When Landon Beaver (Alabama-Birmingham) was activated on July 31, many wondered what his role and production would look like. Before he arrived in Cotuit, the rising sophomore tore up the Valley Baseball League, batting .348 with 15 home runs and 52 RBIs in 33 games and winning the VBL championship.
Those are impressive numbers, but that’s a different league. Could that success translate to the CCBL, which is widely considered the best summer league nationally? Absolutely.
In just four games, the first baseman has been one of the most productive bats in the league, bringing a spark that the Kettleers’ offense needed.
“Our guys have done a great job of kind of onboarding these guys and making them welcome when they first get here,” says Cotuit manager Loren Hibbs. “[Landon has] swung the bat well, and again. He’s at a good program like UAB, where he’s one of their good young players.”
It was a quiet freshman season in 2025 for the Phenix City, Alabama native, where he batted .213 with two home runs and 13 RBIs in 61 at-bats. However, his summer campaign has been anything but quiet.
He began playing for the Strasburg Express of the VBL, where he was an all-star and led the league in long balls and RBIs. Then, after the season, he decided to play for Cotuit during their playoff push. While it's undoubtedly a different league and talent level, Beaver has responded nicely to the challenge.
"The pitching is a bit better [in the CCBL], but my mindset is still the same. I came from a team that won the championship, and I'm trying to do the same thing here," said Beaver. "It's still the same game I've been playing; nothing is too big. I'm just trying to do what I'm capable of, and that's play the game the right way."
Beaver's been in the village for just a week, but the first baseman has already impressed, batting .400 with seven RBIs.
His first game as a Kettleer was against Wareham on August 1, where he went 0-for-1, but walked three times and drove in a pair of runs.
Fast forward to Cotuit's first playoff game on August 5, and he gashed the Gatemen again. The newly acquired Kett went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and scored the go-ahead run in the 10th inning.
It's safe to say his presence is being felt as one of the better hitters in the league over the past week, but more importantly, Beaver is helping the team succeed. Since being added to the roster, the Ketts are 3-1, including a 5-4 win in Game 1 of the first round.
Cotuit can sweep the series with a win on Wednesday, and while it can be challenging to keep the same intensity and mindset against a team you have on the ropes, that's precisely what they plan to do.
"Just take it a game at a time. Come out here and play the best game of baseball we can, and hopefully win in a clean sweep," Beaver says about the team's mindset heading into a potential series-clinching game.
Game 2 will be at Lowell Park, and first pitch is at 4:00 p.m. CCBL All-Star Payton Manca (Florida State) is the probable starting pitcher.
