When the Harwich Mariners clinched the Cape Cod Baseball League championship last August, Northeastern outfielder Cam Maldonado (Wolcott, Conn.) was commanding the top of the batting order and UMass Lowell’s Kevin Zarnoch (Boston, Mass.) was on the mound to record the final out.
The trend of showcasing local talent is nothing new for the Mariners, and longtime skipper Steve Englert (Boston, Mass.) — whose career includes assistant stints at Boston College and Northeastern — has continued it in 2025.
“I’m from there. I love New England kids because they grew up around the Cape League and it’s something really special to them,” Englert said. “If you ask any New England player, they all want to play on the Cape. That’s the way it is around the country, but I think the kids around here appreciate it a little bit more. There’s a passion and a desire to play in the league that they grew up watching.”
Hailing from just north of Boston, Wake Forest catcher Matt Conte (Andover, Mass.) was one of those kids.
