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Game 35 Preview: Chatham at Wareham
CHATHAM, Mass. — There are only six days left in the 2025 Cape Cod Baseball League regular season, but that’s more than enough time for the current postseason picture to change dramatically.
The Anglers sit in fifth place in the East Division, putting them one spot away from postseason qualification. With six games remaining, they trail their rival Orleans by five points. For Chatham, all it needs is one stretch of torrid play to make its second consecutive appearance in the CCBL playoffs. But getting off on the right foot won’t be an easy task, considering its first matchup of the regular season’s final week comes against Wareham, the West Division leader.
Here’s what to know prior to the Anglers’ (14-17-3, East) road battle against the Gatemen (18-16, West) Tuesday evening at Spillane Field.
Right-hander Jacob Turner (Bowling Green) will make his second start and third appearance of the Cape League season for Chatham. Through 5.0 innings of work, Turner has tallied a 5.40 earned run average along with surrendering a .348 batting average to opposing hitters, albeit in a small sample size. In his first three seasons at Bowling Green, Turner accumulated 87 strikeouts over 101.2 frames while issuing 59 walks.
For the visitors, southpaw TJ Schlageter (Louisville) is set to log his eighth appearance of the season, but it’ll be his first-ever start in the CCBL. Schlageter, the former No. 2-ranked left-handed pitcher in the state of Illinois’ 2023 recruiting class, finished with a 5.04 ERA this spring with the Cardinals. He’s made great strides for Wareham, though, notching a 0.77 ERA and 10 strikeouts across 11.2 innings for the Gatemen.
The top two-way player on the Cape this summer, Caden McDonald (Florida) stands out as one of the league’s most intriguing players. He pitches with authority and hits with power and efficiency. While he won’t get the ball on Tuesday, McDonald’s .939 OPS in 68 at-bats poses a major threat for Anglers pitching. He doesn’t have enough at bats to qualify for CCBL leaderboards, but his five home runs and 16 RBI rank first and second on the Gatemen, respectively.
After 12 games played thus far, it’s clear Christopher Ramirez (Cal Baptist) will be a major piece of Wareham’s batting order down the stretch. The shortstop boasts a scintillating .424 clip average with a 1.033 OPS, totaling 14 hits in 33 at-bats. Ramirez’s eye stands out as one of his best attributes, as he’s taken nine walks this summer and struck out just one time.
Thanks to the departure of Ashton Larson (Texas), utility man Carmelo Musacchia (Northeastern) should have a large role for the Anglers going forward. Larson was mostly a designated hitter over the last couple of weeks, meaning his exit opens up an opportunity for Daniel Jackson (Georgia) and Jake Hanley (Indiana) to predominantly take over the DH role. That leaves Musacchia as a likely outfield staple. He’s only played in three games for Chatham this summer, though he’s coming off a junior year where he batted .302 in 55 games.
A player who opponents must always pay heaps of attention to is Jackson, who’s second among all qualified hitters in the East Division with a .897 OPS. Jackson has belted a team-high four homers and drove in 15 runs, and he’s currently tied for first in the Cape League with a .436 on-base percentage. Coming off a 14-homer sophomore season at Georgia, Jackson’s knack for getting on-base this summer is a welcome sign for the Bulldogs’ coaching staff.
For the Anglers to make the playoffs, they’ll need to leave no doubt late in games when holding a lead. So far, it seems they have the personnel to accomplish that.
In the eighth inning or later, Chatham’s bullpen ERA sits at 2.13, the third-best total among all 10 CCBL clubs. In comparison, Wareham’s ERA from the eighth inning on is 3.98.
The A’s don’t have a consistent setup man or closer. Four different players have notched a save thus far in 2025. Caleb Freeman’s (Eastern Kentucky) one-out save last Saturday on the road versus Hyannis could thrust him up manager Dennis Cook’s list of high-leverage arms, though judging by the numbers, the skipper can continue to plug and play his late relievers.
On July 22, the night ESPN broadcasted a live “SportsCenter” show from Veterans Field, Chatham committed five errors and got held to two hits in a 5-1 defeat to Wareham. The A’s lone run materialized off an RBI 6-3 groundout from Chase Fralick (Auburn) in the eighth inning. Before that, the Gatemen scored five unanswered runs, creating too large a gap for Chatham to bridge after Wareham starter Cooper Consiglio tossed 5.0 shutout frames.
