Anglers News« Back to 2025 News |
Game 1 Preview: Chatham vs. Falmouth
CHATHAM, Mass. — Baseball is back at Veterans Field, and there’s a familiar face manning the Anglers’ dugout.
Chatham hired Dennis Cook last August as its 17th manager in the Cape Cod Baseball League’s modern era (1963-on). Cook formerly served as the A’s pitching coach from 2018-22, and before his coaching career, he spent 15 seasons as a Major League Baseball reliever — notably helping the Marlins to a 1997 World Series victory.
With Chatham searching for consistency in the manager’s chair, Cook gets the latest shot at being the first Anglers’ skipper to win a CCBL title since John Schiffner in 1998. An Opening Day roster stocked with powerful SEC bats and promising pitchers will christen the Cook era Saturday night, as the A’s host West Division foe Falmouth.
Here’s everything to know before Chatham begins its 2025 season against Falmouth.
Cook and pitching coach Jay Powell are opting to start right-hander JT Quinn (Georgia) versus the Commodores. Quinn will make his Chatham debut after posting a 2.75 earned run average in 36 innings for the Bulldogs this past collegiate campaign. Boasting a towering 6-foot-6, 210-pound physique, Quinn’s fastball sits in the mid-90 MPH range and can flirt with a high-90s velocity. The junior’s top offspeed pitch is his slider, sitting in the mid-80s with a sharp break.
Before transferring to Georgia ahead of the 2025 season, Quinn originally committed to Ole Miss out of high school. The Tampa, Florida, native struggled to find a rhythm in his two seasons with the Rebels before hitting his stride this spring.
Quinn matches up against Falmouth starter Kaden Echeman (Northern Kentucky). He’s coming off the most prolific NCAA campaign of his career, totaling a 4.34 ERA across 56 innings of work — earning First-Team All-Horizon League honors. Echeman struck out 87 batters in 15 starts, and he struck out at least seven in eight of those contests. The 6-foot righty brings a crafty approach to the mound and doesn’t overwhelm hitters with his fastball. Having concluded his senior year at NKU, Echeman will likely enter July’s MLB Draft.
Among the Commodores’ top position players is Justin Osterhouse (Alabama), who enters the Cape League season coming off a historic sophomore campaign. Osterhouse accumulated a 1.089 OPS for Purdue Fort Wayne, finishing with the seventh-best on-base percentage in program history (.453) and the fourth-best single-season slugging percentage (.636). Osterhouse laced 27 extra-base hits, including 16 long balls, and drove in 46 runs en route to a Second-Team All-Horizon League selection. After his prodigious campaign, Osterhouse transferred to Alabama in June.
First baseman Kent Schmidt (Georgia Tech) poses a major threat to the Anglers’ pitching staff, too. There were few hitters as pure as Schmidt was in D-I; he rolled through the Atlantic Coast Conference with an OPS greater than 1.100 and a near-.400 batting average. He only belted five home runs, but was masterful in every other way at the dish. He drove in 43 runs in 40 games and struck out just 22 times. Schmidt’s notoriety extends beyond the plate, though, as he is also known for swinging a metal bat with a hot-dog design painted on it.
Top-100 2025 MLB Draft prospect Henry Ford arguably elicits the most excitement of anyone on Chatham’s Opening Day roster. He stands out as one of the best first basemen/outfielders in the country, and likely won’t be with the A’s for too long. Ford, who’s currently in the transfer portal, spent the last two seasons at Virginia, where he tallied a .362 batting average and belted 11 homers this past college season. He also paced the Cavaliers with 75 hits in 50 games. His combination of elite size (6-foot-5, 220 pounds) and athleticism makes him a dangerous player.
Power is a common theme for the Anglers’ current roster makeup. Catcher Daniel Jackson (Georgia), who returns for his second straight summer in Chatham, is coming off a 14-homer 2025 season over 39 starts. Though he batted just .218, Jackson’s OPS finished six points away from .900 after drawing 19 walks and slugging at a .556 clip. Jackson also stole 12 bags in the spring. After hitting just .188 with the A’s last summer, he’ll hope to improve upon his performance in Chatham.
There are three new managers in the CCBL this season; Chatham and Falmouth have two of them. Cook begins his first year helming the A’s, while the Commodores hired former Boston Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia after longtime manager Jeff Trundy died in December 2024.
Both organizations enter the 2025 campaign with the league’s two longest CCBL title droughts. Chatham hasn’t won since 1998, while Falmouth hasn’t touched the title since 1980. Saturday marks a new and important chapter in the history of both the A’s and Commodores, both of whom will be managed by former World Series champions.
On July 23, 2024, Chatham fell to Falmouth 9-2 at Veterans Field. The Anglers were blanked in eight of nine innings while the Commodores’ bullpen combined for seven shutout frames and 11 strikeouts. A two-RBI single by Will Bermudez (UC Irvine) proved to be the A’s only offense.
The loss dropped Chatham to 16-15 on the 2024 season. It was the final game of former manager Jeremy Sheetinger’s tenure, as he resigned one day later.
