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Anglers Weekly Roundup: Irish finds a rhythm, bullpen shuffle
For the first time all season, Chatham is two games above .500 while playing its best baseball of the summer.
The Anglers are 7-3 across their last 10 games — the best mark in the CCBL — while holding strong in second place of the East Division. Their latest triumph was a 4-3 walk-off win over Orleans.
Strong pitching has continued to be a factor while Chatham’s offense has started to find a more consistent rhythm. Despite losing a number of players to the MLB Draft, Chatham still remains in a strong position to clinch its first playoff berth since 2019.
Over halfway into the season, the Anglers are six games ahead of last place Orleans. They’re also four games up on Harwich as well as 2.5 up on Brewster, but they’re 2.5 games back of Yarmouth-Dennis for first place.
Here are five takeaways from Chatham’s (13-11, East) past week of games:
With the MLB Draft underway, Chatham will lose several key contributors from its lineup. Austin Overn (USC) is the No. 131 overall prospect, according to mlb.com, and will likely be a second-day selection. John Bay (Austin Peay) and Luke Cantwell (Pittsburgh) both are expected to be selected in the later rounds.
The trio are all staples for Chatham manager Jeremy “Sheets” Sheetinger. Overn led the way from the top of the order, establishing himself as one of the best players in the CCBL. The center fielder led the Anglers in batting average (.314), slugging percentage (.535) and OPS (.947). The lefty was also tied for the most home runs with three while driving in 13 runs — the third most. Overn will leave a void at the top of Chatham’s lineup that will be tough to replace.
Bay often found himself in the Anglers’ cleanup spot as their top power hitter. He blasted three homers and finished with 14 RBIs — the second most on the Anglers. Bay’s .485 slugging percentage only trailed Overn while his .883 OPS was top 15 in the CCBL.
Cantwell was the life of the Anglers dugout with his infectious energy. The first baseman may have not been the most productive hitter, batting just .206, but he did whatever he could to get on base. Cantwell did so at the highest rate of any Angler (.433), which also ranked in the top 10 in the Cape League.
For now, Chatham doesn’t have a direct replacement for any of Overn, Bay or Cantwell. Over the next week, the Anglers will activate a number of players to fill the roles from the trio.
Chatham’s bullpen has also received a makeover this week in light of the draft. Titan Hayes (Austin Peay), Micah Ashman (Utah), Brian Zeldin (Georgia), Pierce George (Alabama) and John Armstrong (Auburn) all departed. As a result, the Anglers have added a couple of pieces while others have stepped up to fill the void left by the departures.
Hayes established himself as Chatham’s marquee closer. The hard-throwing righty pitched 6.2 innings across six appearances, allowing just two hits and walking three batters. Hayes blew his fastball by hitters while his nasty slider got them off balance, making for a stellar one-two combination.
In place of Hayes, Hayden Murphy (Auburn) has emerged as Chatham’s top arm out of the bullpen. Murphy’s first high-leverage situation since Hayes’ departure came on July 11 against Harwich. Murphy entered with two outs in the ninth inning and Chatham clinging to a 7-6 lead. He recorded four straight outs to close out the win.
A few days later on July 15 against Orleans, the Anglers turned to Murphy with one out in the seventh inning in a 3-3 game. Murphy struck out half (four) of the batters he faced in 2.1 innings, helping Chatham eventually win 4-3 in 10 innings. The Auburn product has pitched in the most games of any Chatham pitcher this summer (seven) while accumulating a 2-1 record. His 22 strikeouts are the most of any pitcher while his ERA sits at 3.52.
Ashman was another key arm who provided extended relief in the middle innings for the Anglers. So far, Gabe Van Emon (UConn) and Garrett Payne have combined to take over Ashman’s role.
Liam Paddack (Gonzaga) struggled on the mound against Brewster on July 12, allowing six earned runs in just two innings.
Following his outing, Payne and Van Emon dominated. Payne threw 3.1 scoreless frames with two strikeouts and no walks. While he was on the mound, Chatham scored four runs in a row to regain its lead. Payne exited in the bottom of the sixth and made way for Van Emon. The lefty made quick work of Brewster’s lineup. He let up one hit in 3.2 innings while fanning four batters as Chatham won 9-6.
Other additions to Chatham’s bullpen include Xavier Richards (Sacramento State) and Devin Pressely (Gardner Webb). Richards entered for Murphy in Chatham’s most recent game. He recorded four outs and registered the win.
Ike Irish (Auburn) is one of the most highly-touted prospects on the Anglers’ roster. Irish is the No. 6 overall prospect in the 2025 MLB Draft, per D1Baseball. The lefty power hitter didn’t find instant success with Chatham but has progressively grown into his role.