The Anglers sit in fifth place in the East Division, putting them one spot away from postseason qualification. With six games remaining, they trail their rival Orleans by five points. For Chatham, all it needs is one stretch of torrid play to make its second consecutive appearance in the CCBL playoffs. But getting off on the right foot won’t be an easy task, considering its first matchup of the regular season’s final week comes against Wareham, the West Division leader.
Here’s what to know prior to the Anglers’ (14-17-3, East) road battle against the Gatemen (18-16, West) Tuesday evening at Spillane Field.
Probable Starters
Right-hander Jacob Turner (Bowling Green) will make his second start and third appearance of the Cape League season for Chatham. Through 5.0 innings of work, Turner has tallied a 5.40 earned run average along with surrendering a .348 batting average to opposing hitters, albeit in a small sample size. In his first three seasons at Bowling Green, Turner accumulated 87 strikeouts over 101.2 frames while issuing 59 walks.
For the visitors, southpaw TJ Schlageter (Louisville) is set to log his eighth appearance of the season, but it’ll be his first-ever start in the CCBL. Schlageter, the former No. 2-ranked left-handed pitcher in the state of Illinois’ 2023 recruiting class, finished with a 5.04 ERA this spring with the Cardinals. He’s made great strides for Wareham, though, notching a 0.77 ERA and 10 strikeouts across 11.2 innings for the Gatemen.
Wareham Players To Watch
The top two-way player on the Cape this summer, Caden McDonald (Florida) stands out as one of the league’s most intriguing players. He pitches with authority and hits with power and efficiency. While he won’t get the ball on Tuesday, McDonald’s .939 OPS in 68 at-bats poses a major threat for Anglers pitching. He doesn’t have enough at bats to qualify for CCBL leaderboards, but his five home runs and 16 RBI rank first and second on the Gatemen, respectively.
After 12 games played thus far, it’s clear Christopher Ramirez (Cal Baptist) will be a major piece of Wareham’s batting order down the stretch. The shortstop boasts a scintillating .424 clip average with a 1.033 OPS, totaling 14 hits in 33 at-bats. Ramirez’s eye stands out as one of his best attributes, as he’s taken nine walks this summer and struck out just one time.
Chatham Players To Watch
Thanks to the departure of Ashton Larson (Texas), utility man Carmelo Musacchia (Northeastern) should have a large role for the Anglers going forward. Larson was mostly a designated hitter over the last couple of weeks, meaning his exit opens up an opportunity for Daniel Jackson (Georgia) and Jake Hanley (Indiana) to predominantly take over the DH role. That leaves Musacchia as a likely outfield staple. He’s only played in three games for Chatham this summer, though he’s coming off a junior year where he batted .302 in 55 games.
A player who opponents must always pay heaps of attention to is Jackson, who’s second among all qualified hitters in the East Division with a .897 OPS. Jackson has belted a team-high four homers and drove in 15 runs, and he’s currently tied for first in the Cape League with a .436 on-base percentage. Coming off a 14-homer sophomore season at Georgia, Jackson’s knack for getting on-base this summer is a welcome sign for the Bulldogs’ coaching staff.
Number To Know: 2.13
For the Anglers to make the playoffs, they’ll need to leave no doubt late in games when holding a lead. So far, it seems they have the personnel to accomplish that.
In the eighth inning or later, Chatham’s bullpen ERA sits at 2.13, the third-best total among all 10 CCBL clubs. In comparison, Wareham’s ERA from the eighth inning on is 3.98.
The A’s don’t have a consistent setup man or closer. Four different players have notched a save thus far in 2025. Caleb Freeman’s (Eastern Kentucky) one-out save last Saturday on the road versus Hyannis could thrust him up manager Dennis Cook’s list of high-leverage arms, though judging by the numbers, the skipper can continue to plug and play his late relievers.
Last Time They Played
On July 22, the night ESPN broadcasted a live “SportsCenter” show from Veterans Field, Chatham committed five errors and got held to two hits in a 5-1 defeat to Wareham. The A’s lone run materialized off an RBI 6-3 groundout from Chase Fralick (Auburn) in the eighth inning. Before that, the Gatemen scored five unanswered runs, creating too large a gap for Chatham to bridge after Wareham starter Cooper Consiglio tossed 5.0 shutout frames.
