Anglers In Playoff Hunt After Celebrating First Responders Night

CHATHAM – If the Anglers’ 2023 season was summed up by one word, a good candidate would have been “fog.”

The club had a stretch of four consecutive home games postponed/suspended due to low visibility, including their annual First Responders Appreciation Night. The fog loomed over the field like a dark cloud over the season.

Fast forward just over a year, and the fog was nowhere to be found on Saturday during 2024’s edition of the event. Other than the scheduled Coast Guard flyover being postponed because of the worldwide CrowdStrike computer glitch, the ceremony went off without a hitch.

Members of the Chatham Coast Guard, Police Department and Fire Department lined the field pre-game as Rev. Dr. Kate Galop led a collective prayer.

“The prayer was wonderful,” said Galop, whose father served as the Cape Cod Baseball League President for 15 years. “It was such a culmination of everything that I have been and what I have grown up to be and [I’m] just grateful that I can give thanks to those who serve us.”

Galop, a Chatham native, now serves as the chaplain coordinator for Massachusetts State Police and as a chaplain for a few fire departments throughout the state. The prayer was something she crafted while at a chaplain’s law enforcement conference last week.

“It is something that just came to me and was inspired by all those who give and sacrifice and provide so much dedication and time and truly the commitment to the community to give back,” Galop said.

After Galop’s prayer came the first pitch — or first pitches. Chatham Coast Guard Chief of Operations Ross Comstock, Chatham Police Lieutenant Andrew Goddard and firefighter Ryan Friel all took the mound and delivered the ceremonial toss.

While there was certainly an atmospheric explanation for the fog-less night, the juxtaposition between the two First Responders Appreciation Nights serves as a fitting representation of the Anglers’ season itself.

After teetering around .500 for most of the summer, Chatham currently sits in second place in the East Division and sports a 16-14 record. They are on pace to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2019, and a winning season would also mark the club’s first since that same year.

So, what’s different about this year’s squad? It starts at the front with first-year manager Jeremy Sheetinger and the energy he instills in the team.

“We just want to revitalize the product on the field,” said Sheetinger, who serves as the head coach of Georgia Gwinnett College during the collegiate season. “We’ve got a great organization here in Chatham, they deserve a winner and they deserve passion and energy. And we've tried to bring that to the ballpark and recruit players that want to be part of that solution.

“And obviously, we're fighting hard to get this organization back in the playoffs for the first time in five years.”

That energy was on display Saturday night. Despite being down for a majority of the game, which was ultimately a 11-5 loss, the players on the bench and in the bullpen were chanting and cheering for all nine innings. One signature moment, which is now a regular thing for the Chatham faithful, is the roll call that the bullpen spearheads around the fourth inning.

Just like the Bleacher Creatures at Yankee Stadium, the Anglers pitching staff chants each player’s name on the diamond until they get an acknowledgement. For some that’s in the form of a head nod or a wave, for others it’s a signature signal, but no matter the degree of recognition, it keeps the crowd and players engaged.

Despite giving up three home runs to Cotuit, the Anglers still had plenty of bright spots, one being Aiva Arquette, who was named a CCBL All-Star Game starter earlier in the day. The Washington Husky went 3-for-4 with three doubles.

“I'm just here to compete with my boys,” Arquette said. “I mean, maybe that's a bonus, but just credit to these guys. They push me, I push them.”

In addition to Arquette, outfielder Ashton Larson (LSU), catcher Ike Irish (Auburn) and left-handed pitcher Gabe Van Emon (UConn) were named All-Stars.

“I think for those guys, it's a really cool honor that they get rewarded with the opportunity to represent Chatham, and more importantly, represent themselves in the All-Star game, and we're fired up for them,” Sheetinger said.

With just 10 games left in the season, every win matters, but Sheetinger’s main focus has stayed the same: the players’ careers.

“It's not about wins and losses,” Sheetinger said. “It's not about results. It's about giving these guys an opportunity to play in the best league in the country and make sure they realize those at-bats mean something, those are for [them]. Hopefully, they end up being great for us, but they're about [their] development.”