Captain of the Week (8/20-8/25): Dylan DeLucia

EASTLAKE, OH – After each series this season, the Lake County Captains will spotlight a Captain of the Week, presented by Official League, showcasing a player and their strong performance over the previous week.

For the week of August 20 through 25, Lake County is recognizing RHP Dylan DeLucia as its 18^th Captain of the Week for the 2024 season.

The right-hander pitched a combined 9.2 shutout innings across two scoreless starts this past week against the West Michigan Whitecaps, which included tying his professional career-high of five innings pitched this past Sunday. He allowed a combined four hits and one walk, while throwing eight total strikeouts. DeLucia retired 29 of his 33 batters faced, and threw 65.4% of his pitches (83-of-127) for strikes.

For the week of August 20 through 25, his 9.2 scoreless innings were the second-most across Minor and Major League Baseball during this span. The 24-year-old also ranked top-five in the Midwest League in: ERA (0.00, tied for first), innings pitched (second), WHIP (0.52, fourth), opposing batting average (.125, fifth), and strikeouts (tied for fifth).

So far this season, DeLucia has made six starts for Lake County. Since his Captains debut on July 26, he ranks top-five in the Midwest League in: starts (tied for first), opposing batting average (.152, third), ERA (1.98, fourth), WHIP (0.77, fourth), and strikeouts (30, tied for fifth).

DeLucia was drafted in the sixth round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Cleveland Guardians out of Ole Miss. He made 21 appearances (12 starts) in his lone season with the Rebels, going 8-2 with a 3.68 ERA, 105 strikeouts, 26 walks, two complete games, one shutout, one save, and a .238 opposing batting average in 95.1 innings of work. This performance led to him being named a 2022 Third Team All-American by Baseball America.

But DeLucia cemented himself as a college baseball legend with a complete game shutout against Arkansas to send Ole Miss to the College World Series Finals. The Rebels eventually won the 2022 College World Series, with DeLucia being named Most Outstanding Player.

Before his time at Ole Miss, he pitched two seasons at Northwest Florida State College (JUCO). He made 23 appearances (18 starts) for the Raiders, going 15-2 with a 1.91 ERA, 163 strikeouts, 32 walks, two complete games, one save, and a 0.93 WHIP in 127 innings of work.

Upon being drafted by the Guardians, DeLucia was assigned to the Arizona Complex League Guardians on December 1, 2022. However, after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow in June of 2023, he did not appear in a professional game until June 21, 2024 with the ACL Guardians as part of a rehab assignment from Single-A Lynchburg.

DeLucia made two scoreless starts for the ACL Guardians, tossing a combined five scoreless innings, before being re-assigned to Single-A Lynchburg on July 1. He made three starts for the Hillcats, allowing a combined seven hits, four earned runs, and three walks, while throwing 10 strikeouts in 8.2 innings of work.

DeLucia will look to continue his recent success this week, as the Midwest League East First Half Division Champion Captains host their final regular-season home series of the season, a six-game set against the reigning Midwest League Champion Cedar Rapids Kernels. The series is set to begin on Tuesday night, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. from Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake. All six games will be broadcast on the Bally Live app and MiLB.TV, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on X and Instagram.

The Lake County Captains are the High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, and have been a Class A Affiliate of Cleveland since the team was founded in 2003. To find out more information about the Captains or purchase tickets, visit CaptainsBaseball.com, or call (440) 975-8085.