Article By: Joseph McLaughlin

It may not be October, but postseason baseball is here as the 2025 Cape Cod Baseball League regular season concluded on Sunday and now moves to the postseason.

Now, eight teams remain, and six wins separate them from a CCBL Championship title. In the West Division, the same four playoff teams from 2024 return to the postseason this summer; however, the home-field advantage has flipped. 

The 2024 runner-up Bourne Braves square off against the Hyannis Harbor Hawks, with Bourne now the number one seed and Hyannis the number four. The same swap happened with the Wareham Gatemen, who were the number three seed last year. 

Now, the Gatemen are the number two seed and host the number three seed Cotuit Kettleers. It is a rematch from last season’s playoffs, where the Kettleers won a win-or-go-home game 7-4 at Lowell Park on August 6, 2024. 

This year is different, as the CCBL reinstated a best-of-three series for all three rounds, meaning both teams are guaranteed a home game. The Gatemen will host game one at Spillane Field, something that has not happened since 2019.

Tale of the Tape

The 2025 Gatemen finished the regular season at an even .500, going 20-20 with zero ties, being the only team in the CCBL to do so this season. After ending the first half of the season 7-13, they had a successful second half of the season, going 13-7 in their last 20 games.

The Gatemen earned the right to have home-field advantage in round one; however, this season the Gatemen have fared better on the road, going 12-8 as the visitors compared to 8-12 at Spillane Field.

A reason for this is the team’s identity as the aggressive offense that gets ahead and stays ahead while dominant pitching shuts the door on their opponents. The offense leads the league in multiple categories, such as runs scored, doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs, slugging, and OPS. While the pitching is third best on the Cape with a team ERA of 3.88, allowing the fewest hits in the league.

Cotuit, on the other hand, proves to be a tough opponent for the Gatemen. Wareham lost the season series to Cotuit 3-2, losing the last game 3-2 on Friday. 

The Kettleers may not have as good of an offense as Wareham, but their pitching has been the trick up their sleeve, making them second in the league in run differential at +26. They are also second in the league in ERA at 3.47, hits, runs, and tied for first in opponent batting average with the Gatemen. 

On paper, this series will be tight, low-scoring, and filled with dominant pitching, just like the season series has gone. Four of the five games between the Gatemen and the Kettleers had both offenses combine for five runs or less. 

Starting Pitchers

With pitching being the strength of both teams, who will start on the mound carries a lot of weight. 

The Gatemen will start their right-handed ace, Josh Butler (Arizona State). Butler has been sensational for the Gatemen this season, originally starting as a reliever before working his way to the front of the Gatemen’s rotation. 

This season, Butler is second in the league in ERA, posting a 1.03 average through eight games and four starts. He has pitched 26 ⅓ innings with 17 hits, seven runs (three earned), 12 walks, 23 strikeouts, and has held opposing batters to a .189 batting average. 

He made a brief start against the Kettleers on Friday, going two innings scoreless with one hit, two walks, and a strikeout. He was pulled early in the game to preserve his arm for the postseason, so he is expected to go for a long outing tonight. 

The Kettleers will counter with their right-hander, Max Haug (George Washington). Haug has started four of nine appearances in 2025 for Cotuit and posts a 4.30 ERA.

He has pitched 23 innings with 21 hits, 12 runs (11 earned), six walks, and 19 strikeouts. His last start was against on July 30 when the Kettleers defeated the Harwich Mariners 8-3. He pitched four and one-third innings with five hits, two earned runs, and a walk.

Players to Watch

For Wareham:

• Chris Ramirez (California Baptist) has been a great addition to the Gatemen’s middle infield and their lineup since his activation on July 10. He leads the Gatemen in batting average, batting .380 in 50 at-bats. 
• Chase Krewson (Rutgers) has also been great for the Gatemen since day one of the season. He is batting .306 this summer and just had a great performance against Hyannis on Sunday, going three-for-five with an RBI and a run scored. 

For Cotuit:

• Zan Von Schlegell (Saint Thomas) has made a huge impact for the Ketts in his 11 appearances these past few weeks. He is batting .410 in 39 at-bats with 16 hits and four doubles with a two-for-five performance against the Falmouth Commodores on Sunday.
• Landon Beaver (Alabama-Birmingham) has also made an immediate impact for the Kettleers after recently joining the team. He went three-for-five with two RBIs and a run scored against the Commodores and has been a clutch hitter for Cotuit in key moments.

First pitch for Game One of the Round One playoff series between the Kettleers and the Gatemen will be at 6:00 p.m. at Spillane Field in Wareham. You can attend the game for free, or you can tune in to the Gatemen’s broadcast with Cory Miller, Josh Richardson, and Rayna Maggelet on the call by clicking HERE.