Through the Numbers: How Cotuit Ranks at the Season’s Midway Point
By: James Middleton | West Chester University
As we reach the season's midway point, it's time to look at where the Ketts rank among its fellow competition. Cotuit boasts the best record in the league sitting at an overall of 16-7, which gives them thirty-two points in the West division. The Kettle has been scoring hot, winning seven of their last ten games. Cotuit ranks second in the league regarding run differential with 24, and they are tied for first for the fewest runs allowed in 93. As we go deeper, we will look at where the offense, pitching, and defense rank in the Cape.
As a team, the offense has done significant damage, scoring 117 runs on the season, putting them in the league's top three teams. Normally Cotuit likes to play a lot of small ball, but this year they are doing damage with the long ball as they lead the league with 19 home runs. The Ketts are also putting the ball in play whenever they are at the plate, as they sit second to last in strikeouts. The offense is slashing for a line of .256/.361/.374, as they sit in second place in both batting average and on-base percentage and sit in first in slugging percentage. When it comes to individuals, Brock Wills (UNC-Wilmington), Carter Mathison (Indiana), and Cole Mathis (Charleston) lead the pack in batting average. Mathis also owns four of the nineteen Cotuit home runs this season.
While the bats have been red hot, some may say the pitching staff has been even better. The Ketts lead the league in ERA (3.51), strikeouts (227), innings pitched (203), saves (9), and shutouts (3). Couit isn't giving many free passes either, as they have walked 90 batters, which puts them in the bottom three of the league. Opponents are only hitting for a .228 average against the pitching staff, where they sit fourth in the league. Camron Hill (Georgia Tech) has been untouchable all summer as he has punched out a league-league 28 batters for a .44 ERA, which also leads the league. Chris Kahler (East Carolina) and Rafe Schlesinger (Miami) sit at spots two and four with ERA's of 1.06 and 1.62, respectively. Chase Hopewell (Cincinnati) is tied with Hill for the Cotuit lead in wins with three. The staff will look to continue this momentum through the rest of the season as we reach the dog days of summer.
One of the reasons the pitching has been so good is the defense that has been behind them. The Ketts defense boasts a .970 fielding percentage which puts them in the top three in the Cape. Regarding errors, Cotuit sits in the middle of the pack with twenty-five on the season. Leading the Ketts in the field is third-baseman Ryan Galanie (Wofford), with a perfect fielding percentage on the year while committing no errors. Any Kettleer pitcher that tows the rubber the rest of the season should be confident, knowing that they have one of the best defenses in the league behind them.
With twenty-one more games to go on the season, there seems to be nothing stopping the Ketts. The offense, pitching, and defense have been solid throughout the year for Head Coach Mike Roberts. The Kettleers are a force to be reckoned with come playoff time.