The 2025 campaign hasn't been kind to the Cotuit Kettleers, who sit at 3-9-1 after Sunday's loss to the Brewster Whitecaps. While the team has been lackluster, the Kettleer bullpen has stood out as a bright spot and one of the best units in the CCBL.

The group boasts a 2.89 ERA, which is fourth-best in the league. While it's a team sport, one player has consistently been there when Cotuit manager Loren Hibbs needs to get out of a jam: Wyatt Halvorson (Arizona State). The rising junior from Scottsdale, Ariz., has been a staple of the bullpen all season, posting a 1.69 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 10 strikeouts to four walks in 10 2/3 innings.

The Ketts lost 3-2 on Sunday, but Halvorson was solid in relief. He was first out of the bullpen and tossed 2 1/3 innings of shutout ball while striking out a pair of Whitecaps.

"I think it's all about throwing strikes, going at batters, and mixing my pitches well. Going around with the confidence that they're using wood, you've got great defense behind you, and good players from all over the country [on your team]," Halvorson says about his hot start to the season. "I mean, just going out there and playing baseball, that's really it."

The hurler has been a regular in the ASU pitching staff and is now a standout with the Kettleers, but RHP wasn't always his primary position. He used to play behind the dish until an injury forced him to try something else.

His dad, Greg, was a catcher with the Sun Devils from 1996 to 1998, so naturally, he wanted to follow in his footsteps. Halvorson played back there until his sophomore year of high school, when he hurt a nerve in his lower back, and the only thing he could do without pain was pitching.

He worked at his new position, and eventually his hard work paid off nearly two years later when he committed to his dream school, the Arizona State Sun Devils.

“I grew up going to ASU camps as soon as I could walk and throw a baseball. So, from 4 years old to probably 17 or 18, I’d go to summer and high school camps and dream about playing there,” said Halvorson. “I remember getting a text saying, ‘I think it’s time to make you a Sun Devil.’ At first, I didn’t believe it was real. After reading it, I ran around my house, grabbed my ASU jersey, and put it on. That’s all I needed. I knew from there that I was going to ASU.”

In two seasons, Halvorson has been one of their most-used relievers, logging 59 2/3 innings while punching out 86 batters to 40 walks.

In the summer of 2025, the right-handed pitcher plays for the Kettleers and has been electric. His 1.69 ERA and 10 strikeouts rank inside the top 10 in the league for qualified pitchers. It’s early in the season, but the 6’3, 225lb Halvorson wants to maintain his success and continue focusing on the mound.

“Just going out there and staying true to myself and not trying to do too much or light up the radar gun,” he says. “Unfortunately, that’s just not my game. But just having the confidence to go right at guys and telling myself ‘I’m better’, that’s been working so far.”