Gators Baseball Trio Earns Summer League honors

With summer league baseball seasons coming to a close across the nation, a trio of Gators baseball players stood out among the rest.

Ole Miss transfer infielder Ethan Surowiec, infielder Brendan Lawson and right-handed pitcher Christian Rodriguez all earned summer league honors.

Offseason Stars

The Northwoods League named Surowiec its most valuable player on Saturday after he had a monster summer with the Duluth Huskies. He started in 52 games, primarily at third base while also making appearances at first base and shortstop. At the plate, the infielder slugger broke out to slash .383/.471/.781 with a 1.252 OPS.

Surowiec nearly hit his way to the triple crown – leading the NWL in home runs (17) and RBIs (68) and finishing second in batting average. He also recorded three triples, 23 doubles, 48 runs scored, 28 walks and 15 stolen bases. Those numbers are expected to increase with the NWL playoffs taking place from Aug. 10-14.

Surowiec went 6-for-16 (.375) with two home runs and eight RBIs in his lone season at Ole Miss.

In the Cape Cod League, Lawson won Offensive Player of the Year for the Brewster Whitecaps, while Rodriguez earned the 2025 Al Graeber Outstanding Pitcher Award as a member of the Harwich Mariners. 

Despite joining the Whitecaps in July, Lawson still hit .333, with four home runs and 13 RBIs in 81 at-bats. The Toronto native is coming off an impressive freshman campaign for the Gators, where he slashed .317/.939/.522 with 10 homers and 61 RBIs.

Brendan Lawson (@GatorsBB) launches his fourth for Brewster—his second in Orleans—upping his slash to .381/.480/.738 with a 1.218 OPS and seven XBHs in 13 GP.

Video game numbers in his Cape debut summer, capped with an All-Star nod days ago. #GoGators
pic.twitter.com/14PoGgHfdw

— George Lund (@GLundMedia) July 22, 2025

Rodriguez had a breakout summer on the mound, posting a .093 ERA in 19.1 innings of work. During that stretch, he allowed two earned runs and had a 26-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His summer stats leave room for optimism heading into the fall and next season for Florida.

The right-hander made 22 appearances for the Gators this past spring, with a 5.32 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 31-to-11 in 23.2 innings. 

https://twitter.com/HarwichMariners/status/1952868073502818782