Each summer, Cape Cod becomes the epicenter of collegiate baseball as the country’s top talent travels from near-and-far to compete in the Cape Cod Baseball League. With a number of exciting returnees and notable newcomers, the 2026 season will be as dynamic as any in recent memory.
This summer’s storylines run deep, from the defending champion Bourne Braves seeking their fourth title in six seasons, to several of the league’s storied franchises seeking their own returns to glory.
With previewing the League’s West Division yesterday, today we preview the East Division. Please visit CapeCodLeague.com and the league’s social media channels for the latest schedule updates.
*All player stats below are college season totals as of June 5, 2026.
Brewster Whitecaps
The Brewster Whitecaps are coming off a 2025 season that saw them finish third in the East Division and fall to the Harwich Mariners in the Division Series, but with familiar faces returning and a cast of exciting newcomers making their way to Stony Brook Field, the 2026 Whitecaps have hopes of capturing the team’s first championship since 2021.
The Whitecaps 2025 team MVP, Adam Magpoc, is among the returners. The San Diego State junior led not only the Whitecaps, but the league as a whole, in stolen bases last summer with 26, five more than the next closest player on the Cape.
Big bats Brendan Lawson and Dalton Wentz are also returning alongside Magpoc. Lawson, one of the top prospects in the 2027 MLB Draft, posted a .917 OPS last year, the second-highest mark for anyone in the league with at least 80 at-bats, while Wentz, who’s draft eligible in 2026, had a .772 OPS while playing in 37 games.
Among the newcomers, Tennessee’s Blaine Brown might be the most intriguing. The left-handed swinging outfielder has impressed with the stick this season, being named to Baseball America’s Team of the Week for the week of Feb. 17. He’s also appeared sparingly on the mound as a southpaw opener.
UConn LHP Charlie West and SDSU RHP Rohan Lettow have each made waves before their Whitecaps debuts, earning their respective conference’s Pitcher of the Week awards at different times this season.
In the box, Virginia Commonwealth catcher Jacob Lee has been an at-bat to watch, being named to the Buster Posey Award Midseason Watch List.
The Whitecaps will host a first responders night during the season and honor former team president Luke Dillon, who passed away in January, on dates to be announced.
Chatham Anglers
The Chatham Anglers will be looking to rebound in 2026 after finishing 2025 with 17-20-3 record and missing the Cape League playoffs.
Despite falling short last season, the Anglers were led by strong performers, including Georgia’s Daniel Jackson. Jackson played in a team-high 38 games, compiling a .410 on-base percentage while winning the League’s Sportsmanship Award and receiving All-Star recognition. Jackson was joined on the League All-Star team by Jackson Freeman (Northwestern), who led the team in hits (37) and doubles (7), pitcher Josh Swink (Liberty), who had a 2.63 ERA in 10 bullpen outings, Ashton Larson (LSU), and Jackson Freeman (Northwestern).
This 2026 campaign will be former major league pitcher Dennis Cook second season as the Anglers’ manager. Cook previously served four seasons as the team’s pitching coach. He will welcome a few returning faces, including Duke Stone of Mississippi State, Josh Swink of Liberty and Isaiah Lane of San Diego, but most of the Anglers’ 2026 roster are newcomers to the team and the league.
The Anglers preliminary roster is comprised of players from 20 states, Canada and South Korea. Many incoming position players are having outstanding collegiate seasons, including Henry Allen (Georgia), Rhett Johnson (North Carolina State), Anthony Pack (Texas), Jacob Parker (Mississippi State), Brock Thompson (Oklahoma State), and Bino Watters (Notre Dame). On the mound, pitchers heading to Chatham with impressive statistics include Max Luzaragga (Dallas Baptist), Duke Stone (Mississippi State), Zach Strickland (UCLA), Noah Wech (Oklahoma State), Jason Bodin (Oklahoma), and Bradley Zayac (Liberty).
The Anglers will again host a couple of unique events this summer. Saturday, June 27th, will be the annual Coast Guard Flyover (2 Coast Guard helicopters will circle the field prior to the game start), and July 2nd will be the fifth annual fireworks and entertainment event at Veterans Field.
Harwich Mariners
The Harwich Mariners enter 2026 after a successful 2025 campaign that included one of the league’s top regular-season records at 22-17-1, finishing just one point behind the Orleans Firebirds in the East Division title race. The Mariners ended up allowing a league-low 145 runs while outscoring opponents by 41 runs throughout the summer.
Harwich continued its strong play into the postseason, defeating Brewster in a three-game thriller that featured a walk-off victory in the deciding game, before narrowly falling to the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox after pushing them to a decisive third game. The Mariners ended up coming one game short of returning to the Cape Cod Baseball League Championship in back-to-back seasons.
