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Their Number

Orleans celebrates a run in one of its victories over Harwich.
Orleans celebrates a run in one of its victories over Harwich.

 

The Harwich Mariners have been in first place in the Cape League’s Eastern Division since the opening night play ball, partly because they’ve cruised through a lot of their competition in the East. Harwich is 6-0 against Chatham, Brewster and Yarmouth-Dennis.

But Orleans is just a game back of Harwich, as close as anyone’s been in a while, and there’s a reason for that too. While Harwich is unbeaten against three of its division rivals, it’s winless against the fourth. Orleans moved to 3-0 against Harwich this season with a 3-1 victory on Saturday night.

The teams didn’t have their first meeting this year until two weeks in, when Orleans won 7-5 thanks to two David Thompson (Miami) home runs. Four days later, Orleans pounded 17 hits in a rare poor performance by a Harwich starting pitcher and won 15-8.

On Saturday, after the washed-out Fourth of July, Orleans sent budding ace Kolton Mahoney (BYU) to the hill and set the course for another victory. Mahoney, the league’s strikeout leader, went five scoreless innings, allowing just two singles and striking out four to pick up the win. He’s now tied for the league lead in wins, leads in strikeouts and ranks fourth in ERA.

Orleans gave him a lead with a run in the fourth and two in the fifth off Harwich starter Jason Inghram (William & Mary), who came in with a 2.35 ERA. Johnny Sewald (Arizona), David Fletcher (Loyola Marymount) and Thompson each knocked in a run. Cole Peragine (Stony Brook) added two hits. Mitchell Tolman (Oregon) went 1-for-4 and continued the league lead in on-base percentage at .509. He has reached base in every game he’s played this summer.

Armed with a lead, the Orleans bullpen cruised through the last four innings, allowing four hits in that span. Harwich didn’t have an extra-base hit in the game. Sam Moore (UC Irvine), the NCAA saves leader this year, made his fourth appearance since arriving from Omaha, and picked up his first Cape League save.

Jacob Evans (Oklahoma) was a bright spot for Harwich, striking out six in four scoreless innings of relief. He has not allowed a run in 16 innings of relief this summer.

But this night belonged to Orleans. The Firebirds are now 12-9, one game back of Harwich.

 

Bourne 5, Y-D 0

While Harwich went down, Bourne shut out Y-D to reclaim the best record in the league label. Travis Bergen (Kennesaw State) struck out six and allowed just two singles in six scoreless innings. Bergen had been touched up for five runs in his last start. Dylan Nelson (Radford) and Joey Strain (Winthrop) followed him to the hill and finished off the shutout. The Braves offense backed Bergen with four early runs. Richard Martin Jr. (Florida) hit his first home run of the summer while Gavin Collins (Mississippi State) had two hits. Blake Davey (Connecticut), Brett Sullivan (Pacific) and Stephen Wrenn (Georgia) drove in one run apiece. Bourne has won three in a row after dropping three straight before that.

 

Falmouth 14, Hyannis 3

Much like Orleans and Harwich, Falmouth has had Hyannis’ number. The Commodores picked up their third win in 10 days against the Harbor Hawks with their most lopsided victory of the season. They led 6-1 in the eighth when they exploded for eight runs to pull away. Austin Afenir (Oral Roberts) led the attack with a 4-for-4, two RBI night, and Sam Gillikin (Auburn) added three hits. Ten different players had at least one RBI. Alex Young (TCU), who had a great spring as a reliever in Fort Worth, made his first Cape League start and allowed just one run in five innings. Three relievers tossed scoreless innings, with Nicholas Cooney (Wesleyan) striking out the side in his stint. Hyannis has lost five in a row, and Falmouth is now ahead of the Harbor Hawks for second place in the West.

