2023 Cotuit Kettleers Season Preview
By: Shane Petagna (The University of Tampa)
As the Cape Cod Baseball League celebrates its centennial season, Kettleers baseball will be back at Lowell Park when Cotuit hosts the Chatham Anglers on Saturday at 5 p.m.
The Kettleers experienced a roller coaster of a season in 2022, starting 9-0-2 before winning just 14 of 35 games and losing in the first round of the CCBL playoffs to the Hyannis Harbor Hawks in three games.
Cotuit will return some key contributors from last year’s squad, including the Reliever of the Year in Cam Schuelke (College of Central Florida). The right-handed pitcher who throws from three different arm slots went 5-0 with three saves while posting a 0.81 ERA across 22 1/3 innings pitched.
Other returners set to make another big impact for Cotuit on the pitching staff include Joe Whitman (Kent State) and Isaiah Coupet (Ohio State). Whitman made two starts for the Kettleers in 2022 and allowed just one earned run. The southpaw is coming off a terrific season for the Golden Flashes, as his 100 strikeouts and 2.59 ERA earned him the MAC Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-American honors by Collegiate Baseball.
Coupet was even better for Cotuit, holding opposing hitters to a .147 batting average and won two games out of the bullpen.
Whitman and Coupet add to a pitching staff that did not surrender a run in both preseason scrimmages, with 14 different pitchers tossing scoreless outings across both contests. Cotuit looked ready for the season opener with a 15-0 win versus the Lexington Blue Sox and a 4-0 victory against the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks.
Regarding position players, the Kettleers will have to rely upon some different names to open the season. There are nine athletes on the 2023 roster still playing in the NCAA DI Super Regionals, seven of whom play the field.
Of that bunch, second baseman Christian Moore (Tennessee) finished a second consecutive season with the Volunteers batting over .300 and posting an OPS over 1.000. Others like catcher Malcolm Moore (Stanford) and shortstop Emilien Pitre (Kentucky) stand out, with Moore being named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and Pitre selected as Second-Team All-SEC.
Returning players like 2022 CCBL All-Star catcher Caleb Lomavita (Cal) and corner infielder Ryan Galanie (Wofford) are a few names that will be called on early in the season. Galanie went 3-5 with three walks across the two scrimmages.
Another player that stood out in the preseason was shortstop Brock Rodden (Wichita State). He recorded 5 RBIs against Lexington as part of a three-hit day, catching the eye of coach Mike Roberts.
“He’s a contact hitter and then hits line drives, puts the ball in the outfield, and steals a couple of bases,” said Roberts afterward to sideline reporter intern Lily Butler. “He reminds me of my son a lot honestly, being a switch hitter and about the same size and runs really well and it was actually a lot of fun to watch him play today.”
The Kettleers aim to replicate the offensive success as a team in 2022, finishing first in batting average and slugging percentage. Meanwhile, the pitching has already shown it has the ability to be the best across the Cape.
In an already historic season for the CCBL, Cotuit’s quest to add to the league-best 17 championships starts now.