After 10 long months, Cotuit Kettleer baseball is on the horizon. Players reported last week for various events and practices to prepare for the 2025 Cape Cod Baseball League season. Although there’s plenty of excitement for a new season, this one has more anticipation, as Cotuit will start the season with a brand-new manager for the first time since 2004. Former Wichita State and Charlotte head coach Loren Hibbs was hired in February, and his long-awaited CCBL debut will take place in just a few days.
The Kettleers and Hibbs will open the new campaign against the Orleans Firebirds this Saturday at 6:30 p.m. EDT from Eldredge Park.
Once again, Cotuit is loaded with some of the top college baseball players in the country, especially on the offensive side. Caden Bogenpohl (Missouri State), Rintaro Sasaki (Stanford), Tague Davis (Louisville), Jarren Advincula (Transfer Portal), and PJ Moutzouridis (Transfer Portal) are the big-name bats. Those five combined for 47 home runs, 199 RBIs, and a .294 batting average this college season.
“These are good players. We’ll see offensively, using wood bats is a different deal. Sometimes the numbers get skewed with aluminum bats with guys and certain programs, but you can find out quickly who can barrel a baseball,” Hibbs says. “We’re going to face a lot of good arms, too. We’ve got good arms on our pitching staff, but we’ll face a lot of quality pitchers this summer.”
While those are the headliners, the Kettleers have built a good squad. Overall, 13 were all-conference performers for their respective schools. Cotuit will have seven returning players from last summer, all of whom were productive. Advincula is the big piece as he was a CCBL All-Star and the 2025 Batting Title winner with a .394 average. But Mason Davenport (Transfer Portal), Ryan Buckler (FAU), Beau Sampson (Transfer Portal), and Joey Volchko (Stanford) all pitched multiple games for the team.
Moutzouridis and Easton Winfield (Texas) were reliable bats in 2024 and could contribute consistently this summer.
Other Notable Names
Several names may go under the radar, but could be excellent players for Hibbs in his first season. The biggest one to look for is Max Knight (Missouri State), an All-MVC two-way player. The rising junior batted .275 with 13 home runs, 46 RBIs, and a .939 OPS while owning a 4.34 ERA across 47 2/3 innings on the mound.
Lucas Moore (Louisville) is another ball player who should make an immediate impact after he returns from the College World Series. He offers good contact, elite speed, and a good glove in center field.
While offense excites fans, the Kettleer pitching staff has multiple notable arms. Charlie Walker (Northeastern) is coming off an All-CAA season where he posted a 1.29 ERA and seven saves, and Cole Carlon (Arizona State) is a workhorse reliever who logged 54 innings with a 3.33 ERA in 2025.
Tyler Albanese (San Jose State) and Kenton Deverman (Evansville) are two more hurlers who offer nice strikeout stuff while not issuing many walks (2.44 BB/9 combined in the last two seasons).
Season Outlook
The Ketts had their season ended in heartbreaking fashion by the Bourne Braves in back-to-back years. The 2025 team is again loaded and led by a new coach, who's no scrub himself. With a mix of key returners, a plethora of talented newcomers, and an experienced head man, the Script C looks to capture championship No. 18 and prove it's still one of the elites in the CCBL.
"We want to make improvements every day, it's as simple as that," Hibbs said. "I think they [the players] all understand that they're being evaluated daily, and there will be scouts at every game. There will be opportunities to show what they can do."
