Catfish land quite the 'catch' in Landon Godsey

When a baseball team wins 14 of its initial 16 games, one would expect that it would be executing well in all facets of the game. That is certainly the case with the Cape Catfish, who have made shambles of the Prospect League this summer in historic fashion, despite suffering its second loss of the summer on Sunday (4-3 at Quincy).

Taking a micro view, the Catfish have been successful because a lot of their players have been performing very well in all facets of play, and catcher Landon Godsey exemplifies that.

Godsey, who only caught one time this past season at Volunteer State College in Tennessee, “volunteered” to catch for the Catfish after signing a temporary contract last month but has turned the opportunity into gold for not just himself, but the Catfish organization.

“He has been very consistent back there,” first-year Cape manager Scott Little said. “He receives the ball well.”

As it turns out, Godsey does A LOT of things well.

The Indianapolis native played almost exclusively at first base for Volunteer State this past season, as he helped the Pioneers win 32 games.

Offensively, he was a force, as he led his team in hits (68) and batting average (.368) while ranking second in on-base percentage (.449) and RBI (46).

That ability at the plate has carried over to the Catfish, much to the luck of the Cape coaches and front office.

The Catfish lacked catchers as the season neared because signees Tucker Stockman (Southern Mississippi), Dominic Tamez (Alabama), and Cal Kilgore (Arkansas) all were tied up in NCAA Tournament action.

Catfish General Manager Mark Hogan had a connection that hooked him up (no pun intended) with Godsey, who has played so remarkably well that Hogan inked him for the remainder of the 2023 season.

“He was a guy who didn’t even catch all spring,” Little said. “He’s a catcher, but he didn’t catch all spring. He came here on the first night and did a good job. Heck, we didn’t know any better.”

Fast-forward to today and Little and Hogan look like geniuses.

Godsey, who will play at Belmont University this fall, ranks fifth in batting average (.447) in the Prospect League, fourth in on-base percentage (.542), and seventh in slugging percentage (.658).

“I think that I’m playing well,” Godsey understated seismically.

In Saturday’s dramatic 7-6 victory at Quincy in 10 innings, Godsey had a couple of hits and scored the winning run, all the while managing four different pitchers, each of whom he has limited to no experience in handling.

“It takes a couple of outings to get used to (the new pitchers),” Godsey said. “But by now, I’m getting used to everyone.”

The Catfish have used Godsey in 12 of their 16 games. He has had at least two hits in seven of those outings and twice had three hits.

In Sunday’s loss, Godsey had a double, scored a run, and drew a walk.

The only area in which Godsey doesn’t thrive is in his projection.

“If he was more vocal,” Little said of the soft-spoken Godsey, “he’d be a top-line leader. He leads anyway, but he is a quiet leader.

Nothing gets by him, and he has made some big throws. He has just been an excellent guy.”

The Catfish return to Capaha Field today at 6:35 p.m. against the Thrillville Thrillbillies (9-6).

It is one of two “573 nights” at Capaha Field, which means all fans will be admitted for $5.73.

Also, Waves Mini Donuts and Margaritas with Mario (in a souvenir cup) will also be at the park with their products.