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Despite roster turnover, Chatham extends winning streak to 5 in 8-4 win over Bourne
Rhythm is extremely hard to come by in the CCBL. Some may say it doesn’t even exist. Originally rostered players depart and new ones arrive on a daily basis. New guys often meet veteran players hours before games.
The Anglers went from a raucous dugout to a modest one in a matter of days. Eight players were drafted into MLB. Plenty of others left because of rest, too. Chatham was forced to say goodbye to its clubhouse captain Luke Cantwell (Pittsburgh), as well as its bonafide batting champion Austin Overn (USC), erasing a great deal of team chemistry 25 games in.
It’s a unique challenge, but Chatham is passing with flying colors. A six-run fifth inning against Bourne proved it.
Chatham (15-11, East) extended its winning streak to a CCBL-best five games with an 8-4 victory over Bourne (10-14-2, West). Robin Villenueve (Texas Tech) blasted a two-run homer in his second contest with the Anglers. Jayden Davis (Vanderbilt) swatted a two-run shot for his first homer in 23 games. Even Tyler Murphy (Florida Atlantic) delivered an efficient 5.1-inning relief outing to keep Bourne at bay in his A’s debut.
The Anglers are playing their best baseball of the summer despite heavy roster turnover. It’s been a point of emphasis for first-year manager Jeremy “Sheets” Sheetinger to foster cohesion around the dugout in light of uncontrollable factors.
And over the past two games, where Chatham’s outscored its opponents 22-12, Sheetinger’s squad hasn’t missed a beat.
“The winning is a byproduct of the people,” he said postgame. “The beauty of it is we’ve really collected a special group of people.”
Sheetinger joked that newcomers have been “indoctrinated” into the Anglers’ culture. Everything from the bullpen’s third-inning roll call to how players are expected to treat each other is covered once new bodies arrive.
Not only that, but they learn how to play the brand of baseball Sheetinger and his staff desires. Aggressiveness on the basepaths, no fear of bunting, pitchers who live in the zone and fundamental fielding are among Chatham’s staples under Sheetinger. It’s only been a couple games since a large chunk of the roster left, though the results are apparent.
“It hasn’t been a whole lot different,” Davis said of the A’s new-look dugout. “The energy has been about the same as it was before. (Sheetinger) has a really good message for everyone to stay connected, that’s what elevated us to this level.”
One day after Chatham blitzed Falmouth for 14 runs in an eventual six-run victory, the Anglers were in trouble early Wednesday. Tyler Kozera (UCF) allowed three runs in the third inning before he could escape the frame. It led Chatham pitching coach Eric Beattie to pull him for Tyler Murphy with the A’s trailing 3-1.
The righty entered with two outs and struck out Mason Neville on a swing to suppress any further damage. Tyler Murphy bulldozed the Braves’ lineup for two straight perfect innings in the fourth and fifth as his strikeout total sat at four across 2.1 frames.
Chatham’s bats went silent versus Bourne starter Chase Meyer, however, failing to register a hit in the third and fourth.
Meyer’s night ended to start the bottom of the fifth. He was swapped out for 6-foot-5 left-hander Preston Prince, who immediately handed the Anglers several gifts.
Prince walked Ty Johnson (Baylor), Ashton Larson (LSU) and Ike Irish (Auburn) right out of the gate, only throwing five strikes in three at-bats. Prince’s erratic location continued, sailing his next pitch to Chayton Krauss (Dallas Baptist) high above the batter’s head as the ball ricocheted off the backstop.
Johnson charged home, though the ball took a fortunate bounce for Bourne catcher Chase Meggers. He easily flipped it to Prince and Johnson was promptly tagged out. Krauss went on to strike out swinging, as what once looked like a prime opportunity now looked like a deflating half-inning.
Until the Anglers unleashed a six-run two-out rally.
It started with a day one staple in Aiva Arquette, who laced a two-RBI single into left field. Villenueve then stepped into the right-handed batter’s box next and sent Veterans Field into pandemonium, belting a two-run opposite-field home run for his first long ball as an Angler. Kyle Lodise (Georgia Tech) took a walk off Prince, which brought Davis to the plate.
