Travis Jankowski brought back the ultimate souvenir from a summer on the Cape.
Jankowski, a graduate of Lancaster Catholic High School, has been named the 2011 Pat Sorenti Award winner as the Most Valuable Player of the Cape Cod Baseball League, the premier summer collegiate league in the country.
More than 230 former Cape Cod League players are currently on major league rosters, including Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum; and all-stars like Mark Teixeira, Evan Longoria, and Chase Utley.
Jankowski seems to be still pinching himself after a season to remember.
"I like to take it one step at a time," Jankowski said, when asked about how winning the award will affect his draft prospects next June. "I want to finish my college career first and then see what happens after that."
A rising junior at Stony Brook University, Jankowski hit .326 during the regular season for the Bourne (Ma.) Braves, the sixth-highest average in the league. He led the league with an amazing seven triples. His 22 runs driven in were ranked seventh in the league -- a remarkable feat for a lead-off hitter -- and he also swiped 15 bases in 20 attempts.
"He may be the most exciting player in the league right now," said Bourne manager Harvey Shapiro last month, in an interview that aired on CBS 21 News.
The centerfielder also didn't make a single error in 44 games.
Unfortunately, Jankowski's Bourne team was eliminated Saturday from the Cape Cod Baseball League playoffs by Wareham.
Past Cape Cod Baseball League MVPs include Longoria; Carlos Pena, Darin Erstad, Jason Varitek, Mickey Morandini and Greg Vaughn. And now Jankowski's name is linked to those players -- and others. "A lot of these guys are big time all-stars, so it's pretty cool to sit back and kind of think about that," he added.