 

Chatham 7, Brewster 2

The Anglers kept pace in the tightening East race with a 7-2 victory over Brewster. Chatham is now 11-9-1, one point back of Orleans for second. Ty Moore (UCLA) homered to lead the offense, while Nick Collins (Georgetown) went 3-for-4 and Kevin Fagan (Stetson) drove in three runs. A.J. Murray (Georgia Tech) went 1-for-4 and now owns a 10-game hitting streak. On the mound for Chatham, Max Tishman (Wake Forest) turned in another solid performance, scattering eight hits and allowing one run in six innings of work. Tishman, who leads the Anglers in innings pitched, has a 2.14 ERA.

 

Wareham 7, Cotuit 3

Kyle Cody (Kentucky) followed up a dominant start with a very good one, striking out nine and giving up three runs in eight innings as Wareham topped Cotuit. Cody struck out six in seven scoreless innings in his last start. Cotuit touched him up for three early runs this time, but he was back to dominance after that, allowing just two hits from the fourth inning on. Scott Effross (Indiana) pitched a scoreless ninth to finish off the win. The Wareham offense got two RBI from Willie Calhoun (Arizona) and two hits and an RBI from Kramer Robertson (LSU).

 

What to Watch

First-place Bourne and a hot Falmouth team will meet at Doran Park at 6 p.m. Andrew Sopko (Gonzaga), who’s been strong all summer, makes his fourth start for Bourne. Falmouth trots out Ryan Moseley (Texas Tech), who allowed three runs in his only start of the summer.

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Anglers Sticking With What Works

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chathamAfter a few rough years, the Chatham Anglers built the team they’d been looking for in 2013. It didn’t yield a championship – as Orleans ousted the Anglers on its way to the championship series – but I think if you asked anyone in the Chatham organization what they’re hoping for in 2014, they’d gladly take another season just like last year’s.

The Anglers have certainly set the stage.

The blueprint of mixing in stars with solid college players who might not be on the hype train worked well last year and is in play again this year. The Anglers don’t have a lot of guys who are on College World Series contenders, they aren’t likely to lose many players to Team USA, they don’t have all their eggs in a few college teams’ baskets and they have a lot of veterans.

They have another team that should be mostly together from day one, and like last year, there’s been steady production from the future Anglers in the spring, with some stars doing big things, as well.

Mix in five players who were part of last summer’s ride, and you’ve got a team that should contend again.

 

THE SKINNY

Manager: John Schiffner
Last Year: 26-17-1; Lost in East Division Finals
Returning Players: 5
Juniors: 5
Sophomores: 16
Freshmen: 7

 

NOTABLE

  • Landon Lassiter is probably Chatham’s top returning player. An on-base percentage master, Lassiter has been a key part of North Carolina’s lineup for two years now and fits in very well with the way the Anglers want to play.

  • Blake Butera is not Chatham’s top returning player, after hitting .196 last summer, but he too fits in well. When you hit below .200 but you start 34 of 44 games, you’re doing something right. As a junior with Cape League experience, he’ll be an anchor this year.

  • Louisville freshman Zack Burdi will follow his brother Nick’s footsteps to Chatham, where Nick lit up radar guns in 2012. Zack hasn’t gotten a ton of opportunities this year, but his brother took that path, too, posting an ERA over five in his first year in Louisville. He then had a breakout summer with Chatham, and Zack will be looking for the same.

  • San Diego sophomore P.J. Conlon grew up in California but was born in Northern Ireland. First player from Northern Ireland in the Cape? Entirely possible.

  • LSU freshman Jake Fraley has burst onto the scene in Baton Rouge, leading the team in hitting after starting the year on the bench. His meteoric rise prompted LSU head coach coach Paul Mainieri to say, ““I honestly believe we’re watching the evolution of maybe the next great LSU baseball player.” High praise.

  • Louisville’s Kyle Funkhouser – a returning Angler – will be perhaps the top incoming pitcher in the league, but he has also been invited to Team USA.

  • USC’s Kyle Davis would seem to have the inside track at the closer position. He’s saved nine games this spring.

  • Kennesaw State’s Jordan Hillyer has had a solid spring on the mound and has a Cape League idol to look up to. His battery mate with the Owls is most often Max Pentecost, the 2013 Cape League MVP.

