COTUIT, Mass. – Wyatt Halvorson (Arizona State) has been one of the best relievers in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the majority of the season. However, the big right-hander has had command issues over the last two weeks, hindering his ability to be effective for the Cotuit Kettleers.

In his three previous outings, Halvorson walked 11 batters to five strikeouts and gave up an earned run in each of those appearances. When his name was called in relief of Max Haug (George Washington) on Thursday, people wondered what version of him they would get.

The RHP quickly put that question to bed and dominated in a three-inning outing that sparked an 11-0 win over Hyannis.

“[Doing that] is huge. My last three games, besides today, haven’t been great with my walks and command,” Halvorson says. “Just going back to making a few adjustments and getting the confidence that I know I can throw strikes and get hitters out. That game was huge for me; it was just building mental and physical confidence, and it translated.”

With his recent struggles on the mound, Halvorson spoke with his ASU and Cotuit pitching coaches to find a solution, which was a simple adjustment. He moved slightly towards the first base side of the rubber to help with him missing arm side of the strike zone, and it worked.

The rising junior tossed one of his better outings of the summer, collecting six strikeouts to two walks while landing 67% of his pitches for strikes. He got into a jam once, but got out of it unscathed, helping out the Kettleer offense until they found their rhythm and exploded for a seven-run eighth to win by mercy rule.

“There’s a lot of stuff that goes on [behind the scenes]. We’re constantly trying to find ways to help our guys, so Halvorson made an adjustment on the rubber, and it’s helped him,” Cotuit manager Loren Hibbs says. “It’s good because we’re open to that. [Arizona State] coaches him all the time, and hopefully, that adjustment will help him this summer and then into Arizona State next fall.”

The Kettleers boast one of the top pitching staffs in the league, posting a 3.46 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and .226 batting average allowed, all of which are top two in the CCBL.

Their pitchers have come into games and completely taken over at times, holding opponents to three or fewer runs in 17 games this year, and if you can’t score, you can’t win.

The Kettleers have won two games in a row, outscoring the opposition 17-2. It appears that they may be hitting their stride at the right time. Even though they’re talented offensively, pitching is the strength of this team and a unit that Hibbs and Co. can rely on in big spots.

“The rest of the team and I, they’re some of the best players in the country. I believe this team is special and we’re a lot better than our record shows,” said Halvorson. “This team can do something cool; we can make a deep run. We’ve won two in a row, and we could get a big win at Wareham, then ride the momentum until the playoffs.