It’s hard to believe, but just like that, we’re halfway through the 2025 Cape Cod Baseball League season. The Cotuit Kettleers started the season horribly but have begun to play much better baseball over the last two weeks. Through 20 games, the Ketts sit at 7-11-2, fourth best in the West Division.

“It’s a process every day, and we’ve stayed focused on being good on the day we’re in. I call it having your mind where your feet are. If your mind is somewhere else or you’re thinking about something else away from where your feet are, it’s going to be hard,” Cotuit manager Loren Hibbs said.

“The game is hard enough; you don’t want to make it any harder. I’m just happy for our players because they’re the ones who put the work in.”

Through the first 13 games, Cotuit sat at 3-9-1 and easily in last place in the CCBL. However, the bats started to find their footing, and over the previous seven games, the Kettleers are 4-2-1 and have outscored opponents 53-29. They currently sit 2.5 games out of first place in the West.

How Cotuit stacks up numbers-wise

Cotuit’s offense ranks in the top five for hits (163), runs (89), batting average (.253) and OPS (.708) while also having two of the better offensive players in the league, Jarren Advincula (Georgia Tech) and Ryne Farber (Auburn).

Advincula is slashing .338/.410/.394 with 10 stolen bases, while Farber owns a .338 batting average with two home runs, a team-high 12 RBIs and an .869 OPS.

The offense is finding its stride midway through the season, but the pitching staff has been productive. Cotuit is also in the top five for ERA (3.80), WHIP (1.35) and batting average allowed (.233).

The Ketts have seven pitchers with a 4.00 ERA or lower. That unit is led by Payton Manca (Florida State), who owns a 1.69 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 16 innings.

Newcomers provide a necessary spark

The team as a whole has been good lately, but not talking about the latest acquisitions would be criminal due to their importance to the Kettleers' resurgence. Dean West (UCLA), Caden Bogenpohl (Missouri State) and Luke Matthews (Kent State) have been vital parts of Hibbs' lineup card since arriving in the village.

The newcomers are batting .281 with eight RBIs and 15 runs scored. While other players have stepped up, those three were immediate game changers for an offense that lacked consistency throughout the order.

By them being threats, it opens up the rest of the offense, where opposing pitchers can't work around a particular player or two. With their impact and several other players starting to swing hot bats, Cotuit could remain one of the more dangerous lineups down the stretch.

Rest-of-season outlook

Things look far different than they did two weeks ago, as the Kettleers have looked like one of the better teams in the CCBL over the past seven games. However, they're barely in the playoff picture and must continue playing good baseball to avoid elimination from the postseason.

There are 20 games remaining this summer. So, of course, there's time to make up a lot of ground. But it could also go the other way if the Kettleers don't stay locked in. Eleven of the final 20 games will be played at Lowell Park, where the Ketts have a 5-3-1 record (third best in the CCBL).

After a horrid start to the campaign, it seems Hibbs and Co. have figured things out, but there's little room for error.

"It's a matter of which teams can show up and be as close to the best versions of themselves as the summer goes on. You get after the Fourth of July, and there are many reasons why you can go home or look to shut it down," Hibbs said. "The next three weeks will simulate what they'll go through when they go to pro ball. The message is consistent. Just show up, prepare and be the best version of yourself every day."