Cotuit, Mass. – For the 16th time since 2005, the Cotuit Kettleers will bring postseason baseball back to the village. The Ketts had another great season under head coach Mike Roberts where the team boasted four All-Stars, a batting champion and a second-place finish in the Western Division with a 22-17-1 record.
There have been plenty of bumps along the way but the 2024 Kettleer squad continues to push forward in their quest to bring championship No. 18 back to Lowell Park.
“Our guys have done a magnificent job of competing all summer long and rolling with the punches,” says Roberts. “We went through 73 players last year and this summer it was 69, which is hard to overcome but we did so. We’ll play at home for the first round, and I want our guys to play loose and enjoy the moment.”
How The Bracket Looks
Cotuit got a good draw and will play host to the Wareham Gatemen on Tuesday at 4:00 PM ET. That's not to say that there’s any “lucky draw” because every team is extremely talented. But the Ketts have the 3-2 record versus the Gatemen while outscoring them 10-2 at Lowell Park this season.
If the team were to win, they would play a three-game set against Bourne or Hyannis where Cotuit would host Bourne and play at Hyannis. But to get there they must first defeat a Wareham squad who’s been pesky all year long and held the No. 1 seed in the West for the first half of the summer.
Probable Pitching Matchups
We’re set up for an outstanding matchup for the win-or-go-home game at Lowell Park between two of the best arms in the CCBL.
Mikey Ebner – Right-Handed Pitcher, Southern Cal
Ebner is projected to take the bump for the Cotuit Kettleers on Tuesday afternoon. Usually, you’d see him in a reliever role but in a one game semifinal, you must throw out your best arm to start the game.
On the year, Ebner boasts a 1.90 ERA, league-leading 0.59 WHIP, 22-6 K/BB ratio and just eight hits allowed in 23 2/3 innings for the Kettleers.
In his only start of the summer, he tossed four frames of one-run ball with just one walk and one strikeout against the Orleans Firebirds on July 31st.
Tate McGuire – Right-Handed Pitcher, Arkansas
McGuire is no slouch either, the rising sophomore has made seven starts this season for the Gatemen. With a 3.81 ERA, 33 strikeouts, 12 walks and a 1.38 WHIP in 26 innings of work.
McGuire did make one start this summer against Cotuit, throwing three innings while surrendering two runs, two walks and striking out five batters.
How The Ketts and Gatemen Stack up
Both offenses are mighty, ranking in the top five in every offensive statistic including hits, batting average and OPS where both are top three.
The biggest difference in the numbers is on the pitching side. Cotuit has sustained an elite staff, posting top-five numbers for ERA, strikeouts, walks and WHIP. However, the Kettleer pitching staff is practically brand new with 14 new arms in the last three weeks, making it very difficult for Roberts to manage.
“I’m having to learn about our new staff on the fly and it’s been difficult,” said Roberts. “However, in the game of baseball, it’s how can you transition after making mistakes or learning things and that’s the tough part. Our team has made mistakes over the last few days, but I want us to learn from them and do better next time. Come Tuesday we’re going to line up against Wareham and see what happens.”
Flipping a Script From 2023
Nearly a calendar year ago, the No. 1 overall seed Kettleers were stunned by the Bourne Braves, being eliminated in just two games of the first round. Every fan, player and volunteer worker was speechless as a juggernaut team had been taken down without even winning a game.
Now 364 days later, the Kettleers want to put that nightmare to rest and make a deep postseason run. The team ended the season ice cold, but we’ve seen that movie play out before.
In 2019 the Ketts finished their final 10 games, 3-6-1 and just barely limped their way to a postseason berth. But went 4-0 in the playoffs, outscoring opponents 27-12 en route to a championship.
Will Cotuit find the same success as five years ago? That remains unknown, however, it’s postseason baseball and anything can happen. Records and stats don’t matter, it’s all about who gets hot at the right time and how much you want it.
“It’s going to be a tough first round and on if we make it that far but that’s alright,” says Tanner Thach. “We’ve got to come in with confidence and never have a doubt that we’re going to lose. It’s going to be a dog fight but that’s what makes baseball fun, we’re very confident going into the ballgame.”
It’s going to be an interesting game to say the least. Both clubs are fairly young when it comes to CCBL experience so whoever handles the pressure better will most likely end up advancing.
Not to say that pressure to some degree isn’t a good thing, you don’t want to overthink and let it stress you. But to know that you’re in a playoff game where the stakes are so high can make you more focused to keep your eyes on the end goal which is a CCBL championship.
“The team needs to just think more than anything,” says Thach. “Whether there’s one fan or 10,000 out there, it’s just baseball and this game may mean more, but we’ve got to go out there and give it everything we’ve got. Just take it pitch by pitch like we always do. When you’re able to do that and bring a team of 30 guys together, some special things can happen.”