  • Chris Shaw hit .196 for Boston College last year but became the Eagles best hitter in his sophomore season and should be poised for big things this summer.

  • Garrett Williams was a top 100 draft prospect last year but told teams not to draft him, because he planned on going to Oklahoma State. He hasn’t had a great debut with the Cowboys, but his track record certainly makes him a player to watch.
  • I thought Pat Mazeika might be one of the top hitters on the Cape last summer, but he played only briefly for Cotuit. He’s bound for Chatham this year with the same potential.

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    FIVE TO WATCH

    1. Kyle Funkhouser
    2. Jake Fraley
    3. Pat Mazeika
    4. Garrett Williams
    5. Chris Shaw

     

    PITCHERS

    Zack Burdi – RHP – 6’3 195 – Louisville – Freshman
    Jeff Burke – RHP – 6’5 220 – Boston College – Sophomore
    *Andrew Chin – LHP – 6’1 181 – Boston College – Junior
    P.J. Conlon – LHP – 6’0 175 – San Diego – Sophomore
    Paul Covelle – RHP – 6’0 195 – Franklin Pierce – Sophomore
    Kyle Davis – RHP – 6’0 190 – Southern California – Sophomore
    *Kyle Funkhouser – RHP – 6’3 213 – Louisville – Sophomore
    Jeff Gelinas – RHP – 6’4 200 – Maine – Freshman
    Bryan Goossens – RHP – 6’3 195 – Siena – Sophomore
    Jordan Hillyer – RHP – 6’1 205 – Kennesaw State – Sophomore
    Lucas Long – RHP – 6’1 185 – San Diego – Junior
    Max Tishman – LHP – 6’1 210 – Wake Forest – RS Freshman
    Mike Wallace – RHP – 6’5 165 – Fairfield – Sophomore
    Garrett Williams – LHP/OF – 6-2 195 – Oklahoma State – Freshman
    * – returning player

     

    Zack Burdi – RHP – 6’3 195
    Louisville
    Freshman

    The brother of former Angler flamethrower Nick Burdi, Zack is following in his brother’s footsteps at Louisville and will do the same in Chatham this summer. In his freshman year, he has seen action in 11 games and sports a 4.66 ERA.

    Jeff Burke – RHP – 6’5 220
    Boston College
    Sophomore

    Burke was among the busiest pitchers on the Eagles club last year, making 24 appearances with an ERA over five. He has moved into the weekend rotation this year and has yet to put up great numbers. Burke has a 5.04 ERA.

    Andrew Chin – LHP – 6’1 181
    Boston College
    Junior

    A fifth-round pick out of high school who redshirted after Tommy John surgery, Chin recaptured some of his form in an up-and-down summer with the Anglers last year. He’s been steadier this spring, going 5-2 with a 3.10 ERA, no easy task as a weekend starter in the ACC.

    P.J. Conlon – LHP – 6’0 175
    San Diego
    Sophomore

    Conlon won nine games and led the Toreros in ERA while pitching in a swing role last season. He slid into the weekend rotation this season and has had a decent campaign, going 7-2 with a 4.35 ERA. He ranks second on the team in strikeouts with 60.

    Paul Covelle – RHP – 6’0 195
    Franklin Pierce
    Sophomore

    After a strong freshman season in the Franklin Pierce bullpen, Covelle spent most of 2014 as a starter with solid results. He had a 3.62 ERA and struck out 56 in 59.2 innings.

    Kyle Davis – RHP – 6’0 190
    Southern California
    Sophomore

    Davis had an ERA over five as a reliever last spring but has left any struggles he had in the dust this season. Pitching as the Trojans’ closer, Davis has saved nine games and leads the team with a 1.33 ERA. He has struck out 43 in 47.1 innings.

    Kyle Funkhouser – RHP – 6’3 213
    Louisville
    Sophomore

    Funkhouser struck out 21 in 13 innings of relief for the Anglers last summer and was picked by Perfect Game as the Cape League’s 14th-best prospect. It was a sign of things to come. Pitching in the Cards’ weekend rotation this year, Funkhouser has emerged as an ace. He’s 12-2 with a 1.81 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 99.1 innings. Funkhouser has been invited to Team USA.

