When Hyannis Harbor Hawks catcher Brody Briggs was asked about Vahn Lackey, his catching partner for the summer, his face lit up. He kept it very simple when asked what he has seen watching Lackey play.
“There’s a lot of good baseball players out there, and he’s a good baseball player,” said Briggs.
As for Lackey, he was quick to point out Briggs’ incredible arm behind the plate and his ability to manage a game.
“He has a cannon of an arm, he’s also a really good receiver, and he’s been very vocal out there, which is really good,” said Lackey.
Through the first four games of the Cape League season, the Harbor Hawks sit atop the West Division with a 2-1-1 record. The Hyannis pitching staff has a 1.95 ERA, good for second in the league. A big reason why has been the play of their two catchers.
Lackey and Briggs have a tough task as Cape League catchers, as they have to get to know how to work with a brand new pitching staff in short order before the season starts. One of the things Briggs wants to know about a pitcher right away is how they react in challenging situations during games.
“When it’s a competitive time in the game, a tight spot in the game, is it somebody that can respond to toughness, or is it somebody who needs a little bit more coddling? With pitchers, everybody is different in that way, so I think that is probably the biggest adjustment you have to make when you learn a new staff.”
Lackey, on the other hand, likes to let a pitcher’s arsenal on the mound do the talking at first.
“These are the best of the best,” said Lackey. “I feel like a lot of these pitchers know what their targets are, so it’s kind of easy for me to just sit back there and help them.”
Lackey has helped his pitchers to the tune of 20 putouts, two double plays turned, and throwing out two potential base stealers in his two games so far. Briggs has 25 putouts and three assists to his name in the two games he’s played.
Briggs had a successful season for Arizona State University in 2025, compiling a .275 batting average and .459 slugging percentage while bashing five home runs and five doubles, driving in 20 runs in 32 games for the Sun Devils.
While his hitting prowess hasn’t fully translated to the Cape League yet, he picked up his first hit and RBI of the season against the Chatham Anglers in a 7-7 tie Tuesday night. Briggs showed confidence that he can find his groove at the plate soon.
“There’s a lot of good baseball players. Every at-bat is a grind, but at the same time, it’s the same game. Just play hard and let it work itself out,” said Briggs.
Briggs also emphasized the importance of moving on quickly as a catcher, as they have to go directly from calling a game defensively to grabbing a helmet and getting an at-bat on offense.
“Your teammates do not care that you got out when you go out to [the] field,” said Briggs. “You have to be a different person. When you are on the field, when you are catching, it does not matter if you are 0-for-5 or 5-for-5 [hitting] that day.”
Lackey played in 60 games for Georgia Tech before making his way to Hyannis this summer, producing a .347 batting average, .500 slugging percentage, .421 on base percentage, and six home runs to go with 14 doubles and 42 RBIs for the Yellow Jackets.
Add that with his game managing behind the plate and you get a catcher who has been an important asset for the Hawks early in the season.
In between seasons for the Yellow Jackets, Lackey is looking to improve on what he already considers his strengths: controlling the running game and receiving pitches behind the plate.
“I feel like I’m a pretty good catch and throw guy,” said Lackey. “[I] also feel like I’m pretty good at receiving. If I can just help my pitchers out, stealing strikes and then throwing guys out and holding them to a base, that’s my biggest strength.”
Lackey and Briggs are expected to split time at catcher evenly this summer for the Hawks. With both catchers at the top of their game on defense early, the Hawks’ pitching staff will be in good hands this summer.
