-Star honor.
Both players gained confidence playing in a league dubbed “where the stars of tomorrow play today,” especially since dozens of scouts are in attendance nightly. The Cape Cod League has produced more than 1,000 Major League Baseball players, with alumni consisting of Hall of Famers such as Carlton Fisk, Frank Thomas and Craig Biggio as well as current stars Aaron Judge, Paul Skenes and Adley Rutschman.
“You want to feel like what you’re doing is leading somewhere,” Lavey said. “Summer baseball is a grind, but knowing it’s setting you up for the future helps you stay focused. It keeps me motivated.”
The confidence was well earned, too. Summer ball, where players stay with host families, bus to games and eat catered food for much of their stay, is an entirely different beast than school ball. GW plays the bulk of its games on the weekend, meaning it’s an adjustment for players to get ready to play every day. They have to switch up their routines to stay ready, even if they aren’t fully recovered from the day before.
“You’re always tired, so it's about being mentally ready,” Lavey said. “Physically, you might not feel great, but staying focused and disciplined in your routines—lifting, eating right, all of that—becomes super important in the summer. At school, it’s more about being physically ready for the weekend, but here it’s a daily commitment.”
Learning how to hit with and throw to a wooden bat is another adjustment Cape Cod League players must make, as they compete with or against aluminum bats at the college level. Aluminum bats generally provide greater ball velocity and longer distances due to their hollower design and larger sweet spot on the barrel.
That’s led Haug to focus more on his command on the mound.
“I’ve always pitched to contact, but here I’m really trying to pound the zone,” Haug said. “Wood bats are less forgiving—you’ve got to square it up perfectly to hit it hard. So it’s really important to throw strikes.”
And for Lavey, it’s his plate discipline.
“Here, it’s about hitting it on a line and finding ways to get on base,” he said. “Walks are huge. Getting a runner on with less than two outs is how you win games. I’m trying to be more patient, wait for a good pitch and just get on base any way I can.”
Both are excited to bring this experience from the Cape Cod League back to GW to help a Revs team that returns many letter winners from its 2025 roster. They hope this summer in coastal Massachusetts sets them up for this spring—and beyond.
“I’m fired up,” Haug said. “Playing up here against elite hitters gives me a lot of confidence. Knowing I can compete with guys from all over the country really helps. I think our core group [at GW] is solid, and the freshmen coming in can make an impact too. I'm excited.”
Haug and Lavey were two of 22 players on the Revolutionaries who played in a collegiate summer baseball league across the United States.