Davis reared back and pulverized a down-the-middle fastball that sifted through the trees in left-center field. The infielder’s first homer of the summer capped off a six-run frame for Chatham where it batted around and took a 7-3 lead.
Davis has seen his OPS balloon from under .500 to .710 during July. He credited the mental aspect of the game for his improvement, saying he needed to stop overthinking his approach.
“I’ve just been getting back to what I know I can do instead of trying to be someone else,” Davis said. “I came in here trying to elevate the ball pull-side and try to hit it over the fence. But when I try to do that it doesn’t work.”
Jayden Davis (No. 30) high-fives hitting coach Ramon Orozco following Chatham's 8-4 win over Bourne / Photograph by Ella Tovey
He’s simply returned to playing his role, and letting his game speak for itself. It’s exactly what Chatham’s staff has preached since day one. Rather than letting the pressure of scouts and publicity force them into a different player, the Anglers are winning with a complete style of baseball. Tyler Murphy was a major part of that.
He held the Braves scoreless across the sixth and seventh innings. His lone blemish on the evening came in the top of the eighth, where he gave up a solo home run to Garrett Michel. Yet Tyler Murphy finished the evening with a whopping seven strikeouts and just three hits allowed out of the bullpen.
His stellar outing set the table for Chatham to close the deal in the ninth with an 8-4 lead — courtesy of another run tacked on by Davis scoring off a wild pitch. Hayden Murphy (Auburn) wound up earning the save after entering the game with the bases loaded and striking two batters out to stall a potential Bourne comeback.
The latter Murphy is the prime example of how Chatham’s retaliated through roster changes. Hayden Murphy replaced Titan Hayes (Austin Peay) as the Anglers’ closer, and has done nothing but make life miserable for opposing hitters since.
Chatham’s next-man up mentality has spurred a 10-3 record in July — the best mark in the CCBL. With day one guys like Davis heating up and newbies like Villenueve and Tyler Murphy dominating from the get-go, the Anglers’ are developing a crystal clear recipe for success that has them just two games behind Yarmouth-Dennis for the East Division lead.
“We got something special building here,” Sheetinger said. “As coaches, we just get to sit back and watch it.”
The Anglers went from a raucous dugout to a modest one in a matter of days. Eight players were drafted into MLB. Plenty of others left because of rest, too. Chatham was forced to say goodbye to its clubhouse captain Luke Cantwell (Pittsburgh), as well as its bonafide batting champion Austin Overn (USC), erasing a great deal of team chemistry 25 games in.
It’s a unique challenge, but Chatham is passing with flying colors. A six-run fifth inning against Bourne proved it.
Chatham (15-11, East) extended its winning streak to a CCBL-best five games with an 8-4 victory over Bourne (10-14-2, West). Robin Villenueve (Texas Tech) blasted a two-run homer in his second contest with the Anglers. Jayden Davis (Vanderbilt) swatted a two-run shot for his first homer in 23 games. Even Tyler Murphy (Florida Atlantic) delivered an efficient 5.1-inning relief outing to keep Bourne at bay in his A’s debut.
The Anglers are playing their best baseball of the summer despite heavy roster turnover. It’s been a point of emphasis for first-year manager Jeremy “Sheets” Sheetinger to foster cohesion around the dugout in light of uncontrollable factors.
And over the past two games, where Chatham’s outscored its opponents 22-12, Sheetinger’s squad hasn’t missed a beat.
“The winning is a byproduct of the people,” he said postgame. “The beauty of it is we’ve really collected a special group of people.”
Sheetinger joked that newcomers have been “indoctrinated” into the Anglers’ culture. Everything from the bullpen’s third-inning roll call to how players are expected to treat each other is covered once new bodies arrive.
Not only that, but they learn how to play the brand of baseball Sheetinger and his staff desires. Aggressiveness on the basepaths, no fear of bunting, pitchers who live in the zone and fundamental fielding are among Chatham’s staples under Sheetinger. It’s only been a couple games since a large chunk of the roster left, though the results are apparent.
