ORLEANS – Before every Orleans Firebirds home game, the team’s players show up hours early for batting practice and warm-ups. Although the rest of the field is usually empty before fans begin to roll in, there is another group of people who show up at the same time as the players — the Firebirds’ interns. And, just like the players, the interns get right to work. The Cape Cod Baseball League is universally ...

CHATHAM – Not every ballplayer experiences immediate success upon joining a Cape Cod Baseball League team. In fact, most players struggle mightily for the first couple weeks of the summer and many never really find their stride. After a slow start in which he collected just two hits in his first 37 at-bats, Chatham second baseman Roc Riggio has caught fire in recent weeks. The Simi Valley, Calif. native and...

CHATHAM – America may run on Dunkin’, but the Chatham Anglers run on Sweet Tomatoes Pizza, specifically the establishment’s chicken parmesan subs. For Chatham Anglers players, most days involve baseball, the beach and at least one chicken parm sub, a game-day meal of choice for both Ben Hampton, a sophomore left-handed pitcher from West Virginia University, and Marcus Brown, a junior shortstop from Oklahoma St...

Take a stroll behind the backstop at any Cape Cod Baseball League game and you’ll find a host of Major League scouts taking in the action. Some yield radar guns, while others jot down notes on pads. A few scouts simply sit or stand and watch the action, knowing full well that their professional organization will be provided with all of the advanced analytics needed to evaluate Cape League players before the Ma...

BOURNE – Despite experiencing success the past two springs while pitching at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, AJ Blubaugh still felt like he had something to prove when he joined the Orleans Firebirds. “Even from a young age, I’ve always had a little chip on my shoulder,” said Blubaugh, a 6-foot-3 righty from Belleville, Ohio. “I grew up undersized, so even getting the opportunity to play at Milwaukee wa...

HARWICH – The Harwich Mariners saw seven players leave the team to try out for the Team USA Collegiate National Team two weeks ago. University of Virginia catcher Kyle Teel was the only player of the seven to make the national team, while two other players, third baseman Brock Wilken and left-handed pitcher Jonathan Santucci, recently rejoined the Mariners. Both said the tryouts were an enjoyable experience...

HARWICH – If a panel of judges was grading Eric Reyzelman’s last pitching outing for the Harwich Mariners, there’s no doubt the hard-throwing righty from Louisiana State would have received perfect 10s across the board. Reyzelman capped off his summer by earning the win after striking out 10 batters and allowing just one hit and one run over six innings during the Mariners’ 5-3 win over Yarmouth-Dennis on Thur...

CHATHAM – The cotton candy-colored clouds resting above Veterans Field and the unrelenting fog rolling in from the outfield. The thrill of a towering home run or a comeback victory, and the suffocating agony that lingers in the wake of a crushing defeat. Those are just a few of the sights – and feelings – Dan D’Uva captured while announcing Chatham A’s games during the early 2000s. D’Uva and his childhood f...

HARWICH – Moments after he struck out Brewster shortstop Alex Freeland to end the top half of the fifth inning of Monday’s game at Whitehouse Field, Harwich pitcher Billy Seidl took two steps toward the Mariners’ dugout and clenched his fist by his waist. It was hardly an animated celebration from Seidl, but the subtle fist pump was well deserved for the Wellesley native and right-handed pitcher from Duke who ...

BREWSTER – It can be challenging for Cape League players and coaches to build relationships because every team experiences so much turnover throughout the summer. Some players arrive late from college teams that advanced far in the NCAA tournament, while other players leave early to join USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team, to prepare for the MLB Draft, or to take some extra rest before school restarts in ...

CHATHAM – The Chatham Anglers’ opening day starter is heading to the MLB draft after four starts with the team. Carson Whisenhunt, a senior left-handed pitcher from East Carolina University, is a projected first-round selection in the upcoming MLB entry draft on July 17. After missing the entire 2022 college season due to a suspension following a positive PED test, Whisenhunt joined the Anglers to get back int...

CHATHAM – The Ole Miss Rebels and Oklahoma Sooners combined for 19 runs scored during their two-game NCAA College World Series, with the Rebels claiming the national title after outscoring the Sooners 14-5 during the series. That run explosion – a commonality in college baseball – is uncommon in the Cape League while the college players used to aluminum bats adjust to using wooden bats. While the best playe...