The Mariners are set to return several key contributors from 2025, including right-handers Troy Dressler (Wake Forest) and Scott Doran (Coastal Carolina), infielder Tanner Marsh (Liberty), and outfielder Ryan Gerety (Northeastern), all coming off strong college spring seasons.
Harwich will also be welcoming a set of fresh newcomers from across the country this summer. Infielder Quentin Coats (Cincinnati), right-hander Caden Glauber (North Carolina), right-hander Jackson Barberi (Florida), catcher Trent Grindlinger (Tennessee) and catcher Brayden Jaksa (Oregon) will all make their debuts at Whitehouse Field in 2026. The combination of experienced returners and highly-regarded newcomers will set up the Mariners to compete for an East Division title again this summer.
The Mariners are set to host the 2026 Cape Cod League All-Star Game at Whitehouse Field on July 18. The event will feature the league’s top players and coaches and serve as a marquee event for the Cape League this summer.
Orleans Firebirds
The Orleans Firebirds had a highly successful 2025 season, capturing the East Division title and earning the President’s Award with their 22-16-2 regular season finish. Orleans will look to continue their winning tradition as they enter the 2026 season under field manager Kelly Nicholson, who won his fifth Mike Curran Award for Field Manager of the Year in 2025, the most for a manager since the award’s inception 1978.
Some key returners for the Firebirds include left-hander D.C. Brown (Rice), right-hander Brayden Krenzel (Tennessee) and infielder/outfielder Landon Hairston (ASU). The Firebirds are set to welcome a group of exciting newcomers this summer from across college baseball, including freshman right-hander Jayden Stroman (Virginia), former West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year catcher Nate Savoie (Clemson) and right-hander Tomas Lopez (Columbia), who recently represented Brazil in the World Baseball Classic. Other notable additions include right-hander Andrew Johnson (USC), outfielder Christian Hamilton (Georgetown), outfielder Rex Watson (Coastal Carolina), infielder J.D. Stein (Wake Forest), infielder Bub Terrell (Auburn), outfielder Rowan Kelly (UCSB), right-hander Elai Iwanaga (UCLA), outfielder Zach Jackson (Virginia) and left-hander Ethan Eberle (Louisville)
Orleans is set to host a variety of community events, including Orleans Night (June 30), a brand-new themed night highlighting the local town at night, Military Appreciation Night (July 3), their annual July 4 parade, Fan Club Appreciation Night (July 10) along other events. You can also see Firebirds at local elementary school events and libraries throughout the summer.
The Firebirds are also welcoming a new addition to their coaching staff this summer in former MLB catcher Ryan Hanigan, a Cape Cod League alum with the Orleans Cardinals in 2002. Their strong young core and experienced coaching staff are set to continue their winning tradition and are ready to compete in 2026.
Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox
Last year, the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox had an exciting campaign. Despite some mid-summer struggles, the squad earned a spot in the CCBL playoffs for the 15th time in the last 16th seasons. For long-time manager Scott “Pick” Pickler, who will be returning in 2026 for a league-record 28th season, it was a chance to win his 7th Cape League championship. After beating Orleans and Harwich to take the Eastern Division crown, Y-D fell to the Bourne Braves in the Finals.
The 2025 squad was led by pitcher Tyler Pitzer, who posted a 0.34 ERA in 26 1/3 innings and was named the league’s Outstanding Pitcher. A.J. Soldra (.920 OPS), Dean Carpentier (.853 OPS), Cody Miller (.783 OPS), and Chris Hacopian (team-leading 17 RBI) led the offense.
Players returning in 2026 include Hunter Watkins, the big right-handed pitcher from Oklahoma State (1.96 ERA in 18 innings) and the versatile Yomar Carreras, the Rutgers middle infielder who made just one error in 31 games splitting time between shortstop and second base.
Notable newcomers include infielder/outfielders Braden Burress (East Carolina) and Caleb Daniel (Georgia Tech), outfielders Alec Blair (Oklahoma) and Jake Souder (Samford), pitcher Easton Teel (Oral Roberts), two-way player Brock Ketelsen (Stanford), infielder Boston Kellner (Texas A&M), and catchers Ian Armstrong (St. Mary’s), Brady Dallimore (Texas Christian), and Omar Serna (LSU).
Last season, the Y-D Red Sox hosted the annual Cape Cod Baseball League Home Run Derby and All-Star Game before over 5,000 enthusiastic fans at Red Wilson Field. This past offseason the long-time home of the Sox underwent dramatic improvements as part of the franchise’s multi-year safety project. The field now features a new, expanded outfield fence, batter’s eye, and warning track. Y-D fans are hoping for dramatics on the field as well, as the team pursues its 11th league championship.
