Captains of the Week (7/7-7/12/26): Will McCausland & Garrett Howe

EASTLAKE, Ohio – For the week of July 7-July 12, Lake County is recognizing RHP Will McCausland and INF Garrett Howe as the 15th set of Captains of the Week for the 2026 season for their impressive showings versus the Lansing Lugnuts.

WILL McCAUSLAND, RHP

McCausland had a stellar start versus Lansing this past week.

On Wednesday, July 8, the right-hander earned his first career High-A win thanks to the second quality start of his pro career in a 6-1 Captains victory. He threw five strikeouts in six scoreless innings of work, surrendering just four hits and one walk in 69 pitches (45 strikes).

McCausland tied his pro career-high with six innings pitched, matching his six scoreless frames for the Single-A Hill City Howlers on June 13 versus Wilson (Single-A, Brewers). Since being promoted to Lake County on June 23, the 22-year-old has thrown 12 strikeouts to just two walks in 15.1 innings pitched across his first three starts for the Captains.

McCausland was selected by the Cleveland Guardians in the seventh round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Ole Miss. The Harleysville, Pennsylvania native began his pro career with the 2025 Single-A Carolina League Champion Lynchburg Hillcats (now Hill City Howlers), going 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA, 15 strikeouts to only four walks, and a .182 opposing batting average in 10 innings pitched across four appearances (two starts).

McCausland then played a crucial role in Lynchburg’s 2025 Carolina League Championship run, throwing nine strikeouts in 6.2 scoreless innings across three relief appearances during the 2025 Carolina League Playoffs. The right-hander earned the win in the winner-take-all Game 3 of the 2025 Carolina League Championship Series at Columbia (Single-A, Royals) with 3.2 shutout innings out of the Hillcats bullpen, throwing seven strikeouts without issuing a walk.

GARRETT HOWE, INF

Howe had a productive series at the plate in three games played versus Lansing this past week.

The 24-year-old’s most notable performance was on Thursday, July 9, when he went 2-for-4 with a triple, a single, and a run scored in an 8-7 Lake County victory. His triple was one of the Captains’ season-high nine extra-base hits in the contest.

Howe has logged 19 hits, two doubles, one triple, one home run, 10 RBI, 12 walks, and five stolen bases in 33 games for the Captains this season.

The Gainesville, Georgia native was selected by the Cleveland Guardians in the 11th round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of Samford. He was eventually promoted to the Captains from the 2025 Single-A Carolina League Champion Lynchburg Hillcats (now Hill City Howlers) on Aug. 11, 2025. The left-handed hitter played 15 games for Lake County last season, batting .235 with 12 hits, one double, one home run, three RBI, four walks, and four stolen bases. Howe hit a solo home run in his High-A debut versus Peoria on Aug. 15, 2025 and stole a combined 34 bases across the Captains and Hillcats last year.

After the All-Star Break, the Captains will return to Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake for a three-game home series versus the Dayton Dragons from Friday, July 17 through Sunday, July 19 with a variety of exciting promotions in store.

The Captains will begin the homestand with Irish Heritage Night on Friday, July 17, which will feature a postgame Fireworks Friday show presented by Coca-Cola. Then, on Saturday, July 18, Lake County will host Peanuts Night presented by Akron Children’s Hospital, where the first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a Christmas in July Snoopy Bobblehead and the Captains will wear Peanuts-themed jerseys.

Finally, on Sunday, July 19, Lake County will celebrate Salute to Service Day at the ballpark, where veterans and active military members get in free. Additionally, fans will have the opportunity to win free ice cream all game long for National Ice Cream Day presented by 3 Daughters Construction. It will also be Family Fun Sunday presented by Classic Auto Group, which will feature pregame catch on the field and player autographs on the concourse, plus postgame kids run the bases.

The series will be broadcast on the Bally Sports Live App, the MiLB App, and StreamGuys, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on X and Instagram.

About the Lake County Captains:

The Lake County Captains are the professional High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians located in Eastlake, Ohio. Our mission is to honor the rich history of our organization, while also introducing baseball to a new generation of fans through innovative means. We are committed to supporting our community, sports teams, and each other by demonstrating passion and having fun every day.