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Game 2 Preview: Chatham at Bourne
CHATHAM, Mass. — It’s difficult to imagine a worse way for the Anglers’ offense to open the Dennis Cook era. On Opening Day against Falmouth, Chatham’s bats struggled against Kaden Echeman and the Commodores' pitching staff, which limited the A’s to just two hits.
Anglers starter JT Quinn (Georgia) did all that he could in his Cape Cod Baseball League debut, notching 10 strikeouts across five innings of one-run ball. And freshman righty Charlie Foster (Mississippi State) kept the game within reach for Chatham, tossing four shutout innings in relief to preserve the one-run deficit.
But it just wasn’t enough for the A’s to secure an Opening Day triumph. Now, Chatham (0-1, East) heads to Bourne (0-1, 0-0 West) searching for its first win of 2025.
Here’s everything to know ahead of Sunday’s road matchup against the Braves.
A little over two weeks ago, Ryan Borberg (Dallas Baptist) took the mound for the Patriots against Rhode Island, pitching to give them a chance to advance to the NCAA Super Regionals. Now, he’ll take the mound for Chatham.
At the helm of DBU’s rotation, Borberg started 15 games, tossed for a 3.38 earned run average and struck out 79 batters. The righty doesn’t overpower opposing hitters with his sinker, topping out at roughly 93 miles per hour. But his four-pitch mix features strong offspeed offerings, with a changeup and a slider that both sit in the mid-80s range.
Facing off against him is Bourne righty Zane Petty (Texas Tech). Ranked as Perfect Game’s No. 307 recruit in the class of 2022 coming out of Corsicana High School (Texas), Petty was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 13th round of the 2022 MLB Draft. While he elected to forgo the draft, he’s since struggled with the Red Raiders, posting a 6.11 ERA in 27 career collegiate starts. He enters the Cape looking to refine his game ahead of a crucial senior season.
Come Sunday, Anglers fans might see a familiar face behind the dish for the Braves. Campbell Smithwick (Ole Miss) is among the catchers at Bourne manager Scott Landers’ disposal. Last summer, Smithwick spent 26 games in Chatham, hitting for a .770 OPS in 76 at-bats for the Anglers. Now, he’s back on the Cape after a solid sophomore campaign with the Rebels, though this time with Bourne. In 40 games for Ole Miss, Smithwick smacked five home runs and notched an .874 OPS.
Yet, the star of Bourne’s show resides at shortstop. Alabama’s Justin Lebron is easily the biggest name on the Braves Opening Day roster. After an impressive All-SEC freshman campaign, Lebron started every game for the Crimson Tide in 2024, mashing 18 home runs and earning SEC All-Defensive honors. His 1.058 OPS netted him Third-Team All-American honors at season’s end, and he’s projected to be a top prospect in the 2026 MLB Draft.
As long as he’s in Chatham, former Virginia outfielder Henry Ford is must-watch TV. Ranked as MLB Pipeline’s 73rd best prospect in the 2025 MLB Draft, there is a very real possibility Ford will depart the Anglers for the draft in a few weeks. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia, Ford burst onto the scene with a record-breaking season in 2023, setting program records for home runs (17) and runs batted in (69) by a freshman. After Cavaliers head coach Brian O’Connor departed for Mississippi State at season’s end, Ford entered the transfer portal.
Outside of Ford, who ended the Commodores’ no-hit bid with a left-field double, few position players stood out from Saturday’s loss to Falmouth. But it’s fair to say Isaiah Lane (UC San Diego) was among them. The Oklahoma transfer broke out this year as the Toreros’ shortstop, hitting .328 with a .985 OPS in the 2025 collegiate season. In the A’s season opener, he remained hot at the plate, drawing a walk and notching the second of Chatham’s two hits on the day.
On Opening Day, Falmouth manager Jarrod Saltalamacchia deployed three pitchers against the Anglers. In nine innings of work, they combined for a grand total of 17 strikeouts against Chatham’s hitters.
Echeman set the tone early, punching out eight Anglers in his four-inning start. But his departure did nothing to ease Chatham into the game, as Conner Linn was just as dominant in his four-inning relief appearance. Linn struck out seven while conceding just two baserunners, turning the ninth over to Joe Sabbath with a 1-0 lead.
That one-run cushion proved to be all that Sabbath needed. With two strikeouts in the bottom of the ninth, he put the finishing touches on Falmouth’s first win of the season.
It’s already difficult to win baseball games. It’s nearly impossible when you strike out as much as the A’s did Saturday.
The Anglers were in a much different position the last time they faced off against Bourne. On July 25th, 2024, Chatham fell 9-4 to the Braves to drop to .500. Anglers starter Lucas Hartman (Florida Gulf Coast) gave up three runs and failed to make it out of the fourth inning, and the Braves pounced on reliever JD McReynolds (Central Missouri) for a five-run inning.
It was the first game after the resignation of former manager Jeremy Sheetinger, with pitching coach Eric Beattie taking the reins for the remainder of the 2024 campaign. As the Anglers’ interim manager, Beattie helped end their four-year playoff drought before facing an early exit at the hands of Harwich.