Chatham hired Dennis Cook last August as its 17th manager in the Cape Cod Baseball League’s modern era (1963-on). Cook formerly served as the A’s pitching coach from 2018-22, and before his coaching career, he spent 15 seasons as a Major League Baseball reliever — notably helping the Marlins to a 1997 World Series victory.
With Chatham searching for consistency in the manager’s chair, Cook gets the latest shot at being the first Anglers’ skipper to win a CCBL title since John Schiffner in 1998. An Opening Day roster stocked with powerful SEC bats and promising pitchers will christen the Cook era Saturday night, as the A’s host West Division foe Falmouth.
Here’s everything to know before Chatham begins its 2025 season against Falmouth.
Probable Starters
Cook and pitching coach Jay Powell are opting to start right-hander JT Quinn (Georgia) versus the Commodores. Quinn will make his Chatham debut after posting a 2.75 earned run average in 36 innings for the Bulldogs this past collegiate campaign. Boasting a towering 6-foot-6, 210-pound physique, Quinn’s fastball sits in the mid-90 MPH range and can flirt with a high-90s velocity. The junior’s top offspeed pitch is his slider, sitting in the mid-80s with a sharp break.
Before transferring to Georgia ahead of the 2025 season, Quinn originally committed to Ole Miss out of high school. The Tampa, Florida, native struggled to find a rhythm in his two seasons with the Rebels before hitting his stride this spring.
Quinn matches up against Falmouth starter Kaden Echeman (Northern Kentucky). He’s coming off the most prolific NCAA campaign of his career, totaling a 4.34 ERA across 56 innings of work — earning First-Team All-Horizon League honors. Echeman struck out 87 batters in 15 starts, and he struck out at least seven in eight of those contests. The 6-foot righty brings a crafty approach to the mound and doesn’t overwhelm hitters with his fastball. Having concluded his senior year at NKU, Echeman will likely enter July’s MLB Draft.
Falmouth Players To Watch
Among the Commodores’ top position players is Justin Osterhouse (Alabama), who enters the Cape League season coming off a historic sophomore campaign. Osterhouse accumulated a 1.089 OPS for Purdue Fort Wayne, finishing with the seventh-best on-base percentage in program history (.453) and the fourth-best single-season slugging percentage (.636). Osterhouse laced 27 extra-base hits, including 16 long balls, and drove in 46 runs en route to a Second-Team All-Horizon League selection. After his prodigious campaign, Osterhouse transferred to Alabama in June.
First baseman Kent Schmidt (Georgia Tech) poses a major threat to the Anglers’ pitching staff, too. There were few hitters as pure as Schmidt was in D-I; he rolled through the Atlantic Coast Conference with an OPS greater than 1.100 and a near-.400 batting average. He only belted five home runs, but was masterful in every other way at the dish. He drove in 43 runs in 40 games and struck out just 22 times. Schmidt’s notoriety extends beyond the plate, though, as he is also known for swinging a metal bat with a hot-dog design painted on it.
Chatham Players To Watch
Top-100 2025 MLB Draft prospect Henry Ford arguably elicits the most excitement of anyone on Chatham’s Opening Day roster. He stands out as one of the best first basemen/outfielders in the country, and likely won’t be with the A’s for too long. Ford, who’s currently in the transfer portal, spent the last two seasons at Virginia, where he tallied a .362 batting average and belted 11 homers this past college season. He also paced the Cavaliers with 75 hits in 50 games. His combination of elite size (6-foot-5, 220 pounds) and athleticism makes him a dangerous player.
Power is a common theme for the Anglers’ current roster makeup. Catcher Daniel Jackson (Georgia), who returns for his second straight summer in Chatham, is coming off a 14-homer 2025 season over 39 starts. Though he batted just .218, Jackson’s OPS finished six points away from .900 after drawing 19 walks and slugging at a .556 clip. Jackson also stole 12 bags in the spring. After hitting just .188 with the A’s last summer, he’ll hope to improve upon his performance in Chatham.
Number To Know: 2
There are three new managers in the CCBL this season; Chatham and Falmouth have two of them. Cook begins his first year helming the A’s, while the Commodores hired former Boston Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia after longtime manager Jeff Trundy died in December 2024.
Both organizations enter the 2025 campaign with the league’s two longest CCBL title droughts. Chatham hasn’t won since 1998, while Falmouth hasn’t touched the title since 1980. Saturday marks a new and important chapter in the history of both the A’s and Commodores, both of whom will be managed by former World Series champions.
Last Time They Played
On July 23, 2024, Chatham fell to Falmouth 9-2 at Veterans Field. The Anglers were blanked in eight of nine innings while the Commodores’ bullpen combined for seven shutout frames and 11 strikeouts. A two-RBI single by Will Bermudez (UC Irvine) proved to be the A’s only offense.
The loss dropped Chatham to 16-15 on the 2024 season. It was the final game of former manager Jeremy Sheetinger’s tenure, as he resigned one day later.
