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Game 40 Preview: Chatham vs. Harwich
CHATHAM, Mass. — The end is near for the Anglers.
On Sunday, the A’s will return to Veterans Field to host East Division rival Harwich. While Chatham is just a pitstop on the way to another postseason appearance for the Mariners, the Anglers do not have the same luxury of playoff play awaiting. For them, this is it.
While first-year Chatham manager Dennis Cook didn’t secure a winning record to open his tenure at the helm of the A’s, the season came with plenty of positives. Throughout the year, players such as Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson, Mississippi State righty Duke Stone and Liberty hurler Josh Swink — all of whom stayed the entirety of the summer — were unequivocal developmental successes for Chatham.
Now, the A’s are hoping to end the season with one more high note: a win over Harwich in front of the Veterans Field faithful.
Here’s everything you need to know before Chatham (16-20-3, East) closes the books on its 2025 season against Harwich (21-15-3, East) Sunday.
For Chatham, JJ Glasscock (West Virginia) will be taking the bump for his sixth appearance — and second start — of the season. It's been a tumultuous summer thus far for the righty, as he's conceded 17 runs — all earned — across 12.2 innings with the A's, good for a 12.08 earned run average. While his 21 strikeouts are an impressive tally, his 16 hits and 12 walks allowed make it difficult for him to limit runs from crossing the plate.
With a playoff spot in hand, Mariners’ manager Steve Englert can also afford to experiment with his rotation a little bit in the final contest of the year. He’s chosen to enlist Tanner Duke’s (Kansas State) services against the Anglers, with the Wildcat righty making his first start of the summer. After making seven starts at KSU this past season, Duke has made five relief appearances thus far for Harwich, notching a 6.35 ERA and a 1.77 WHIP in 5.2 innings of work.
The Cape Cod Baseball League MVP race has been heating up down the stretch, and there’s a very real possibility that Harwich left fielder Aiden Robbins (Texas) ends up walking away with the award when the season comes to a close. Despite showing up much later in the season than candidates such as Falmouth’s Maika Niu and Orleans’ Elijah Ickes, Robbins has made up plenty of ground in his 101 at bats, leading the Cape League with a scorching .936 OPS.
On July 31, Mariners center fielder Niko Brini (Wofford) wowed Harwich broadcaster Gino Antimarino with his amateur card tricks in a video published to the Mariners’ X page, earning himself the nickname, “The Great Houbrini.” But on the basepaths, Brini has also been creating his own magic. He currently ranks second among Harwich position players with 19 runs scored and 11 stolen bases, getting thrown out just twice this summer.
A day-one Angler, Jackson Freeman (Northwestern) has cooled off significantly since his red-hot start to the summer, as the starting right fielder for the East Division in the CCBL All-Star Game went from sporting an OPS well over .900 to now carrying a .723 OPS into the final game of the season. But Freeman is still one of the Anglers’ most consistent hitters, as he is tied for the team lead in runs (four) and is second among the A’s in hits (six) over the past week.
While they have a chance, A’s fans should be sure to catch one last glimpse at another day-one Angler in Isaiah Lane (San Diego). The Chatham shortstop leads active Anglers with 20 runs batted in this summer, and while his season-long .650 OPS isn’t remarkable, he ranks second on the A’s with a .700 OPS over the past week. Lane’s calling card is his fielding, however, with Cook repeatedly hailing him as the best defensive shortstop he’s coached in Chatham.
In the Cape League, players come and go throughout the summer, making it difficult for any team to establish consistency in their roster construction by the end of the season. But as we approach Game 40, Chatham has managed to retain the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year in Jake Hanley (Indiana), two CCBL All-Stars in Freeman and Jackson, and power conference stars such as Roman Martin (UCLA) and Chase Fralick (Auburn).
And yet, despite wielding all that talent in their lineup, the A’s rank dead-last in the Cape with a .538 OPS over the past week of play. There’s a lot of reasons the Anglers couldn’t make a late playoff push, but their offensive inconsistencies might be chief among them.
It’s difficult to characterize the last matchup between these two teams as anything other than a game Anglers fans would rather forget. This summer, Chatham has only suffered one run-rule loss. It came against Harwich on July 24, when the A’s suffered a deflating 12-1 defeat at Whitehouse Field.
In Charlie Foster’s (Mississippi State) final appearance of the season, he gave up six runs in two innings, putting the game well out of reach for the Anglers’ offense. Chatham notched just two hits against Harwich hurlers, a far cry from the Mariners’ 14 knocks on the day.
