Twenty games into the 2026 Cape League season, the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox are the team to beat, and it’s not particularly close. The 17-2-1 start has been fueled by dominant pitching and stout defense, but the bats have been every bit as impressive. Here’s a look at how Y-D’s offense has fared at the halfway point of the regular season.
The boys are balling
Y-D’s offense starts with catcher Mateo Serna (Alabama). Among players with at least 30 at-bats, Serna leads Y-D with a .351 batting average and a league-best 1.118 on-base-plus-slugging percentage (OPS). The rising senior and Crimson Tide commit has excelled behind the plate and in the batter’s box, as his switch-hitting ability has given the Red Sox another dimension. Serna is the only switch-hitter on the roster, batting 3-for-6 against left-handers and 10-for-31 against right-handers.
“A lot of people don't see the work Mateo puts in. He was at our field at 1 o'clock, hitting with Coach Vopinek when we got a game all the way in Wareham that same night,” assistant coach Craig Gianinno said. “His want and will to get better and stay sharp and continue to develop, separates himself and that's what's required if you want to get to where you want to be.”
Y-D has punished pitchers regardless of which side they throw from. Against left-handers, the Red Sox own one of the league’s two best OPS marks, led in part by Tommy Goodin (Vanderbilt). Goodin is batting .318 against left-handers, with each of his seven hits proving timely. Against right-handers, he has flashed his power, hitting three home runs with a .960 OPS, the sixth-best mark in the Cape League. He delivered one of Y-D’s biggest hits of the summer with a two-out, two-run single in the eighth inning to beat Falmouth on June 15 and was named the CCBL Player of the Week despite beginning his Y-D summer 0-for-7.
Jake Souders (Mississippi State) has also done most of his damage against right-handers, batting .314. Although he missed nearly two weeks, Souders returned without missing a beat, launching two home runs in Wednesday’s win over Wareham.
Behind them, the lineup’s depth has been just as valuable as its stars. John Beverley (Auburn) has embraced a contact-oriented approach, batting .298 with eight RBIs. Lucas Franco (Texas Christian) has made the most of a smaller sample, hitting .476 with a home run and an OPS north of 1.200 in 21 at-bats while striking out only four times against four walks.
Franco has stayed hot at the plate alongside Caleb Daniel (Georgia Tech), who is batting nearly .400 over his past seven games while delivering key hits in each of his last two pinch-hit appearances.
Brock Ketelsen (Stanford) has arguably been Y-D’s most valuable player through the first 20 games. On the mound, he has thrown six scoreless innings, all in setup appearances. At the plate, he has been equally dangerous, going 6-for-13 with runners in scoring position alongside Daniel while batting .467 with two outs, the second-best mark in the Cape League.
Brady Dallimore (Ole Miss) has missed the past week, but he and Serna have formed one of the league’s top catching tandems. Dallimore is batting .364 through nine games. Kevin Takeuchi (Southern California) has anchored Y-D defensively while providing a disciplined approach at the plate, drawing 12 walks in 60 plate appearances. Phoenix Call (UCLA) has supplied elite defense of his own, and his speed has become a weapon in Y-D’s aggressive attack, particularly in bunt situations.
It’s not just one hitter carrying the offense, either. Nearly every spot in Y-D’s lineup has contributed to the Red Sox leading the Cape League in more than a dozen offensive categories.
“One through nine has been relentless this summer. The ability of these guys to make in-game adjustments is really good. When they come back to the dugout, they're talking about how they're making improvements, what they're seeing, how they're seeing it, and how to create a plan for their approach,” Gianinno said. “It's pretty impressive to hear and watch how each guy goes about it. So they're very in-tune, and it's a pretty pressurized offense.”
Numbers don't lie
The statistics back up what opponents have experienced all summer.
Y-D owns the Cape League’s best OPS in two-strike counts, with two outs and with runners in scoring position. In one-run games during the seventh inning or later, the Red Sox are batting a staggering .366.
The Red Sox have trailed for a league-low 125 at-bats because deficits for Y-D rarely last long. Their .400 on-base percentage while trailing leads the Cape League and consistently puts pressure on opponents to protect leads.
Y-D is also one of only two teams with a winning record against opponents above .500, another indication that the Red Sox’s offensive production has held up against the league’s toughest competition.
At the halfway point, Y-D has established itself as the Cape League’s most complete offense. Whether it’s timely hitting, power, plate discipline, or late-game production, the Red Sox have found ways to lead the league in nearly every category that matters.
