Wild Things acquire D-II’s all-time hits leader
E.J. Cumbo is the answer to a college baseball trivia question: Who is the all-time hits leader in NCAA Division II?
That happens to be Cumbo, who was acquired in a trade by the Wild Things this week and activated prior to Washington’s series opener Friday night at Lake Erie.
Cumbo was acquired from the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League in exchange for a player to be named.
Cumbo played seven seasons – yes, seven – of college baseball, all at the D-II level. He began at New York Tech in the 2018 season but appeared in only six games. He played 46 games the next year and 14 in the 2020 season, which was cut short because of the pandemic.
He transferred to Division II powerhouse Tampa in 2021 and played four years there. In 2024, he was teammates with current Wild Things pitchers Jack Brodsky and Ethan Brown. Tampa won the Division II championship that year.
In all, Cumbo had 400 hits as a college player. His best season was 2024, when he hit 17 home runs, 17 doubles and drove in 73 runs in 52 games and was named a first team All-American.
He began his pro career in the Atlantic League with Lexington in 2024 and last year batted .331 with 18 doubles and six home runs.
Cumbo joined Long Island this year but was being utilized in a reserve role, which led to him being available to the Wild Things via trade.
Friday night’s game ended too late to be included in this edition.
Series win
Maddox Long allowed only one run over eight stellar innings as the Wild Things defeated Schaumburg 2-1 on Thursday night at Wintruist Field.
The Wild Things (12-6) won two of three games in the set and are 5-1 this season against the Boomers (12-6), who were undefeated at home until facing Washington.
Long (3-0), a rookie righthander, allowed three hits and three walks. He struck out five.
Washington took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning after Kyle Edwards led off with a single and moved to third base on a double by Antonio Monroy. Edwards gave the Wild Things their first run when scored on a sacrifice fly by Andrew Czech.
Washington made it 2-0 in the fifth. Isaias Quiroz hit a double and scored on a single by Connor Peek.
Schaumburg closed to within 2-1 in the eighth, scoring after two walks, a sacrifice and a wild pitch.
Tyler Davis replaced Long in the ninth inning and picked up his third save. Davis struck out two of the three batters he faced.