Irish has recorded a hit in four out of the last five games — two of which were multi-hit performances. His biggest outing came on July 12 against Brewster. Irish finished with a season-high four hits in five at-bats. All four of Irish’s hits were singles but each proved crucial for the Anglers.
In the sixth inning of a 6-6 game, Irish chopped a ball to second base. He ended up beating out the throw when Drew Farout bobbled it. Following a Bay walk and Aiva Arquette’s sacrifice bunt, Ashton Larson (LSU) drove in Irish for the go-ahead run.
Irish may be known for his power, yet 20 of his 25 hits have been singles — including a number of ones to the infield. He may have not displayed his raw power so far, but Irish has put together solid numbers over halfway through the season. His .809 OPS and .405 slugging percentage rank second from current players on Chatham’s roster.
Chatham’s latest victory came via a walk off — its second of the season. Though it wasn’t as dramatic as the first, the Anglers' win over Orleans still proved crucial. On July 7, Chatham came back from a seven-run deficit, scoring eight runs across the final three innings. Campbell Smithwick’s (Ole Miss) sacrifice fly proved to be the difference.
Sunday against Orleans, Chatham looked destined for its first tie of the summer. Arquette tied the game at 3-3 with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth, but a stalemate ensued. Each bullpen combined to toss four scoreless innings, sending the game to extras.
With a runner on second to start the top of the 10th inning, Orleans elected not to bunt. The Firebirds went down in order as Robbie Ayers, who represented the go-ahead run, stood at second base.
At first, Chatham also elected not to bunt, but Bay earned a walk. Arquette came up and placed a soft bunt along the third base side. With no play at third, reliever Itsuki Takemoto looked to throw Arquette out at first, but he rifled the ball into right field. The error allowed the winning runs to easily score as Chatham came out with its fourth straight win over Orleans.
The CCBL season is relatively short with teams playing 40 games. Every game is crucial to the playoff push, especially division games. Four out of five teams from the East and West Divisions make the playoffs, yet the Anglers have failed to qualify in the last three seasons.
Since the opening weeks of the season, the Anglers have dominated their East Division rivals, allowing them to climb the standings. Since losing 4-2 to first place Y-D on July 10, the Anglers reeled off three straight over Eastern foes. First came the 7-6 win over Harwich, then 9-6 over Brewster and their most recent 4-3 victory against Orleans.
Chatham started out 1-4 in East Division matchups, but have since won seven out of the last eight. The Anglers now have an 8-5 record against teams from the East.
The Anglers are 7-3 across their last 10 games — the best mark in the CCBL — while holding strong in second place of the East Division. Their latest triumph was a 4-3 walk-off win over Orleans.
Strong pitching has continued to be a factor while Chatham’s offense has started to find a more consistent rhythm. Despite losing a number of players to the MLB Draft, Chatham still remains in a strong position to clinch its first playoff berth since 2019.
Over halfway into the season, the Anglers are six games ahead of last place Orleans. They’re also four games up on Harwich as well as 2.5 up on Brewster, but they’re 2.5 games back of Yarmouth-Dennis for first place.
Here are five takeaways from Chatham’s (13-11, East) past week of games:
Key Departures
With the MLB Draft underway, Chatham will lose several key contributors from its lineup. Austin Overn (USC) is the No. 131 overall prospect, according to mlb.com, and will likely be a second-day selection. John Bay (Austin Peay) and Luke Cantwell (Pittsburgh) both are expected to be selected in the later rounds.
The trio are all staples for Chatham manager Jeremy “Sheets” Sheetinger. Overn led the way from the top of the order, establishing himself as one of the best players in the CCBL. The center fielder led the Anglers in batting average (.314), slugging percentage (.535) and OPS (.947). The lefty was also tied for the most home runs with three while driving in 13 runs — the third most. Overn will leave a void at the top of Chatham’s lineup that will be tough to replace.
Bay often found himself in the Anglers’ cleanup spot as their top power hitter. He blasted three homers and finished with 14 RBIs — the second most on the Anglers. Bay’s .485 slugging percentage only trailed Overn while his .883 OPS was top 15 in the CCBL.
Cantwell was the life of the Anglers dugout with his infectious energy. The first baseman may have not been the most productive hitter, batting just .206, but he did whatever he could to get on base. Cantwell did so at the highest rate of any Angler (.433), which also ranked in the top 10 in the Cape League.
For now, Chatham doesn’t have a direct replacement for any of Overn, Bay or Cantwell. Over the next week, the Anglers will activate a number of players to fill the roles from the trio.
Bullpen Shuffle
Chatham’s bullpen has also received a makeover this week in light of the draft. Titan Hayes (Austin Peay), Micah Ashman (Utah), Brian Zeldin (Georgia), Pierce George (Alabama) and John Armstrong (Auburn) all departed. As a result, the Anglers have added a couple of pieces while others have stepped up to fill the void left by the departures.
