Falmouth, MA — It was a sunny day at Guv Fuller Field, where the sounds of seagulls, overlayed music, and wooden bats hitting baseballs can be heard.
The Falmouth Commodores were up to batting practice, waiting for two division rivals, the Bourne Braves and the Wareham Gatemen, to join them for a three-team joint scrimmage.
The Gatemen arrived at the “Guv” after some traffic on the Bourne Bridge, but were ready to play ball despite the setback. The 2025 edition of the Gatemen featured some returners from last year’s playoff team, but a majority were new faces eager to play summer ball on the Cape.
“It seemed like everyone wanted to play baseball, which is exactly what we want. With it being a long day today, to have guys in it right till the end, that’s a very good sign,” said Wareham Gatemen manager Ryan Smyth about his players.
It was a long day, lasting for four hours of continuous play, to give each team’s pitcher a chance to get some live reps. It was a relaxed game that featured no score, no umpires, and minimal fans. It was an unusually peaceful atmosphere, where the Gatemen were able to not only see what the other teams had to offer, but learn more about themselves.
“I think it was not just learning what the other teams have, but seeing what we have (as a team). It’s the first time we've seen our players, other than watching on TV, but seeing them play together, I like what I saw tonight,” said Smyth.
The Gatemen, in only their second day as a team, performed well at the scrimmage. Gatemen pitcher Hudson Rowan (Transfer Portal) returns to the Cape for his second season. He pitched for the first time in five weeks and was eager to return to the mound.
“It's been a while since I've been on the mound, so just kind of going back out there and doing my thing. Getting comfortable out there again is always fun,” said Rowan.
Rowan finished his sophomore season with the Florida State Seminoles, where he appeared in nine games. Despite the time away from the mound, Rowan looked comfortable at the rubber. After a leadoff walk, he responded with a punchout to get the first out of the inning. Each at-bat was also an opportunity for him to shake off the rust and test out his arsenal.
“I thought I landed the breaking ball pretty well, but could have landed it better. My changeup felt really well. I learned a new grip for it about three weeks ago from Tread Athletics in North Carolina; they’ve been amazing for me. I was really happy I got to land it for a strike and a few swings and misses as well,” said Rowan.
The Gatemen bats were also lively during the scrimmage, with multiple newcomers getting several hits on both the Braves and Commodores’ pitchers. One of those new Gatemen players was Kollin Ritchie (Oklahoma State), who drove a two-run home run deep to left-center field. Ritchie felt that the experience was rewarding despite it being a long day in the sun.
“It was a long day, but it was fun getting out here, getting to face two teams that we will play in our division, kind of getting to see what the team will look like, and then seeing what we're made of a little bit, it was fun,” said Ritchie.
Ritchie is among many of the new faces joining the Gatemen this summer; however, he got a taste of Cape Cod baseball for a month last summer with the Commodores. Both he and returners like Rowan feel a good connection is being built with this 2025 team.
“We seem to have a good connection already. It's early. I mean, this is only our second day, but so far, it seems like everybody's super cool together,” said Ritchie.
“It feels good. These guys are ballers. You can see it in the way that they go about their business, on the field, off the field. It's fun, relaxed, but also we're all professionals here. We're here to win and we're here to win big, so we're all gonna work together as one and try to do that,” said Rowan.
It is still early on in the season, but it is promising to see this Gatemen team looking so connected this early into the summer. Last summer, a new precedent was set for the Gatemen baseball team, making it back to the postseason for the first time in five years. This team looks to not only meet that expectation but exceed it and be the last team standing in August.
“This team can accomplish whatever they want to accomplish. Just look at teams in the past. You know, one seeds have won, four seeds have won. You never know what you're going to get. If they want to win a championship, they certainly have the talent to do it. It's just a matter of whether or not they want to stick it out that long, and be that team at the end,” said Smyth.
The Gatemen have one more practice on Friday before their Home Opener against the Hyannis Harbor Hawks at 6:00 p.m. at the newly renovated Spillane Field, and both this team and the Wareham community are excited to start another season of Cape Cod baseball.