On Sunday, the A’s will return to Veterans Field to host East Division rival Harwich. While Chatham is just a pitstop on the way to another postseason appearance for the Mariners, the Anglers do not have the same luxury of playoff play awaiting. For them, this is it.
While first-year Chatham manager Dennis Cook didn’t secure a winning record to open his tenure at the helm of the A’s, the season came with plenty of positives. Throughout the year, players such as Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson, Mississippi State righty Duke Stone and Liberty hurler Josh Swink — all of whom stayed the entirety of the summer — were unequivocal developmental successes for Chatham.
Now, the A’s are hoping to end the season with one more high note: a win over Harwich in front of the Veterans Field faithful.
Here’s everything you need to know before Chatham (16-20-3, East) closes the books on its 2025 season against Harwich (21-15-3, East) Sunday.
Probable Starters
For Chatham, JJ Glasscock (West Virginia) will be taking the bump for his sixth appearance — and second start — of the season. It's been a tumultuous summer thus far for the righty, as he's conceded 17 runs — all earned — across 12.2 innings with the A's, good for a 12.08 earned run average. While his 21 strikeouts are an impressive tally, his 16 hits and 12 walks allowed make it difficult for him to limit runs from crossing the plate.
With a playoff spot in hand, Mariners’ manager Steve Englert can also afford to experiment with his rotation a little bit in the final contest of the year. He’s chosen to enlist Tanner Duke’s (Kansas State) services against the Anglers, with the Wildcat righty making his first start of the summer. After making seven starts at KSU this past season, Duke has made five relief appearances thus far for Harwich, notching a 6.35 ERA and a 1.77 WHIP in 5.2 innings of work.
Harwich Players To Watch
The Cape Cod Baseball League MVP race has been heating up down the stretch, and there’s a very real possibility that Harwich left fielder Aiden Robbins (Texas) ends up walking away with the award when the season comes to a close. Despite showing up much later in the season than candidates such as Falmouth’s Maika Niu and Orleans’ Elijah Ickes, Robbins has made up plenty of ground in his 101 at bats, leading the Cape League with a scorching .936 OPS.
On July 31, Mariners center fielder Niko Brini (Wofford) wowed Harwich broadcaster Gino Antimarino with his amateur card tricks in a video published to the Mariners’ X page, earning himself the nickname, “The Great Houbrini.” But on the basepaths, Brini has also been creating his own magic. He currently ranks second among Harwich position players with 19 runs scored and 11 stolen bases, getting thrown out just twice this summer.
Chatham Players To Watch
A day-one Angler, Jackson Freeman (Northwestern) has cooled off significantly since his red-hot start to the summer, as the starting right fielder for the East Division in the CCBL All-Star Game went from sporting an OPS well over .900 to now carrying a .723 OPS into the final game of the season. But Freeman is still one of the Anglers’ most consistent hitters, as he is tied for the team lead in runs (four) and is second among the A’s in hits (six) over the past week.
While they have a chance, A’s fans should be sure to catch one last glimpse at another day-one Angler in Isaiah Lane (San Diego). The Chatham shortstop leads active Anglers with 20 runs batted in this summer, and while his season-long .650 OPS isn’t remarkable, he ranks second on the A’s with a .700 OPS over the past week. Lane’s calling card is his fielding, however, with Cook repeatedly hailing him as the best defensive shortstop he’s coached in Chatham.
Number To Know: .538
In the Cape League, players come and go throughout the summer, making it difficult for any team to establish consistency in their roster construction by the end of the season. But as we approach Game 40, Chatham has managed to retain the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year in Jake Hanley (Indiana), two CCBL All-Stars in Freeman and Jackson, and power conference stars such as Roman Martin (UCLA) and Chase Fralick (Auburn).
And yet, despite wielding all that talent in their lineup, the A’s rank dead-last in the Cape with a .538 OPS over the past week of play. There’s a lot of reasons the Anglers couldn’t make a late playoff push, but their offensive inconsistencies might be chief among them.
Last Time They Played
It’s difficult to characterize the last matchup between these two teams as anything other than a game Anglers fans would rather forget. This summer, Chatham has only suffered one run-rule loss. It came against Harwich on July 24, when the A’s suffered a deflating 12-1 defeat at Whitehouse Field.
In Charlie Foster’s (Mississippi State) final appearance of the season, he gave up six runs in two innings, putting the game well out of reach for the Anglers’ offense. Chatham notched just two hits against Harwich hurlers, a far cry from the Mariners’ 14 knocks on the day.
