Monday Notes: Hot Hawks

The 2019 and 2021 Cape Cod Baseball League standings were worlds apart. It was just another great summer in 2019. The 2021 campaign came after the 2020 cancellation and represented some first steps back. 

The one common thread, oddly enough, was that the Hyannis Harbor Hawks struggled. They went 9-32-3 in 2019 and then 8-28 last year. 

Those days are over. 

The Harbor Hawks have emerged as a contender in the summer of 2022 and have lately been gaining ground on first-place Cotuit, who has fallen back to the pack in the West Division standings. 

Hyannis has been getting it done offensively, ranking second in the league in team batting average behind Cotuit. They’ve also scored the second-most runs in the league despite doing it in a different manner than the other leaders. The Harbor Hawks have hit only six home runs this summer – league leader Cotuit has 20 – but they’re finding ways to score. 

Balance and consistency have been the biggest key. While a number of teams have already lost key players, the only position players Hyannis released were guys who played in a handful of games. Seven Harbor Hawk players are hitting above .250. RBI totals are a prime example of the team’s depth – only one player is in double digits, but eight guys have driven in at least five runs. 

Mitch Jebb of Michigan State has led the parade. He’s batting .324 and getting on base at a .407 clip. Tito Flores of Michigan leads the team with a pair of homers. A native of Japan, Rikuu Nishida has been one of the more exciting players in the league. The Oregon commit is hitting .262 with 13 stolen bases. 

Brody McCullough of Wingate has led the pitching rotation. He has 1.68 ERA and has tallied a team-high 30 strikeouts, which is also tied for the best mark in the league. Four relievers have ERAs at 1.00 or below – Jordy Allard, Zachary Voelker, Jackson Emus and Ethan Hammerberg. 

With a win over Orleans on Sunday, the Harbor Hawks moved to 13-8-5. They’re just one point back of Cotuit in the standings. Their next game? A matchup with the Kettleers on Tuesday. 

Baldwin tops leaderboard

Chandler Simpson departed Cotuit as the Cape League’s leader in batting average. The torch has now been passed to Kettleer teammate Brooks Baldwin. The UNC Wilmington standout is batting .361, good for the league lead. He’s been red-hot basically all summer, notching hits in his first six games. He’s had zero hits in just two games all year. He’s currently on a 10-game hit streak. It’s nothing new for Baldwin, who batted .347 for UNC Wilmington in the spring en route to CAA Player of the Year honors. 

Shaw raking again

Matt Shaw hit 22 home runs for Maryland in the spring, and he’s been producing at a high level for Bourne this summer. He’s batting .349 with four homers and owns a 1.017 OPS. Among qualified hitters, he’s the only player in the league with an OPS over 1.000. 

Nothing free

Is something in the water at Wake Forest? Josh Hartle of Wake Forest made his fourth start of the summer for Falmouth on Sunday. He’s been solid with a 2.64 ERA, but the most impressive statistic is in the walks column. Hartle hasn’t issued a single free pass across 17 innings. Teammate Camden Minacci, who also attends Wake Forest, hasn’t handed out a walk either, while pitching out of the Falmouth bullpen. 

Dominant

Bryce Warrecker (Cal Poly) made headlines with his role in a combined no-hitter for Orleans. He followed it up with 4.2 scoreless innings in his next turn. The towering, 6-foor-8 righty owns a 0.52 ERA, with no earned runs allowed since his first appearance of the summer.  

East showdown

On the same night that Cotuit and Hyannis meet, the top two teams in the East are also squaring off. Brewster visits Y-D on Tuesday. 

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