The players who helped deliver Harwich its 2024 championship are gone, leaving manager Steve Englert with the task of building another contender from the ground up.

Englert, a Boston native and Boston College graduate, uses his local commitments to complete his roster without worrying as much over national rankings as some other teams might.

“I always try to take care of the local kids. A lot of them grew up around the Cape League, so they appreciate the opportunity,” Englert said. “They can play, they play hard, they show up every day and they’re grinders.”

Three of Harwich’s first four batters were either from New England or played college ball in the region, a notable footprint in a league driven by national recruiting pipelines.

New England programs like Northeastern, Boston College, Maine and more popped up all over Harwich’s lineup

Sean O’Leary is one example of that local connection paying off. The Foxborough native grew up around the Cape League and is now producing in the middle of the Mariners’ order.

“It’s awesome to come down here. Playing in the Cape League is something I’ve always dreamed about, so I’m trying to take advantage of every second of it,” O’Leary said.

“I kind of expected there to be a lot of New England guys on the roster, I figured I’d see some familiar faces from the spring and end up being teammates with them during the summer,” O’Leary said.

O’Leary has translated that cohesion into production, hitting .306 across three college seasons at UMass Lowell and stepping into an immediate impact role for Harwich.

However, one player who has already proven his worth is not a local hidden gem, but a Division II star.

Anyone who has attended a Mariners game so far this season knows No. 19 is a gamer.

On the morning of the June 15 home game against the Hyannis Harbor Hawks, No. 19 Charlie Bussey was announced as the Division II national player of the year.

“I found out this morning,” Bussey said. “Coach [Englert] actually told me I won.”

Bussey, a versatile fielder from Francis Marion, arrived to the Cape after a dominant season that saw him hit .489 with 21 home runs and 40 stolen bases.

Dominant is an understatement as Bussey has flashed as a true five-tool player at Francis Marion. However, Bussey is now tasked with replicating these stats with a wood bat against the best pitchers in the country every night for the summer.

Bussey’s success is no surprise to anyone who watches him play. It is the kind of profile that forces a second look, even in a highly competitive Cape League.

For Englert, the evaluation was less about the label and more about the player.

“A friend of mine was a scout with Oakland, another buddy with the Yankees,” Englert said. “They sent me some video and they really liked him. He’s draft eligible, so I’m sure he’s going to get popped.”

His play somehow stood out even beyond his staggering production.

Bussey’s first at-bat in the bottom of the first inning ended with a hard-hit ground ball to the Harbor Hawks' shortstop. The throw skipped away from the first baseman as Bussey flew down the line, allowing two runs to score.

But the real chaos started once he reached base.

Boston College Eagle Julio Solier fouled one back as two opposing ball boys slid into the backstop, fighting over the ball. Harwich came away with it.

The victorious microcosm was echoed moments later when Solier bounced a ball over the third baseman's head, bringing home two more runs in an almost identical result to Bussey's hit. Solier then copied the ballboys, diving headfirst into second base as Harwich continued to pressure the Harbor Hawks into mistakes.

Throughout the game, Bussey constantly pressured the Harbor Hawks, taking a total of five bases on passed balls and wild pitches. At times, Hyannis seemed more concerned with keeping him off the bases than attacking him at the plate, throwing over to first more often than Bussey saw strikes.

What stood out was not just production, but the way Bussey plays.

“I want to get out here and show guys that I’m able to play with the best of the best,” Bussey said.

Bussey’s gritty playstyle is the exact type of player that Englert is looking for when building his roster.

However, Englert wasn’t the first to recognise his talent. Charlie Bussey Sr. was at the game and has enjoyed his son’s path onto the Cape.

“Baseball has been part of his life every day and every night; he’s earned everything he’s getting right now,” Bussey Sr. said. “He’s lived baseball every single day, it’s not something he picks up in the spring or summer—it’s who he is.”

Bussey is having a tremendous start to his first year on the Cape.

“We’d never been out to the Cape before this, so to see him playing here now, it’s something you don’t take for granted,” Bussey Sr. said.

All game long, Harwich was pressuring Hyannis into making plays. Bunts, double steals and aggressive baserunning proved to be too much for the Harbor Hawks, who fell 6-3.

It was an early-season look into Englert’s team building coming to fruition in real time.

A Division II standout stepping onto the Cape and helping his team win is exactly what the Cape League is all about. However, Bussey knows that a winning team is built off the field.

“I just want to be that guy that people thought was a good human all around,” Bussey said. “The guy who always picks someone up when they aren’t doing well.”

As Harwich looks ahead into the summer, Englert’s Mariners will look to rely on the formula that he constructed to continue their seven-season playoff streak.