For the eighth consecutive season, the Cotuit Kettleers will bring postseason baseball back to the village. The Ketts had a solid season under first-year manager Loren Hibbs, where the team had four All-Stars and finished third in the Western Division with a 17-20-3 record.
There have been plenty of bumps along the way, but the 2025 Kettleers continue to push forward in their quest to bring home championship No. 18.
“It sounds great [to be in the postseason]. We used everybody today, seriously. Every available guy played or pitched today. I’m proud of our guys and their effort,” Hibbs said after a 6-5 win on Sunday to clinch a playoff spot. “We’ve played [Wareham] a lot. We’ll see who’s available to play, then roll out there and compete.”
How We Got Here
If you were only around for the first quarter of Cotuit’s season, you’d be shocked they made the playoffs. The Ketts started 1-7 and were one of the worst teams in the league. But after perseverance and hard work from the team, the Kettleers are in the postseason as the No. 3 seed.
Early in the summer, things looked bleak for the Script C, but they never gave up. The team clawed its way from a horrific start to a playoff berth. How did they do it? Learning how to fail but show up the next day with the same mentality.
“I think we learned how to fail early and how to show up the next day with the same focus. When you learn how to do that and come back every day ready to play, good things happen,” says Cotuit infielder Ryne Farber. “Hopefully, good things happen for us in the playoffs. I’m pumped [to play postseason baseball].”
How The Bracket Looks
Cotuit will play Wareham in a three-game series starting Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. While they will be a tough challenge, the Kettleers are 3-2 against the Gatemen this season.
If Cotuit were to win, they would play a three-game set against the winner of Bourne and Hyannis, where they'd host Hyannis or play at Bourne. However, it's not going to be easy getting past the Gatemen. They've arguably been the hottest team over the last month, posting a 13-8 record with a +30 run differential and the CCBL's No. 1 ERA, 3.23.
Probable Starting Pitchers
Tuesday
RHP Max Haug – George Washington
The right-hander has been lights out since being inserted into the starting rotation a few weeks ago. Since his first start on July 12, Haug boasts a 1.56 ERA with 11 strikeouts to two walks in 17 1/3 innings.
He's not a big punchout guy, but the rising senior is effective and can go long distances due to his efficiency.
Wednesday
LHP Payton Manca – Florida State
Florida State lefty Payton Manca has been the ace for Cotuit most of the season. The Massachusetts native was a CCBL All-Star, boasting a 2.70 ERA and 1.23 WHIP with the fourth-most innings pitched among qualified pitchers.
His role started as a reliever, but Manca has found himself pitching deeper into every game as a starter over the summer. In his last outing on July 31, the LHP tossed five innings with a season-high eight punchouts.
Thursday
TBD
Looking To End a Drought
With 17 CCBL championships, there have been few "title droughts" in the village, but it's been five years since the Ketts were the kings of Cape League baseball. The last championship was in 2019, where Cotuit snuck into the playoffs, just like this year's team.
While the Kettleers may not stick out like some of the other squads, they're battle-tested, and that's key.
Since 2014, six lower-seeded teams have won the league title, meaning that your regular-season records do not matter. As long as you get in, you have a shot to win. The 2019 team won it all as a 3-seed that dominated the postseason. Could this year be similar?
We'll find out soon enough, but the Ketts begin what they hope is a deep postseason run on Tuesday. First pitch from Spillane Field is at 6:00 p.m.
