A pair of Georgia Southern University baseball players spent the 2013 summer playing in the prestigious Cape Cod League.

Juniors catcher Chase Griffin and pitcher Sam Howard both received the nod to showcase their talents in what many consider to be the most competitive collegiate summer baseball league in the nation.

Griffin hit .212 for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks in 29 games, with two homers and 11 RBIs in his 85 at-bats this summer.

“The competition within itself is unreal. Every time you step up to the plate you got guys throwing mid to upper 90s with really good command. It lets you see what you’re made of,” Griffin said in a news release.

Howard appeared in nine games with the Harwich Mariners, with eight of them coming in a relief role. He compiled a 1-2 record with a 5.14 ERA and struck out 14 batters over 21 innings pitched.

“It has been awesome,” Howard said in a news release. “I am living on a farm with four other guys that are from the College of Charleston. It has been awesome how they treat us when we go to the field every day. It has been really fun.”

With all the fun the players have been having in the Cape League, their responsibilities as GSU players have not escaped Howard and Griffin.

“I won’t be home for maybe more than a day before I head straight to Southern to start working down there,” Howard said in a news release. “I am ready to get down there and get back to work.”