Hayes established himself as Chatham’s marquee closer. The hard-throwing righty pitched 6.2 innings across six appearances, allowing just two hits and walking three batters. Hayes blew his fastball by hitters while his nasty slider got them off balance, making for a stellar one-two combination.
In place of Hayes, Hayden Murphy (Auburn) has emerged as Chatham’s top arm out of the bullpen. Murphy’s first high-leverage situation since Hayes’ departure came on July 11 against Harwich. Murphy entered with two outs in the ninth inning and Chatham clinging to a 7-6 lead. He recorded four straight outs to close out the win.
A few days later on July 15 against Orleans, the Anglers turned to Murphy with one out in the seventh inning in a 3-3 game. Murphy struck out half (four) of the batters he faced in 2.1 innings, helping Chatham eventually win 4-3 in 10 innings. The Auburn product has pitched in the most games of any Chatham pitcher this summer (seven) while accumulating a 2-1 record. His 22 strikeouts are the most of any pitcher while his ERA sits at 3.52.
Ashman was another key arm who provided extended relief in the middle innings for the Anglers. So far, Gabe Van Emon (UConn) and Garrett Payne have combined to take over Ashman’s role.
Liam Paddack (Gonzaga) struggled on the mound against Brewster on July 12, allowing six earned runs in just two innings.
Following his outing, Payne and Van Emon dominated. Payne threw 3.1 scoreless frames with two strikeouts and no walks. While he was on the mound, Chatham scored four runs in a row to regain its lead. Payne exited in the bottom of the sixth and made way for Van Emon. The lefty made quick work of Brewster’s lineup. He let up one hit in 3.2 innings while fanning four batters as Chatham won 9-6.
Other additions to Chatham’s bullpen include Xavier Richards (Sacramento State) and Devin Pressely (Gardner Webb). Richards entered for Murphy in Chatham’s most recent game. He recorded four outs and registered the win.
Irish Gets In Rhythm
Ike Irish (Auburn) is one of the most highly-touted prospects on the Anglers’ roster. Irish is the No. 6 overall prospect in the 2025 MLB Draft, per D1Baseball. The lefty power hitter didn’t find instant success with Chatham but has progressively grown into his role.
Irish has recorded a hit in four out of the last five games — two of which were multi-hit performances. His biggest outing came on July 12 against Brewster. Irish finished with a season-high four hits in five at-bats. All four of Irish’s hits were singles but each proved crucial for the Anglers.
In the sixth inning of a 6-6 game, Irish chopped a ball to second base. He ended up beating out the throw when Drew Farout bobbled it. Following a Bay walk and Aiva Arquette’s sacrifice bunt, Ashton Larson (LSU) drove in Irish for the go-ahead run.
Irish may be known for his power, yet 20 of his 25 hits have been singles — including a number of ones to the infield. He may have not displayed his raw power so far, but Irish has put together solid numbers over halfway through the season. His .809 OPS and .405 slugging percentage rank second from current players on Chatham’s roster.
Late-Inning Shenanigans
Chatham’s latest victory came via a walk off — its second of the season. Though it wasn’t as dramatic as the first, the Anglers' win over Orleans still proved crucial. On July 7, Chatham came back from a seven-run deficit, scoring eight runs across the final three innings. Campbell Smithwick’s (Ole Miss) sacrifice fly proved to be the difference.
Sunday against Orleans, Chatham looked destined for its first tie of the summer. Arquette tied the game at 3-3 with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth, but a stalemate ensued. Each bullpen combined to toss four scoreless innings, sending the game to extras.
With a runner on second to start the top of the 10th inning, Orleans elected not to bunt. The Firebirds went down in order as Robbie Ayers, who represented the go-ahead run, stood at second base.
At first, Chatham also elected not to bunt, but Bay earned a walk. Arquette came up and placed a soft bunt along the third base side. With no play at third, reliever Itsuki Takemoto looked to throw Arquette out at first, but he rifled the ball into right field. The error allowed the winning runs to easily score as Chatham came out with its fourth straight win over Orleans.
East Division Dominance
The CCBL season is relatively short with teams playing 40 games. Every game is crucial to the playoff push, especially division games. Four out of five teams from the East and West Divisions make the playoffs, yet the Anglers have failed to qualify in the last three seasons.
Since the opening weeks of the season, the Anglers have dominated their East Division rivals, allowing them to climb the standings. Since losing 4-2 to first place Y-D on July 10, the Anglers reeled off three straight over Eastern foes. First came the 7-6 win over Harwich, then 9-6 over Brewster and their most recent 4-3 victory against Orleans.
Chatham started out 1-4 in East Division matchups, but have since won seven out of the last eight. The Anglers now have an 8-5 record against teams from the East.
