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Game 9 Preview: Chatham vs. Harwich
CHATHAM, Mass. — Heartbreak and devastation set in at Veterans Field when Harwich previously visited Chatham in the 2024 East Division playoffs. But these Anglers don’t care about the past; they weren’t even here to experience it.
The A’s current problems revolve around an offense that’s stuck in a rut. Through eight games, Chatham’s 3.25 runs per game ranks ninth in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Its OPS sits at a dreadful .555. Worst of all, its hitters have struck out 90 times — a Cape-League worst.
Bad trends persisted Sunday for the Anglers, mustering four hits in a 6-1 loss to Hyannis as their losing skid increased to three.
Now, the A’s gun for their first East Division victory of the campaign, surely needing to improve their CCBL-low .171 team batting average in order to do so.
Here’s everything to know prior to Chatham’s (2-5-1, East) first meeting of the year with Harwich (5-3, East) Tuesday at Veterans Field.
Probable Starters
After getting activated by the Anglers Sunday, junior right-hander Kolten Smith (Georgia/transfer) makes his CCBL debut Tuesday against the Mariners. Smith will join JT Quinn and Nate Taylor as UGA pitchers who’ve started a game for Chatham this summer. Part of a deep Bulldogs’ pitching staff, Smith accumulated 15 appearances in 2025, tallying a 5.23 earned run average and 59 strikeouts in 41.1 innings of work. He was a Third-Team Preseason All-American selection heading into this past spring after striking out batters as a sophomore.
As for the Mariners, manager Steve Englert will send Freddy Rodriguez (Hawaii) out to the hill. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound righty possesses the same measurables as Smith. Rodriguez’s collegiate numbers are a little better, though. A former JUCO product with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Rodriguez posted a ridiculous 1.02 ERA for the Portland Pickles in the West Coast League in 2024. He transferred to Hawaii after two years of JUCO and registered a 3.10 ERA across 52.1 frames with the Rainbow Warriors in 2025. Rodriguez’s ERA on the Cape sits at 0.00 after tossing four shutout innings against Falmouth.
Harwich Players To Watch
Harwich is undergoing similar offensive problems to Chatham. There aren’t many numbers that jump off the page. Still, power-hitting first baseman Kyle Wolff (Boston College) stands out as one of the Mariners’ top bats with a .755 OPS. The Andover, Maryland native is coming off a strong junior season at BC, where he got on base at a .372 clip and belted eight homers in 56 starts. Wolff’s one long ball is tied for a Harwich team-lead while his four RBI is a club-best.
Elsewhere, outfielder Niko Brini (Wofford) has provided a solid boost to the Mariners’ offense. His speed is dangerous — Brini’s three stolen bags rank second on Harwich this summer while he’s also fresh off a 26-steal campaign with Wofford in the spring. Brini’s Cape statistics aren’t great per the eye test, batting .214 with a .562 OPS. But his sure-handed glove and quickness on the basepaths make him a challenge to face.
Chatham Players To Watch
Only one Anglers position player stands out among the top of the CCBL batting leaderboards: Daniel Jackson (Georgia). Jackson leads Chatham in OPS (1.131), slugging percentage (.632) and is one of three A’s players to leave the yard thus far, blasting a team-best two homers. Outside of him and center fielder Henry Ford (Tennessee), not many other Anglers are barrelling balls up very much. If Jackson can continue hitting taters regularly, it’d pay significant dividends for Chatham.
The same applies to first baseman Jake Hanley (Indiana). Not to beat a broken record, but the Anglers are patiently waiting for the Hoosier to break out. This spring’s Big Ten Freshman of the Year launched 14 homers and boasted a magnificent 1.004 OPS; on paper, Hanley was primed to be one of the A’s top position players. Yet, eight games into the year, he’s already suffered one benching from the lineup. Hanley has a triple and a double in seven contests, but nothing else. His .083 batting average is the worst among qualified Chatham hitters.
Following two days off, though, maybe rest is all Hanley needed to adjust to Cape League pitching.
Number To Know: .084
Unfortunately for the Anglers, their at-bats seem to be over once the count gets to two strikes. Chatham is batting .084 in two-strike counts, the second-worst mark in the CCBL. The A’s best two-strike hitter is Jackson, who’s average sits at .231 in two-strike counts. Every other Chatham player is batting .150 or worse in two-strike situations.
Yikes.
Cook has repeated over the past week that he wants to see major improvement in the Anglers’ approach with two strikes. After their 6-1 loss to Bourne Saturday, he said everyone on Chatham’s roster has dominated every level they’ve played at before arriving here, insisting the A’s will eventually put together a hot streak.
Last Time They Played
The A’s promising 2024 campaign ended with a thud on Aug. 6, falling 7-5 to the Mariners in the East Division postseason’s opening round. Chatham held a 5-4 lead entering the ninth with lefty Gabe Van Emon (UConn) on the mound in a save spot. But Van Emon gave up a triple from Cam Maldonado and an RBI single from Aiden Robbins, forcing then-Anglers’ manager Eric Beattie to swap Van Emon with Jacob Heath (West Florida). Then, disaster struck.
Harwich plated two more runs in the ninth, aided by a misplayed fly ball in right field by Chatham’s Ashton Larson (LSU) that allowed the go-ahead run to score. The A’s promptly went down 1-2-3 in the bottom half. After ending Chatham’s season, the Mariners went on to win the 2024 CCBL Championship.
