Anglers News« Back to 2025 News |
Game 19 Preview: Chatham vs. Falmouth
CHATHAM, Mass. — Nearly halfway through the 2025 Cape Cod Baseball League campaign, the Anglers have experienced ups, downs and just about everything in between.
Their offense started slow, but rapidly progressed into the Cape’s most dangerous unit. Their pitching staff has delivered memorable gems despite constant turnover. Their defense features the “best shortstop” that A’s manager Dennis Cook has ever coached in Chatham: Isaiah Lane (San Diego). They’ve had a seven-run inning. They’ve also blown multiple four-run leads.
Yet through every accomplishment, low point and routine play, there’s still something simple the Anglers haven’t done — beat the Falmouth Commodores.
Chatham enters Sunday 0-2 versus the West Division foe, including a season-opening defeat to the Commodores at Veterans Field. Three weeks later, though, the A’s are playing like a whole-new team than the one that got blanked 1-0 on Opening Day.
Here’s what to know before Chatham (7-8-3, East) hosts Falmouth (9-8-1, West) Sunday night at Veterans Field.
Right-handed hurler Kaden Smith (TCU) is set to make his first start of the summer for the A’s Sunday. Smith’s earned run average sits at 6.00 through four relief appearances, as he’s given up a .304 batting average to opposing hitters across 6.0 innings. But Smith has struck out five batters and hasn’t allowed a home run. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder will look to keep building off his freshman year with the Horned Frogs this spring, in which he posted a 5.25 ERA.
The Commodores will also send a first-time Cape League starter out there in 6-foot-8 right-hander Robby Porco (West Virginia). In 5.0 frames of work so far, Porco’s totaled a 9.00 ERA. Though Porco has struck out 10 batters and walked three, his admirable K/BB ratio still hasn’t kept runs off the board. Porco is coming off a solid junior year at WVU, where he tallied a 4.64 ERA in 21.1 innings.
Maika Niu (Arkansas) is a clear-cut MVP candidate. The center fielder leads the Cape League with six homers — including a towering three-run blast the last time Chatham faced him — and has driven in 14 runs. Niu’s 1.044 OPS is the second-best mark on the Cape, while his vicious .652 slugging percentage paces the entire CCBL. While Niu will be a handful for Smith on Sunday, he has been susceptible to the strikeout this season, suffering 16 of them.
Falmouth first baseman Kent Schmidt (Georgia Tech) also went yard against the Anglers last time out, one of his two home runs this summer. Schmidt’s 11 RBI demonstrate immense value as a run producer, but his .654 OPS leaves much to be desired. All things considered, though, it’s difficult not to see Schmidt as a threat following a stellar spring at GT, notching a .397 batting average and a .464 on-base percentage.
Otto Graham, Brooks Barnhizer, Jackson Freeman; these are just a few names of Northwestern legends. Well, Freeman isn’t a household name quite yet, but the Wildcat is well on his way to being one with the way he’s hit the ball this summer. Freeman is seeing a beach ball at the plate right now, ranking second on Chatham with a .959 OPS and ranking second on the Cape with 21 hits. The right fielder’s otherworldly slash line of .350/.426/.533 shows vast improvements from his past spring at NU (.255/.355/.425). Freeman might be raising his stock more than anyone else thus far.
A guy who can hardly improve his standing higher than it is already is center fielder Henry Ford (Tennessee). The former Virginia standout is Chatham’s home-run leader with three as well as its runs batted in leader with 16. Ford’s .837 OPS ranks third on the Anglers and fifth among qualified hitters in the East Division. For most of this season, Ford has been the A’s leadoff man, and with a .318 average in that spot, he’s been able to seize it without much debate.
Jonah Hill’s character in “Moneyball,” Peter Brand, earns the praise of Oakland Athletics’ General Manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) when he claims a players’ batting average doesn’t necessarily matter — as long as “he gets on-base.” Other scouts are doubtful of Brand and Beane’s unpopular method to pick players, but they stick to their guns.
Now, 22 years after the period the baseball film was set in, on-base percentage is a much-more conventional means to determine a players’ worth. With that mindset, Chatham contains a lot of valuable hitters. Brand and Beane would salivate when scouting this current Anglers’ group, who rank first in the East Division with a .349 OBP. The A’s knack for getting on-base has directly correlated with their league-leading 86 runs scored through 18 contests.
The Anglers visited Guv Fuller Field on June 29, a night in which they suffered a 9-7 loss at the hands of the Commodores. Though Chatham’s bats were hot off the presses, its pitching staff experienced some difficulties. Just two of the A’s six pitchers who appeared in this game — Charlie Foster (Mississippi State) and Mason Bixby (TCU) — conceded all nine of Falmouth’s runs. Foster finished with five earned runs while Bixby gave up four.
Chatham’s offense unleashed seven runs across the fifth and sixth innings, including five in the fifth. But Falmouth outdid the Anglers, crossing eight baserunners over the same span to snap what was a two-game win streak for the A’s.
