The 2025 Cape Cod Baseball League season has officially reached its midpoint, and the Brewster Whitecaps are right in the mix—sitting at 10-8-1 through 20 games and holding down third place in the East Division, with no shortage of storylines fueling their campaign.
The first half has been anything but predictable. Brewster opened with a historic 6-0 run, stumbled through midseason turbulence—including a 1-3-1 stretch capped by three double-digit losses—and weathered everything in between. That recent skid, however, obscures what was, for much of the summer, one of the league’s most dominant pitching staffs. As of July 2, the Whitecaps led the Cape in ERA (2.41) and bullpen ERA (2.01), a testament to their depth on the mound.
Even as the pitching faltered at times, the offense stepped up—flashing its ceiling in blowout wins over Bourne (14-0), Hyannis (10-4), and Orleans (8-2). From high-flying starts to gut-check losses, Brewster’s first half has been a rollercoaster.
But through all the ups and downs, individual stars have consistently risen to the occasion. So, with 20 games in the books, it’s time to recognize the players who’ve shined the brightest in Brewster’s 2025 midseason awards.
MVP/Silver Slugger Award: Josiah Ragsdale (Boston College)
If you’ve caught even a glimpse of a Whitecaps game this season, the team’s MVP—and top hitter—shouldn’t be a surprise. Holding down the leadoff spot, patrolling center field, wreaking havoc on the basepaths, and bringing relentless energy every day—Josiah Ragsdale has been the guy for Brewster.
He leads the team in virtually every major offensive category—hits, runs, doubles, RBIs, stolen bases, AVG, OBP, SLG, and OPS—making him not just the MVP, but the clear Silver Slugger as well. His .373 average and 11 stolen bases were also tops in the entire Cape before his final game. And it all started with a scorching first week: a .476 average, 1.196 OPS, three doubles, and 10 steals in just seven games—good enough to earn the league’s first Player of the Week honors.
For much of the summer, Ragsdale hovered around a .400 batting average. What started as a breakout quickly became the expectation. By season’s end, he was no longer a surprise — he was the benchmark. If league-wide awards were decided today, he’d be a top contender.
Head coach Jamie Shevchik recalled that just a year ago, Brewster passed on Ragsdale. After a 3-for-4, 3-RBI performance against Bourne, Shevchik admitted they had no idea what they were missing out on—but are more than glad they gave him a shot this summer.
Brewster now turns the page without Ragsdale, who has left to gear up for the MLB Draft just days away. Expected to go early, his dominant summer left little doubt that the Boston College outfielder is built for the next level.
CY YOUNG: Tegan Kuhns (Tennessee)
Just weeks ago, Brewster’s pitching staff was among the Cape’s best, boasting a team ERA well under 2.50. Anchored early on by ace Jacob Dudan (NC State) before his Team USA call-up, and steady contributions from bullpen mainstay Haiden Leffew (Texas), the rotation showed depth with multiple arms stepping up
But all uncertainty vanished on July 6th.
Coming off back-to-back blowout losses and mired in their worst pitching stretch of the season—allowing a staggering 42 runs over four games—Brewster desperately needed someone to stop the bleeding. That someone was Tegan Kuhns.
In Brewster against Hyannis, Kuhns stepped up and delivered: 5.1 innings, four hits, one earned run, nine strikeouts—only one of which came on fewer than four pitches. It was pure dominance, the kind that not only halted the skid but sparked a blowout win and reaffirmed his place atop the rotation. It was the kind of performance that only true aces deliver—when everything’s unraveling, and the team needs them most.
That outing capped off a stretch of 13.1 innings with 20 strikeouts for Kuhns, following a four-inning, six-strikeout gem against first-place Yarmouth-Dennis, and another four-inning, five-strikeout showing against Cotuit. He’s allowed just two earned runs all summer, boasting a 1.35 ERA—seventh-best in the entire Cape.
It’s not just the stats that stand out—it’s the presence. After every swing and miss, every fastball blown by a hitter, the momentum tilts, and the glimmer of hope for opponents fades. That energy, that edge, has made him the perfect ace for a Brewster team that’s rallied behind him all summer.
Gold Glove Award: Carson Tinney (Texas)
Brewster learned the hard way in late June just how crucial defense is to its success—or failure. A rough two-game stretch with seven errors served as a stark reminder: sometimes, winning simply comes down to making the routine plays. But catcher Carson Tinney has done far more than that—standing out both in the visible and subtle ways that don’t always show up on the stat sheet.
His greatest weapon? Shutting down the opposing running game. Tinney leads both Brewster and the entire Cape with six caught steals, boasting a 40% caught-stealing rate—more than 18 points above the league average. Thanks to his presence behind the plate, Brewster boasts the league’s best overall caught-stealing rate at 31%.
In a summer marked by constant roster turnover, Tinney has been a rare constant—silencing base stealers, blocking balls in the dirt, and earning the trust of a talented pitching staff that now views him as their go-to guy.
Nearly every pitcher credits Tinney’s leadership as a major factor in their success—not just for his pitch calling, but for the energy and effort he brings to every game.
Shevchik said from the very start that Tinney would elevate the pitching staff—and he’s delivered. Just ask Leffew, who entered the transfer portal and ultimately chose Texas in part because of the chemistry he developed with Tinney, noting he loves “throwing to a big target.”
Reliever of the Year: Lance Davis (Arkansas)
Recency bias? Not quite—Lance Davis’s dominant outing Tuesday night may have felt like a coming-out party to some, but those following Brewster closely know he’s been a key piece all season long.
In recent weeks, as Brewster’s bullpen has struggled, Davis has quietly risen above the noise, establishing himself as one of the team’s most reliable and electric arms. Against Wareham, he turned in a masterpiece: four hitless innings with eight strikeouts, finishing by punching out the side in the final frame. Shevchik called it “by far the best outing I’ve seen” all summer—a glowing endorsement of Davis’s impact.
What makes Davis’s emergence even more impressive is that he didn’t log a single inning for Arkansas this past spring. Now, after stepping into a larger role, he ranks top 10 in the Cape in both ERA (1.46 over 12.1 innings) and strikeouts (18), while issuing just three walks.
The only other Brewster pitchers with over 10 innings and fewer than four runs allowed are Tegan Kuhns, Jacob Dudan, and Lance Davis—hardly bad company to keep.
What once felt like a question mark has transformed into a trusted weapon. And though Tuesday’s performance might have turned some heads, Shevchik has seen enough throughout the season to confidently lean on Davis in the most critical moments down the stretch.
Title photo credit: Kayla McCullough.