The A’s current problems revolve around an offense that’s stuck in a rut. Through eight games, Chatham’s 3.25 runs per game ranks ninth in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Its OPS sits at a dreadful .555. Worst of all, its hitters have struck out 90 times — a Cape-League worst.
Bad trends persisted Sunday for the Anglers, mustering four hits in a 6-1 loss to Hyannis as their losing skid increased to three.
Now, the A’s gun for their first East Division victory of the campaign, surely needing to improve their CCBL-low .171 team batting average in order to do so.
Here’s everything to know prior to Chatham’s (2-5-1, East) first meeting of the year with Harwich (5-3, East) Tuesday at Veterans Field.
Probable Starters
After getting activated by the Anglers Sunday, junior right-hander Kolten Smith (Georgia/transfer) makes his CCBL debut Tuesday against the Mariners. Smith will join JT Quinn and Nate Taylor as UGA pitchers who’ve started a game for Chatham this summer. Part of a deep Bulldogs’ pitching staff, Smith accumulated 15 appearances in 2025, tallying a 5.23 earned run average and 59 strikeouts in 41.1 innings of work. He was a Third-Team Preseason All-American selection heading into this past spring after striking out batters as a sophomore.
As for the Mariners, manager Steve Englert will send Freddy Rodriguez (Hawaii) out to the hill. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound righty possesses the same measurables as Smith. Rodriguez’s collegiate numbers are a little better, though. A former JUCO product with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Rodriguez posted a ridiculous 1.02 ERA for the Portland Pickles in the West Coast League in 2024. He transferred to Hawaii after two years of JUCO and registered a 3.10 ERA across 52.1 frames with the Rainbow Warriors in 2025. Rodriguez’s ERA on the Cape sits at 0.00 after tossing four shutout innings against Falmouth.
Harwich Players To Watch
Harwich is undergoing similar offensive problems to Chatham. There aren’t many numbers that jump off the page. Still, power-hitting first baseman Kyle Wolff (Boston College) stands out as one of the Mariners’ top bats with a .755 OPS. The Andover, Maryland native is coming off a strong junior season at BC, where he got on base at a .372 clip and belted eight homers in 56 starts. Wolff’s one long ball is tied for a Harwich team-lead while his four RBI is a club-best.
Elsewhere, outfielder Niko Brini (Wofford) has provided a solid boost to the Mariners’ offense. His speed is dangerous — Brini’s three stolen bags rank second on Harwich this summer while he’s also fresh off a 26-steal campaign with Wofford in the spring. Brini’s Cape statistics aren’t great per the eye test, batting .214 with a .562 OPS. But his sure-handed glove and quickness on the basepaths make him a challenge to face.
Chatham Players To Watch
Only one Anglers position player stands out among the top of the CCBL batting leaderboards: Daniel Jackson (Georgia). Jackson leads Chatham in OPS (1.131), slugging percentage (.632) and is one of three A’s players to leave the yard thus far, blasting a team-best two homers. Outside of him and center fielder Henry Ford (Tennessee), not many other Anglers are barrelling balls up very much. If Jackson can continue hitting taters regularly, it’d pay significant dividends for Chatham.
The same applies to first baseman Jake Hanley (Indiana). Not to beat a broken record, but the Anglers are patiently waiting for the Hoosier to break out. This spring’s Big Ten Freshman of the Year launched 14 homers and boasted a magnificent 1.004 OPS; on paper, Hanley was primed to be one of the A’s top position players. Yet, eight games into the year, he’s already suffered one benching from the lineup. Hanley has a triple and a double in seven contests, but nothing else. His .083 batting average is the worst among qualified Chatham hitters.
Following two days off, though, maybe rest is all Hanley needed to adjust to Cape League pitching.
Number To Know: .084
Unfortunately for the Anglers, their at-bats seem to be over once the count gets to two strikes. Chatham is batting .084 in two-strike counts, the second-worst mark in the CCBL. The A’s best two-strike hitter is Jackson, who’s average sits at .231 in two-strike counts. Every other Chatham player is batting .150 or worse in two-strike situations.
Yikes.
Cook has repeated over the past week that he wants to see major improvement in the Anglers’ approach with two strikes. After their 6-1 loss to Bourne Saturday, he said everyone on Chatham’s roster has dominated every level they’ve played at before arriving here, insisting the A’s will eventually put together a hot streak.
Last Time They Played
The A’s promising 2024 campaign ended with a thud on Aug. 6, falling 7-5 to the Mariners in the East Division postseason’s opening round. Chatham held a 5-4 lead entering the ninth with lefty Gabe Van Emon (UConn) on the mound in a save spot. But Van Emon gave up a triple from Cam Maldonado and an RBI single from Aiden Robbins, forcing then-Anglers’ manager Eric Beattie to swap Van Emon with Jacob Heath (West Florida). Then, disaster struck.
Harwich plated two more runs in the ninth, aided by a misplayed fly ball in right field by Chatham’s Ashton Larson (LSU) that allowed the go-ahead run to score. The A’s promptly went down 1-2-3 in the bottom half. After ending Chatham’s season, the Mariners went on to win the 2024 CCBL Championship.
