COLUMN: Catfish's championship run begins

The Cape Catfish will conclude the 2023 Prospect League season on Saturday against the Alton River Dragons at Capaha Field.

Jackson High School grad and Catfish intern Isaac Respondek will throw out the first pitch and that is all you need to know about that game. Win or lose, the Catfish will end the season with the best overall record in the Western Conference, if not the entire league.

Saturday’s contest is merely a rehearsal for the real action on Sunday. The Thrillville Thrillbillies, AKA the Monsters of Marion, renew their rivalry with the Catfish in the battle for the Prairie Land Division. The two teams previously had a three-game series for the inaugural "Border War” trophy, with the Catfish claiming the prize.

The stakes are higher this time.

The Catfish are still the overwhelming favorite entering this titanic tilt. They won seven of their last 10 games against the Thrillbillies and are 21-7 at Capaha Field entering the weekend.

“The crowd this season has been unreal,” Catfish pitcher and Notre Dame graduate Noah Gadberry recently said. “Everybody's been sitting on the hill. Everyone's been in the party deck. It's crazy coming out, and because there may only be 1,100 people here, but in the dugout and on the mound, it feels like you're pitching at Busch Stadium in the postseason.”

The trio of Justin Carinci, Chris Hall, and Brody Chrisman have provided the Catfish an identity at the top of the lineup and have long been among the league's top five in hits. Carinci leads the league in hits.

"I think the general majority of people have stayed consistent, stayed true with the energy, have been enjoying everything," Chrisman recently said.

“I can’t imagine being a pitcher,” Carinci said earlier in the season. “Those other three guys (including Jeff Clarke, who is 11th in runs scored) and the rest of our lineup, we’re all swinging it.”

Catfish shortstop Justin Carinci throws the ball to first base in a recent game in Capaha Field. Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

The winner on Sunday will take the division and advance to the Western Conference Championship Game on Tuesday, August 8. If the Catfish win, and they should, they will host that game against the winner between the Clinton LumberKings and Quincy Gems. After that, then comes the Prospect League Championship Series on August 10-13. That series will likely be between the Catfish and Chillicothe Paints, who have been neck-and-neck in the race for the league's best overall record. Both teams have led their respective conferences in nearly every hitting statistical category outside of home runs.

Pitching is where the Catfish thrive, as they lead the Prospect League in ERA and walks allowed while also ranking third in strikeouts and strikeout rate. Entering Friday, the Catfish has two pitchers among the top five in ERA, with Jorge Romero leading the way and Dylan Peck at No. 5, while also leading the league in wins with a perfect 6-0 record in eight starts.

“They bring it every game,” Catfish pitching coach Jason Chavez said recently of his staff. “Sometimes you fall into having some guys with a lack of confidence, but most of these guys, they are competitive.”

The cards are stacked in the Catfish's favor and should see their season end with their second championship. The cliches of "nobody believes in us" and wanting to prove people wrong do not apply to this team.

It's time to prove us right.