Anglers starter JT Quinn (Georgia) did all that he could in his Cape Cod Baseball League debut, notching 10 strikeouts across five innings of one-run ball. And freshman righty Charlie Foster (Mississippi State) kept the game within reach for Chatham, tossing four shutout innings in relief to preserve the one-run deficit.
But it just wasn’t enough for the A’s to secure an Opening Day triumph. Now, Chatham (0-1, East) heads to Bourne (0-1, 0-0 West) searching for its first win of 2025.
Here’s everything to know ahead of Sunday’s road matchup against the Braves.
Probable Starters
A little over two weeks ago, Ryan Borberg (Dallas Baptist) took the mound for the Patriots against Rhode Island, pitching to give them a chance to advance to the NCAA Super Regionals. Now, he’ll take the mound for Chatham.
At the helm of DBU’s rotation, Borberg started 15 games, tossed for a 3.38 earned run average and struck out 79 batters. The righty doesn’t overpower opposing hitters with his sinker, topping out at roughly 93 miles per hour. But his four-pitch mix features strong offspeed offerings, with a changeup and a slider that both sit in the mid-80s range.
Facing off against him is Bourne righty Zane Petty (Texas Tech). Ranked as Perfect Game’s No. 307 recruit in the class of 2022 coming out of Corsicana High School (Texas), Petty was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 13th round of the 2022 MLB Draft. While he elected to forgo the draft, he’s since struggled with the Red Raiders, posting a 6.11 ERA in 27 career collegiate starts. He enters the Cape looking to refine his game ahead of a crucial senior season.
Bourne Players To Watch
Come Sunday, Anglers fans might see a familiar face behind the dish for the Braves. Campbell Smithwick (Ole Miss) is among the catchers at Bourne manager Scott Landers’ disposal. Last summer, Smithwick spent 26 games in Chatham, hitting for a .770 OPS in 76 at-bats for the Anglers. Now, he’s back on the Cape after a solid sophomore campaign with the Rebels, though this time with Bourne. In 40 games for Ole Miss, Smithwick smacked five home runs and notched an .874 OPS.
Yet, the star of Bourne’s show resides at shortstop. Alabama’s Justin Lebron is easily the biggest name on the Braves Opening Day roster. After an impressive All-SEC freshman campaign, Lebron started every game for the Crimson Tide in 2024, mashing 18 home runs and earning SEC All-Defensive honors. His 1.058 OPS netted him Third-Team All-American honors at season’s end, and he’s projected to be a top prospect in the 2026 MLB Draft.
Chatham Players To Watch
As long as he’s in Chatham, former Virginia outfielder Henry Ford is must-watch TV. Ranked as MLB Pipeline’s 73rd best prospect in the 2025 MLB Draft, there is a very real possibility Ford will depart the Anglers for the draft in a few weeks. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia, Ford burst onto the scene with a record-breaking season in 2023, setting program records for home runs (17) and runs batted in (69) by a freshman. After Cavaliers head coach Brian O’Connor departed for Mississippi State at season’s end, Ford entered the transfer portal.
Outside of Ford, who ended the Commodores’ no-hit bid with a left-field double, few position players stood out from Saturday’s loss to Falmouth. But it’s fair to say Isaiah Lane (UC San Diego) was among them. The Oklahoma transfer broke out this year as the Toreros’ shortstop, hitting .328 with a .985 OPS in the 2025 collegiate season. In the A’s season opener, he remained hot at the plate, drawing a walk and notching the second of Chatham’s two hits on the day.
Number To Know: 17
On Opening Day, Falmouth manager Jarrod Saltalamacchia deployed three pitchers against the Anglers. In nine innings of work, they combined for a grand total of 17 strikeouts against Chatham’s hitters.
Echeman set the tone early, punching out eight Anglers in his four-inning start. But his departure did nothing to ease Chatham into the game, as Conner Linn was just as dominant in his four-inning relief appearance. Linn struck out seven while conceding just two baserunners, turning the ninth over to Joe Sabbath with a 1-0 lead.
That one-run cushion proved to be all that Sabbath needed. With two strikeouts in the bottom of the ninth, he put the finishing touches on Falmouth’s first win of the season.
It’s already difficult to win baseball games. It’s nearly impossible when you strike out as much as the A’s did Saturday.
Last Time They Played
The Anglers were in a much different position the last time they faced off against Bourne. On July 25th, 2024, Chatham fell 9-4 to the Braves to drop to .500. Anglers starter Lucas Hartman (Florida Gulf Coast) gave up three runs and failed to make it out of the fourth inning, and the Braves pounced on reliever JD McReynolds (Central Missouri) for a five-run inning.
It was the first game after the resignation of former manager Jeremy Sheetinger, with pitching coach Eric Beattie taking the reins for the remainder of the 2024 campaign. As the Anglers’ interim manager, Beattie helped end their four-year playoff drought before facing an early exit at the hands of Harwich.