    Jeff Gelinas – RHP – 6’4 200
    Maine
    Freshman

    Joining the Maine-to-Chatham pipeline, Gelinas heads south off a solid freshman campaign. He posted a 3.86 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 51.1 innings while pitching as both a starter and a reliever.

    Bryan Goossens – RHP – 6’3 195
    Siena
    Sophomore

    Goossens headed to Siena after a strong Massachusetts high school career. He had a pretty good debut season and moved to the weekend rotation this year, but has hit some struggles. He has a 5.90 ERA.

    Jordan Hillyer – RHP – 6’1 205
    Kennesaw State
    Sophomore

    A 20th-round pick out of high school, Hillyer pitched well in 10 appearances last spring. He grabbed a spot in the weekend rotation this year and has continued to pitch well, going 7-3 with a 3.49 ERA. He ranks second on the team in strikeouts. Hillyer pitched last summer in the NECBL, where Perfect Game tabbed him as the league’s 22nd-best prospect.

    Lucas Long – RHP – 6’1 185
    San Diego
    Junior

    After transferring from Arizona, Long spent last season at a junior college then pitched in two games for Orleans last summer. In a San Diego uniform this spring, Long leads the team in strikeouts with 62 in 71 innings and has a 2.43 ERA. He has started eight games and come out of the bullpen in 12 others.

    Max Tishman – LHP – 6’1 210
    Wake Forest
    RS Freshman

    A native of Boston, Tishman took a redshirt in his first year at Wake Forest. This season, he has made 26 appearances, second on the team, and has a 5.47 ERA.

    Mike Wallace – RHP – 6’5 165
    Fairfield
    Sophomore

    A New Jersey native, Wallace has had two very steady seasons as a starter for the Stags. He had a 3.39 ERA last year and has kept it in the same range this year at 3.32. He leads Fairfield in strikeouts with 54.

    Garrett Williams – LHP/OF – 6-2 195
    Oklahoma State
    Freshman

    Baseball America rated Williams the 15th-best high school prospect in the country for last year’s draft, but he told MLB clubs he was headed to Oklahoma State. In Stillwater, he has started seven games and made nine relief appearances, posting a 5.12 ERA but striking out 47 in 38.2 innings. At the plate, he has hit .222 in 16 appearances.

     

    POSITION PLAYERS

    *Blake Butera – UTIL – 5’9 175 – Boston College – Junior
    Nick Collins – C – 6’2 240 – Georgetown – Sophomore
    Kevin Fagan – OF – 6’0 195 – Stetson – Sophomore
    Jake Fraley – OF – 6’1 195 – LSU – Freshman
    Garrett Hampson – INF – 6’1 175 – Long Beach State – Freshman
    Jake Jefferies – INF – 6’1 195 – Cal. State Fullerton – Sophomore
    Justin Jones – INF – 5’11 180 – UNLV – Freshman
    *Landon Lassiter – INF – 6’1 188 – North Carolina – Sophomore
    Pat Mazeika – C/OF/1B – 6’3 210 – Stetson – Sophomore
    Ty Moore – OF – 6’0 190 – UCLA – Sophomore
    *A.J. Murray – 1B/OF – 6’1 215 – Georgia Tech – Junior
    *Hunter Redman – C – 6’0 190 – Texas Tech – Junior
    Chris Shaw – 1B/OF – 6’3 250 – Boston College – Sophomore
    Kal Simmons – IF – 6’1 190 – Kennesaw State – Sophomore
    * – returning player

     

    Blake Butera – UTIL – 5’9 175
    Boston College
    Junior

    Butera hit only .196 last summer for the Anglers, but he was a key piece to the puzzle nonetheless, playing in 34 games. He’s had a solid season in Chestnut Hill, hitting .269.

