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Game 3 Preview: Chatham at Wareham
CHATHAM, Mass. — Something’s gotta give on Monday night at Spillane Field, where the Cape League’s only two winless teams square off.
Chatham and Wareham have scored a combined five runs in the opening two games of 2025. For the Anglers, they began the year by striking out 17 times in a 1-0 defeat to Falmouth, then got shut out across their final four innings in a 4-2 against Bourne Sunday.
A’s manager Dennis Cook said his players need to avoid simply guessing at pitches and employ a more aggressive plate approach. They’ll have a prime chance to do so Monday versus the Gatemen, who’ve allowed nine runs thus far — tied for the CCBL-worst total.
Here’s everything to know before Chatham (0-2, East) battles Wareham (0-2, West) at Spillane Field in its third game of the summer.
Nate Taylor (Georgia) is slated for a bump day Monday, becoming the Anglers’ second Georgia starting pitcher this season. If JT Quinn’s 10-strikeout masterclass against Falmouth is the Bulldog pitching standard, then Taylor is in for a big day. The 6-foot-2 righty threw 8.1 innings this past spring as a freshman, posting a vicious 1.08 earned-run-average with 17 strikeouts. Even in limited appearances, Taylor made an emphatic statement to open his college baseball career, notching an incredible 18.36 strikeouts per nine innings.
On the Gatemen’s side, manager Ryan Smyth plans to start lefty Cooper Consiglio — a rising junior at NC State. Consiglio made 20 appearances and six starts in his sophomore campaign, K’ing 50 batters in 41.0 innings. But, he got knocked around quite a bit. Consiglio’s ERA finished at 9.86, a sharp decline from his 4.97 freshman-year ERA. A Chatham team that’s struggled to hit may be excited to see Consiglio’s 20 extra-base hits allowed and .356 opponent batting average from this spring.
A day after facing former A’s catcher Campbell Smithwick on Bourne, Chatham faces an opposing team that rosters three former Anglers. The most prominent name is Ty Dalley, a former Mercer standout who’s transferring to Clemson. The outfielder batted a disappointing .154 in 14 plate appearances with the A’s last summer. But this summer, he’s already equaled his 2024 Cape League hit total (two) in half the plate appearances. Dalley blasted 58 homers and slugged .628 in three seasons with Mercer, eliciting danger for the A’s pitching staff.
The Gatemen’s top hitter, though, has been Colby Turner, a second baseman from Michigan. Turner leads Wareham with a .375 batting average and ranks first in hits (three). This past spring as a sophomore for the Wolverines, Turner played in 45 games and tallied 34 hits with a .774 OPS. Turner’s run production stood out, churning out 34 RBI — the fifth-most on Michigan. After slashing .361/.417/.582 as a freshman at San Diego State, Turner transferred to the Wolverines in the 2024 offseason.
The Big Ten Freshman of the Year was bound to take launch at some point. Anglers’ first baseman Jake Hanley (Indiana) earned his first-career hit on the Cape in his seventh at-bat, legging out an opposite-field triple. The powerful, 6-foot-6 lefty showcased his speed with his RBI three-bagger in the fifth inning against Bourne Sunday. Though, for Hanley to keep displaying his quickness, he needs to make contact. Having struck out four times in eight at-bats with Chatham, Hanley’s due for a big night after hitting .333 this spring at IU.
Sticking in the Big Ten, right fielder Jackson Freeman (Northwestern) pounced on Bourne’s pitching staff Sunday with a two-hit performance. Freeman’s smooth swing was on display as he belted a pair of singles up the middle. He reached base in three of four plate appearances, also drawing a walk. Freeman’s .375 on-base percentage leads Chatham in the young season. It’s clear he’s an impact player for the A’s, and his consistency will be crucial moving forward.
For the second consecutive contest, Chatham’s strikeout total at the dish finished in the double-digits. Falmouth saw the A’s hitters suffer 17 Ks. Versus Bourne, they got rung up 10 times. And against the Braves Sunday, five of the Anglers’ strikeouts were on called strike threes; half the time Chatham batters went down on strikes, they went down without a battle.
The Anglers clinched the No. 2 seed in the East Division playoffs last season on Aug. 1, 2024, after blanking the Gatemen 4-0. The victory clinched a home postseason game for the A’s at Veterans Field. Pitchers Lucas Hartman (Western Kentucky), Devin Pressley (Gardner-Webb) and JD McReynolds (Central Missouri) combined to toss a shutout, racking up 11 combined strikeouts and issuing just one walk. Chatham’s win salvaged a tie in its season series with Wareham last year.
