And just like that, we are already halfway through the 2025 Cape Cod Baseball League season. It feels like ages ago the Mariners could not score a run. Now the team has scored 31 runs in the past four games.

Before we hit the final 20 games of the season, our broadcasters Gino Antimarino and Luke Brennaman and beat writer Jack Belanger took some time to review the first half of the season with predictions for the rest of the season.

Who has been your team MVP?

Gino Antimarino: I think you have to go with Maddox Molony here. Not only has he found his groove offensively (one of the top hitters on the team), but his defense is the most impressive part about his game. Whether he’s in the hot corner or over at short, he commands the left side of the infield. He is so good at making those split-second snags over his head off a liner, or his decision making on knowing when to charge on a hard-hit ground ball and when to be patient and let the ball come to him. Aside from that, too, is his focus and demeanor on and off the field. This guy is already a professional with the way he conducts himself. The Oregon Duck doesn't mess around (believe me, I’ve tried to bring it out of him) and he operates with discipline and maturity.

Luke Brennaman: Moloney has set the standard for what it means to be a Harwich Mariner. His day-to-day maturity and discipline are unmatched, setting the tone for everyone around him. The team feeds off his presence. His talent speaks for itself, and defensively, he’s the true quarterback of the infield — calm, reliable and always in control. But what makes Maddox special is that it’s never about him. He plays for the team, not the spotlight — an unselfish leader with superstar ability.

Jack Belanger: He’s no longer on the roster, but I have to go with Jake McCoy. We are halfway through the season and he’s tied for the second most innings pitched and has the most strikeouts by a wide margin. His Opening Day performance (more on that below) set the tone for this pitching staff. He earned Player of the Week after two scoreless starts to begin the summer. After a tough spring at South Carolina where he finished with an ERA over 5.00, McCoy played with confidence and trusted his fastball. Even after taking the loss in his final start, he was nothing but happy with how he competed.

Who has been the biggest surprise?

GA: Shintaro Inoue has been the biggest surprise to me. Inoue is/was a temporary player from Kansas State and has continued to look more confident with every game he gets under his belt. He has the best eye on the team (drawing the most walks), but one thing I wanted to see was his ability to swing the bat. The game against Wareham last week solidified his ability to step up in the clutch as a hitter. In the top of the ninth, the Mariners were down by two runs with two outs and the bases loaded. Inoue could have looked for a walk in that situation (the closing pitcher for the Gatemen was struggling to locate the zone). Instead, he found a pitch he liked and laced one up the middle for a two-RBI single. That tied the game and the Mariners went into extras and won on the road. Aside from his offense, his presence over at second has also continued to look sharp. There’s a reason why Luke and I call him “Silky Shinny” on the broadcast: He makes hard plays look routine and smooth.

LB: Tre Broussard’s talent and numbers don’t come as a surprise — but it’s the consistency and confidence he’s playing with that stands out. After starting the season as an everyday player, Tre found himself shifted to a reserve role in the first week. Rather than folding, he responded by becoming the team’s hit leader. A true leadoff presence and elite baserunner, Tre brings energy and pressure every time he’s on. Defensively, he’s right up there with the best in the Cape. With his length and instincts in center field, he covers more ground than most, anchoring the outfield with quiet excellence.

JB: Did anyone expect Tanner Marsh to come this hot out of the gate? He started the summer with a four-game hit streak, culminating with a four-hit game in the extra-inning win against Wareham. His presence added energy to a struggling lineup. Whereas so many guys take some time to adjust to the wood bats, Marsh’s contact skills translated immediately. Guys coming from Power Five schools get a lot of attention, so seeing a guy coming from Liberty with almost no power did not catch many people’s eyes. But nine games later, Marsh has played every single game since stepping onto the Cape.

X-factor to win the East Division?

GA: Hitting. The Mariners have proven they can win games without generating a lot of hits or runs. The pitching will continue to look sharp throughout the summer, but one thing that has really turned a corner for the Mariners is their ability to hit (and in big moments). The Bourne game on the road a couple of Sundays ago was the game that started the offensive roll. The Mariners not only had a lot of deeper hit balls than in any other game this season, but they had a key hit from pinch-hitter Dee Kennedy in the top of the ninth when he blasted a solo home run to add an insurance run to the board heading into the home half. From that game on, the offense continued to get better. The Mariners had their best stretch of games from the 10-inning win against Wareham through their 7-1 domination of the best team in the East (for now) in Y-D. The 'Ners' offense continues to be the x-factor.

LB: Pitching has been the backbone of Harwich’s success this summer, with the staff leading the Cape in ERA. Navigating a summer season isn’t easy — innings limits, stiff competition and ever-changing rotations can throw even the best arms off track. But this group has stayed locked in. Now, with the offense starting to find its rhythm night in and night out, the key is for the arms to keep doing what they’ve done best: dominate early and give this team a chance late. If Harwich’s pitching continues at this level, nobody’s beating them down the stretch.