    Nick Collins – C – 6’2 240
    Georgetown
    Sophomore

    Collins led the Hoyas in batting average as a freshman and was even better this season. On his way to All-Big East honors, Collins hit .351 with a .421 OBP, two homers and 38 RBI, while splitting time between catcher and designated hitter. He was Perfect Game’s 14th-best prospect in the Cal Ripken League last summer.

    Kevin Fagan – OF – 6’0 195
    Stetson
    Sophomore

    Fagan earned Atlantic Sun All-Freshman honors last year and followed that up with a solid sophomore season. He hit .279 with a .372 OBP. He also made seven appearances on the mound and had a 2.51 ERA.

    Jake Fraley – OF – 6’1 195
    LSU
    Freshman

    The rare top-level baseball star from Delaware, Fraley headed south to LSU and has had a big impact in his freshman season. After seeing spot duty early on, Fraley has forced his way into the lineup by hitting a team-best .382 with three homers and 29 RBI.

    Garrett Hampson – INF – 6’1 175
    Long Beach State
    Freshman

    A Nevada high school standout, Hampson has had a strong debut with the Dirtbags. He leads the team in hitting at .316 and ranks third in OBP with a .354 mark. He’s also stolen eight bases.

    Jake Jefferies – INF – 6’1 195
    Cal. State Fullerton
    Sophomore

    The son of former Major Leaguer Gregg Jefferies, Jake was a 34th-round pick out of high school. He had a good freshman season with the Titans then starred in the Northwoods League last summer, hitting .358 and ranking 17th on Baseball America’s prospect list. Jefferies has hit a big sophomore slump this season, though, as he’ hitting just .147.

    Justin Jones – INF – 5’11 180
    UNLV
    Freshman

    A product of national baseball powerhouse Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, Jones has been a steady contributor for two seasons for the hometown Runnin’ Rebels. After hitting .287 last year, he’s at .281 this year with three home runs.

    Landon Lassiter – INF – 6’1 188
    North Carolina
    Sophomore

    Lassiter was a 16th-round pick out of high school and he hit .358 last year on his way to Freshman All-America honors. He hit .250 in 22 games for the Anglers last summer. His average is down to .300 this year but his OBP is still impressive at .417.

    Pat Mazeika – C/OF/1B – 6’3 210
    Stetson
    Sophomore

    Mazeika led the Atlantic Sun in hitting last year on his way to Freshman of the Year honors and a host of Freshman All-America accolades. After playing briefly for Cotuit last summer, he’ll head to Chatham off another strong campaign. Mazeika hit .354 with two homers and 18 doubles.

    Ty Moore – OF – 6’0 190
    UCLA
    Sophomore

    Moore hit .219 for the CWS champion Bruins as a freshman then hit .203 in the NECBL last summer. This year, he’s taken a step forward, ranking second on the team with a .293 batting average and leading in extra-base hits.

    A.J. Murray – 1B/OF – 6’1 215
    Georgia Tech
    Junior

    Murray burst onto the scene for Tech last season when he hit .271 after playing in just 12 games as a freshman. After a short stint with the Anglers last summer, Murray has continued to play well for the Yellow Jackets. He’s hitting .280 with four homers.

    Hunter Redman – C – 6’0 190
    Texas Tech
    Junior

    Redman spent the 2013 season in the junior college ranks then made some noise in 12 games with the Anglers last summer. In his first season in Lubbock, Redman has hit .269.

    Chris Shaw – 1B/OF – 6’3 250
    Boston College
    Sophomore

    Shaw flashed some pop last spring with six home runs, but they were six of only 27 hits, as he batted .165 in his freshman year. This season, everything has caught up to the power. Shaw leads the Eagles with a .329 average, six home runs and 45 RBI. The big sophomore year comes after a breakout campaign in the NECBL, where Shaw hit five homers and was named the league’s ninth-best prospect by Perfect Game.

    Kal Simmons – IF – 6’1 190
    Kennesaw State
    Sophomore

    Simmons had a great freshman year, hitting .290 and playing a solid shortstop en route to first-team all-conference honors. He’s hitting .277 this year.