Cotuit Kettleers Embrace Local Community 

COTUIT, Mass - Currently resting in first place in the Cape Cod Baseball League's West Division, the Cotuit Kettleers are committed to maintaining a close connection with the cozy village where they play, often making it the team’s first priority. 

     It makes the Cotuit experience special for the players and community alike.

     “This is home,” said Cotuit manager Mike Roberts. “When I drive down Main Street, when I come out I cry and when I drive out I cry because this is home. There’s so many wonderful people here.”

     Cotuit started its home season with a 3-2 win over the Falmouth Commodores late in the 10th inning last Sunday night at Lowell Park, with all the community pomp and circumstance that makes Cotuit so embedded as a member of the village.

     The speedy Kettleers have already stolen 38 bases en route to a 5-3-1 record and have swiped more than twice as many bases as any other CCBL team.

     From presenting three of the six Little League teams Cotuit sponsors, a convocation by the reverend of St. Mary’s Church, the color guard from the Centerville/ Osterville/Marstons Mills Fire Department marching onto the field -- the community presence was deeply felt. 

     And that was without taking into consideration the countless hours spent during the offseason preparing events, maintaining the field, and finding housing for players. 

     Cotuit recently replaced their 20-year-old scoreboard with a new one that has a pitch speed indication unique to the league.

     Three of the four recipients of a Cotuit Athletics Association scholarship threw out the first pitches at the home opener. Allyson Murphy, daughter of general manager Bruce Murphy, graduated from Barnstable High School and will be attending Cape Cod Community College to study exercise science. Alex Crosby, also a graduate of Barnstable, will be entering the NROTC program at Norwich University in the fall in pursuit of a major in International Studies. Maren Laferriere, from Mashpee High School and Gregory Monfette of Sandwich High School are also scholarship recipients.

     The Kettleers held a cookout the week before their home opener as a way to introduce the village to the players, while giving thanks to volunteers, and have provided a few laughs at the teams’ expense, as the players performed skits and spoofs. Even the coaches took part, acting out a hilarious backup dancer skit at Marstons Mills Elementary School.

     But it’s not all about jokes and laughs with Cotuit. The team is looking forward to working hard and developing more as individual players.

     “My job is to help them mature as a person and to get better as a ball player,” said Roberts. “The one word I use with them is ‘polish.’ We try to polish skills, and pitching, defense and base stealing, that’s what Cotuit Kettleers will always focus on as long as I’m coaching.”

     And Cotuit is certainly working on stolen bases, with 21 under their belt so thus far. With the season moving along, they are taking a quick lead. With the community behind them, they’re ready—with host families and fans traveling all the way to Chatham recently to give support, to go, along with the intense support the team finds at home.

     Roberts said, “I tell the guys [to] absolutely love and embrace all 22 (home games) because I think Lowell Park, to me, is the field of dreams. It’s just the most beautiful place for a five o’clock game.”

  Ashley Crosby, CCBL Intern (ashliz781@aol.com)

Brian Doyle, Web site Editor (doyle@capecodbaseball.org)