Chatham and Wareham have scored a combined five runs in the opening two games of 2025. For the Anglers, they began the year by striking out 17 times in a 1-0 defeat to Falmouth, then got shut out across their final four innings in a 4-2 against Bourne Sunday.
A’s manager Dennis Cook said his players need to avoid simply guessing at pitches and employ a more aggressive plate approach. They’ll have a prime chance to do so Monday versus the Gatemen, who’ve allowed nine runs thus far — tied for the CCBL-worst total.
Here’s everything to know before Chatham (0-2, East) battles Wareham (0-2, West) at Spillane Field in its third game of the summer.
Probable Starters
Nate Taylor (Georgia) is slated for a bump day Monday, becoming the Anglers’ second Georgia starting pitcher this season. If JT Quinn’s 10-strikeout masterclass against Falmouth is the Bulldog pitching standard, then Taylor is in for a big day. The 6-foot-2 righty threw 8.1 innings this past spring as a freshman, posting a vicious 1.08 earned-run-average with 17 strikeouts. Even in limited appearances, Taylor made an emphatic statement to open his college baseball career, notching an incredible 18.36 strikeouts per nine innings.
On the Gatemen’s side, manager Ryan Smyth plans to start lefty Cooper Consiglio — a rising junior at NC State. Consiglio made 20 appearances and six starts in his sophomore campaign, K’ing 50 batters in 41.0 innings. But, he got knocked around quite a bit. Consiglio’s ERA finished at 9.86, a sharp decline from his 4.97 freshman-year ERA. A Chatham team that’s struggled to hit may be excited to see Consiglio’s 20 extra-base hits allowed and .356 opponent batting average from this spring.
Wareham Players To Watch
A day after facing former A’s catcher Campbell Smithwick on Bourne, Chatham faces an opposing team that rosters three former Anglers. The most prominent name is Ty Dalley, a former Mercer standout who’s transferring to Clemson. The outfielder batted a disappointing .154 in 14 plate appearances with the A’s last summer. But this summer, he’s already equaled his 2024 Cape League hit total (two) in half the plate appearances. Dalley blasted 58 homers and slugged .628 in three seasons with Mercer, eliciting danger for the A’s pitching staff.
The Gatemen’s top hitter, though, has been Colby Turner, a second baseman from Michigan. Turner leads Wareham with a .375 batting average and ranks first in hits (three). This past spring as a sophomore for the Wolverines, Turner played in 45 games and tallied 34 hits with a .774 OPS. Turner’s run production stood out, churning out 34 RBI — the fifth-most on Michigan. After slashing .361/.417/.582 as a freshman at San Diego State, Turner transferred to the Wolverines in the 2024 offseason.
Chatham Players To Watch
The Big Ten Freshman of the Year was bound to take launch at some point. Anglers’ first baseman Jake Hanley (Indiana) earned his first-career hit on the Cape in his seventh at-bat, legging out an opposite-field triple. The powerful, 6-foot-6 lefty showcased his speed with his RBI three-bagger in the fifth inning against Bourne Sunday. Though, for Hanley to keep displaying his quickness, he needs to make contact. Having struck out four times in eight at-bats with Chatham, Hanley’s due for a big night after hitting .333 this spring at IU.
Sticking in the Big Ten, right fielder Jackson Freeman (Northwestern) pounced on Bourne’s pitching staff Sunday with a two-hit performance. Freeman’s smooth swing was on display as he belted a pair of singles up the middle. He reached base in three of four plate appearances, also drawing a walk. Freeman’s .375 on-base percentage leads Chatham in the young season. It’s clear he’s an impact player for the A’s, and his consistency will be crucial moving forward.
Number To Know: 5
For the second consecutive contest, Chatham’s strikeout total at the dish finished in the double-digits. Falmouth saw the A’s hitters suffer 17 Ks. Versus Bourne, they got rung up 10 times. And against the Braves Sunday, five of the Anglers’ strikeouts were on called strike threes; half the time Chatham batters went down on strikes, they went down without a battle.
Last Time They Played
The Anglers clinched the No. 2 seed in the East Division playoffs last season on Aug. 1, 2024, after blanking the Gatemen 4-0. The victory clinched a home postseason game for the A’s at Veterans Field. Pitchers Lucas Hartman (Western Kentucky), Devin Pressley (Gardner-Webb) and JD McReynolds (Central Missouri) combined to toss a shutout, racking up 11 combined strikeouts and issuing just one walk. Chatham’s win salvaged a tie in its season series with Wareham last year.