“It hasn’t been a whole lot different,” Davis said of the A’s new-look dugout. “The energy has been about the same as it was before. (Sheetinger) has a really good message for everyone to stay connected, that’s what elevated us to this level.”
One day after Chatham blitzed Falmouth for 14 runs in an eventual six-run victory, the Anglers were in trouble early Wednesday. Tyler Kozera (UCF) allowed three runs in the third inning before he could escape the frame. It led Chatham pitching coach Eric Beattie to pull him for Tyler Murphy with the A’s trailing 3-1.
The righty entered with two outs and struck out Mason Neville on a swing to suppress any further damage. Tyler Murphy bulldozed the Braves’ lineup for two straight perfect innings in the fourth and fifth as his strikeout total sat at four across 2.1 frames.
Chatham’s bats went silent versus Bourne starter Chase Meyer, however, failing to register a hit in the third and fourth.
Meyer’s night ended to start the bottom of the fifth. He was swapped out for 6-foot-5 left-hander Preston Prince, who immediately handed the Anglers several gifts.
Prince walked Ty Johnson (Baylor), Ashton Larson (LSU) and Ike Irish (Auburn) right out of the gate, only throwing five strikes in three at-bats. Prince’s erratic location continued, sailing his next pitch to Chayton Krauss (Dallas Baptist) high above the batter’s head as the ball ricocheted off the backstop.
Johnson charged home, though the ball took a fortunate bounce for Bourne catcher Chase Meggers. He easily flipped it to Prince and Johnson was promptly tagged out. Krauss went on to strike out swinging, as what once looked like a prime opportunity now looked like a deflating half-inning.
Until the Anglers unleashed a six-run two-out rally.
It started with a day one staple in Aiva Arquette, who laced a two-RBI single into left field. Villenueve then stepped into the right-handed batter’s box next and sent Veterans Field into pandemonium, belting a two-run opposite-field home run for his first long ball as an Angler. Kyle Lodise (Georgia Tech) took a walk off Prince, which brought Davis to the plate.
Davis reared back and pulverized a down-the-middle fastball that sifted through the trees in left-center field. The infielder’s first homer of the summer capped off a six-run frame for Chatham where it batted around and took a 7-3 lead.
Davis has seen his OPS balloon from under .500 to .710 during July. He credited the mental aspect of the game for his improvement, saying he needed to stop overthinking his approach.
“I’ve just been getting back to what I know I can do instead of trying to be someone else,” Davis said. “I came in here trying to elevate the ball pull-side and try to hit it over the fence. But when I try to do that it doesn’t work.”
Jayden Davis (No. 30) high-fives hitting coach Ramon Orozco following Chatham's 8-4 win over Bourne / Photograph by Ella Tovey
He’s simply returned to playing his role, and letting his game speak for itself. It’s exactly what Chatham’s staff has preached since day one. Rather than letting the pressure of scouts and publicity force them into a different player, the Anglers are winning with a complete style of baseball. Tyler Murphy was a major part of that.
He held the Braves scoreless across the sixth and seventh innings. His lone blemish on the evening came in the top of the eighth, where he gave up a solo home run to Garrett Michel. Yet Tyler Murphy finished the evening with a whopping seven strikeouts and just three hits allowed out of the bullpen.
His stellar outing set the table for Chatham to close the deal in the ninth with an 8-4 lead — courtesy of another run tacked on by Davis scoring off a wild pitch. Hayden Murphy (Auburn) wound up earning the save after entering the game with the bases loaded and striking two batters out to stall a potential Bourne comeback.
The latter Murphy is the prime example of how Chatham’s retaliated through roster changes. Hayden Murphy replaced Titan Hayes (Austin Peay) as the Anglers’ closer, and has done nothing but make life miserable for opposing hitters since.
Chatham’s next-man up mentality has spurred a 10-3 record in July — the best mark in the CCBL. With day one guys like Davis heating up and newbies like Villenueve and Tyler Murphy dominating from the get-go, the Anglers’ are developing a crystal clear recipe for success that has them just two games behind Yarmouth-Dennis for the East Division lead.
“We got something special building here,” Sheetinger said. “As coaches, we just get to sit back and watch it.”
