Before every game, about three-quarters of the Wareham Gatemen gather in a circle in the outfield. Kneeling with one knee in the grass, hats off their heads and arms around each other, they stay there for a few minutes before standing and returning to the dugout. It’s a time for them all to ground themselves, bond with each other and reconnect with God in that moment. It’s a time for reflection, focus and faith. They take turns leading a pregame prayer; there’s no set schedule or speaker for any day.
The leader of the prayer Thursday night? Brendan Summerhill.
The center fielder reminded everyone of their purpose as they knew together in right field, speaking to his teammates but also speaking to God.
Minutes later, he did the same thing all by himself. Standing silently in front of the visitors' dugout with his head bowed and his arms behind his back, Summerhill took a moment to collect himself and get in the right mindset to go win a baseball game. As the leadoff batter for the Gatemen, Summerhill wanted to get in the zone quickly and set the tone for the night.
He did just that.
In Wareham’s 8-2 win over the Chatham Anglers on Thursday night, the Arizona Wildcat went 3-for-5 at the plate with six RBI with two stolen bases. He played a part in all but one Wareham run that crossed the plate and held down the fort in center field, making several key catches.
“He’s just got everything you want,” Wareham hitting coach Mike Mobbs said postgame. “He’s got speed, he’s got power, he can hit for average, he’s a great center fielder, he’s a smart baserunner, and he’s a great teammate.”
Mobbs and Summerhill grew close quickly after meeting each other at the beginning of the summer, talking about everything from Summerhill’s immediate baseball goals for the summer to life goals to their shared faith. Before every home game, the two drag the infield together and rarely even speak about baseball. And if they do, it’s with a greater purpose in mind.
“That’s kind of our time to just chat about some things outside of the game,” Mobbs said. “We just spoke about not having our identity found in baseball. Our identity is found in our faith first and baseball is just a blessing from God that we get to play every day.”
Summerhill’s faith has always been important to him, but grew to have an even bigger role in his life after the passing of his grandfather last November. Since then, Summerhill has been able to connect with God on a deeper level and let him take control.
“I think that’s kind of tied itself into baseball,” he explained. “Just kind of letting the Lord take care of things.”
With that in mind, Summerhill knows bad days don’t last forever and good days are made even better. And as Thursday was a pretty good day, Summerhill made sure to thank God for it. As he crossed home plate in the second inning after smashing a grand slam to right-center field, Summerhill made the sign of the cross before pointing up to the sky.
It was the first home run of his Cape Cod Baseball League career and already his second hit of the game, and he was in the zone.
“I was really going up there looking for the heater,” Summerhill said. “Early on I think I saw three heaters, and I was 2-for-2 with a grand slam, so it was a good day to just attack heaters.”
Summerhill’s slam came on a first-pitch fastball, the very first pitch out of the Chatham reliever’s hand. As soon as the ball left the bat, everyone at Veterans Field knew the ball was long gone. The no-doubt home run gave the Gatemen a 4-1 lead in the top of the second and they never gave up their momentum, continuing to threaten at the plate in every at-bat.
By the time Summerhill got back up to the plate in the top of the sixth inning, Wareham had two runners on with one out. As Summerhill approached the batter’s box, Chatham’s manager approached the mound. He had seen what Summerhill could do to his pitching staff, and wanted to make a change. But even a brand new pitcher couldn’t cool the red-hot hitter down; nothing could.
After fouling off a bunt attempt and sitting on three balls on the outer part of the zone, Summerhill jumped on a pitch low in the zone to send it sailing into left field and bringing both runners home. After stealing his second base of the night, Summerhill scampered home on a wild pitch to put up Wareham’s third run of the inning and seventh run of the night.
“Honestly, that felt super nice because at school I did not run the bases that well,” Summerhill said. “To steal two bases today, that was good, and obviously all the RBIs help, but I can’t have all the RBIs without my teammates, and all credit to them.”
Thanks to Summerhill and his teammates, Wareham extended its winning streak to six games for the first time since July 2016 and beat Chatham at Veterans Field for the first time since 2021. It was the Arizona Wildcat’s victory to celebrate, and yet he was still the last Gateman to get his postgame meal and get on the bus home. He took the time to take pictures with young fans, gift them one of his broken bats and have conversations with friends and teammates instead.
Because no matter what he does on the field, Summerhill is a humble, team-first guy who is always looking to grow in baseball, his faith and anything else.
Top photo credit: Brendan Summerhill watches his grand slam in Wareham's 8-2 win over the Chatham Anglers, June 28, 2024, at Veterans Field. Photo by Kyler Armstrong.