JB: Hitting with men on base. Early in the season, the Mariners had no issue getting men on base. Getting them home was a separate issue. During the recent win streak, batters were cashing on the scoring opportunities, leading to 23 runs over a three-game span. The Mariners’ .242 batting average with men on base is last in the league (which is actually up from what it was at the end of June). With only 10 home runs, this team doesn’t generate instant offense often. Come playoff time, the Mariners will need those key hits to repeat as champs.

Best single-game performance?

GA: I’m going to go with Broussard’s performance against the Brewster on the Fourth of July. The Houston product went 4-for-4 with a run, a walk and a stolen base. Not to mention, he was an anchor in center. Broussard helped ignite an offensive EXPLOSION against a really solid Whitecaps team and took them down at Brewster, 10-2. It wasn’t necessarily a clutch performance out of him, but he was dang-near perfect and he arguably helped secure the Mariners' first statement win of the summer.

LB: Last Wednesday against Wareham, Harwich manager Steve Englert put on a clinic in leadership and in-game decision-making. The Mariners trailed 5-3 heading into the later innings and looked to be on the ropes. But Englert never let his team waver. Through sharp pitching changes, timely mound visits and steady encouragement, he kept his players locked in — and then made arguably the most impactful substitution of the season.

With the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the ninth, Englert made the bold move to pinch-hit for Molony, who had been in a recent slump. In stepped Inoue. After a brief but focused conversation with his manager, Inoue delivered — lining a clutch two-run single to tie the game at five and send it to extras. The Mariners carried that momentum into the 10th, ultimately walking away with a 6-5 victory. That win didn’t just save the night — it sparked what has become a four-game winning streak, a turning point in the Mariners’ summer.

JB: McCoy on Opening Night. Talk about domination. Not only did his 10 strikeouts tie a record for Opening Night (since at least 2011), the dude did it in just four innings. He struck out the side in two innings. A rematch of last year’s Championship Series at home against Bourne was the perfect setting to make history. The most shocking part is he walked nobody. Huge for a guy who gave up 40 free passes in the spring.

Even though he was here for only three starts, McCoy genuinely enjoyed being on the Cape. He always had a smile on his face and was always on the dugout railing during his off-days. Even after getting released, he stayed around an extra day to cheer on his teammates.

Bold take for the second half of the season?

GA: Bristol Carter will be the most pivotal player for the Mariners in helping them attain glory in back-to-back years. The Auburn Tiger had a little bit of growing pains to start the summer and his numbers currently reflect that (batting under .200 through 15 games). But he has kicked it up a notch. Carter has been pivotal in so many games this summer. Whether it was him scoring the game-winning run against Wareham at home off a wild pitch. Or him notching a solo home run in the top of the first as the second hitter against the top team, the Y-D Red Sox. Beast Mode makes statements with his timely and clutch baserunning (one of the leaders on the Cape in stolen bags) and his defensive capabilities. You add good hitting to that … look out Cape Cod.

LB: Harwich is about to start slugging.

Despite sitting near the bottom of the Cape League in most offensive categories, the tide is turning for the Mariners. The bats are finally waking up — and I believe a power surge is coming.

This lineup has all the ingredients to become a consistent force: speed on the bases, emerging power and improving plate discipline. The pieces are there to put up five-plus runs a night, and now they’re starting to click.

Pair that with a pitching staff that’s been dominant all summer, and Harwich is primed to flip the script. The offense is catching up — and when it does, this team won’t just be hard to beat … they’ll be dangerous.

JB: The Mariners lead the league in stolen bases. It may not be the boldest take, but Harwich has too much speed to be sitting fourth in the league. The team’s 38 stolen bases is just behind Falmouth's league-leading 48. Outfielders Carter and Broussard have 20 swipes between themselves. As the offense picks up, the opportunities will increase. Niko Brini has stolen four bases and been caught just once. He’s the key for making this happen. If he can improve on his .149 average, the Mariners should have no problem securing the top spot.

Favorite moment of the season?

GA: The win over Y-D at Red Wilson Field. Not only was it a STATEMENT win (7-1 victory over the top team in the league), but it was a picture-perfect summer evening on the Cape with tons of people in attendance. AND, who could forget about the donut burger? … Yes, you read that right. Luke and I tried the infamous Y-D donut burger on the broadcast and gave a live review. Not only did the sugar and protein make my heart skip a couple beats, but the action and scenery made the night even more special. I look forward to many more moments like that throughout the rest of this summer.

LB: Seventh inning at Brewster. Fourth of July, tight game in the later innings. Harwich was still without a true statement win over a top-three team, until an offensive explosion in the seventh inning changed everything. The Mariners hung eight runs on Brewster, turning a close game into a blowout and announcing their arrival as the top Cape ballclub.

That breakout inning did more than just secure the win — it sparked momentum. Over the next three games, Harwich outscored opponents 23-4, showing that the bats are heating up at just the right time.

JB: Nothing beats a walk-off. Beating Wareham was a big win in June. The Mariners' offense got just four hits and had to scrap for every run. Carter scoring the winning run on a wild pitch was emblematic of how this team plays: getting singles, stealing bases and taking advantage of opponent mistakes. It wasn’t a pretty win, but it felt like the Mariners stole the game away from Wareham. Seeing the bench clear after the win showed how quickly the team gelled.