Their offense started slow, but rapidly progressed into the Cape’s most dangerous unit. Their pitching staff has delivered memorable gems despite constant turnover. Their defense features the “best shortstop” that A’s manager Dennis Cook has ever coached in Chatham: Isaiah Lane (San Diego). They’ve had a seven-run inning. They’ve also blown multiple four-run leads.
Yet through every accomplishment, low point and routine play, there’s still something simple the Anglers haven’t done — beat the Falmouth Commodores.
Chatham enters Sunday 0-2 versus the West Division foe, including a season-opening defeat to the Commodores at Veterans Field. Three weeks later, though, the A’s are playing like a whole-new team than the one that got blanked 1-0 on Opening Day.
Here’s what to know before Chatham (7-8-3, East) hosts Falmouth (9-8-1, West) Sunday night at Veterans Field.
Probable Starters
Right-handed hurler Kaden Smith (TCU) is set to make his first start of the summer for the A’s Sunday. Smith’s earned run average sits at 6.00 through four relief appearances, as he’s given up a .304 batting average to opposing hitters across 6.0 innings. But Smith has struck out five batters and hasn’t allowed a home run. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder will look to keep building off his freshman year with the Horned Frogs this spring, in which he posted a 5.25 ERA.
The Commodores will also send a first-time Cape League starter out there in 6-foot-8 right-hander Robby Porco (West Virginia). In 5.0 frames of work so far, Porco’s totaled a 9.00 ERA. Though Porco has struck out 10 batters and walked three, his admirable K/BB ratio still hasn’t kept runs off the board. Porco is coming off a solid junior year at WVU, where he tallied a 4.64 ERA in 21.1 innings.
Falmouth Players To Know
Maika Niu (Arkansas) is a clear-cut MVP candidate. The center fielder leads the Cape League with six homers — including a towering three-run blast the last time Chatham faced him — and has driven in 14 runs. Niu’s 1.044 OPS is the second-best mark on the Cape, while his vicious .652 slugging percentage paces the entire CCBL. While Niu will be a handful for Smith on Sunday, he has been susceptible to the strikeout this season, suffering 16 of them.
Falmouth first baseman Kent Schmidt (Georgia Tech) also went yard against the Anglers last time out, one of his two home runs this summer. Schmidt’s 11 RBI demonstrate immense value as a run producer, but his .654 OPS leaves much to be desired. All things considered, though, it’s difficult not to see Schmidt as a threat following a stellar spring at GT, notching a .397 batting average and a .464 on-base percentage.
Chatham Players To Know
Otto Graham, Brooks Barnhizer, Jackson Freeman; these are just a few names of Northwestern legends. Well, Freeman isn’t a household name quite yet, but the Wildcat is well on his way to being one with the way he’s hit the ball this summer. Freeman is seeing a beach ball at the plate right now, ranking second on Chatham with a .959 OPS and ranking second on the Cape with 21 hits. The right fielder’s otherworldly slash line of .350/.426/.533 shows vast improvements from his past spring at NU (.255/.355/.425). Freeman might be raising his stock more than anyone else thus far.
A guy who can hardly improve his standing higher than it is already is center fielder Henry Ford (Tennessee). The former Virginia standout is Chatham’s home-run leader with three as well as its runs batted in leader with 16. Ford’s .837 OPS ranks third on the Anglers and fifth among qualified hitters in the East Division. For most of this season, Ford has been the A’s leadoff man, and with a .318 average in that spot, he’s been able to seize it without much debate.
Number To Know: .349
Jonah Hill’s character in “Moneyball,” Peter Brand, earns the praise of Oakland Athletics’ General Manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) when he claims a players’ batting average doesn’t necessarily matter — as long as “he gets on-base.” Other scouts are doubtful of Brand and Beane’s unpopular method to pick players, but they stick to their guns.
Now, 22 years after the period the baseball film was set in, on-base percentage is a much-more conventional means to determine a players’ worth. With that mindset, Chatham contains a lot of valuable hitters. Brand and Beane would salivate when scouting this current Anglers’ group, who rank first in the East Division with a .349 OBP. The A’s knack for getting on-base has directly correlated with their league-leading 86 runs scored through 18 contests.
Last Time They Played
The Anglers visited Guv Fuller Field on June 29, a night in which they suffered a 9-7 loss at the hands of the Commodores. Though Chatham’s bats were hot off the presses, its pitching staff experienced some difficulties. Just two of the A’s six pitchers who appeared in this game — Charlie Foster (Mississippi State) and Mason Bixby (TCU) — conceded all nine of Falmouth’s runs. Foster finished with five earned runs while Bixby gave up four.
Chatham’s offense unleashed seven runs across the fifth and sixth innings, including five in the fifth. But Falmouth outdid the Anglers, crossing eight baserunners over the same span to snap what was a two-game win streak for the A’s.
