By Kathleen Szmit
kszmit@barnstablepatriot.com

When it comes to sports, the ultimate award is all about the cup: the Stanley Cup, the Ryder Cup, the Barnstable Patriot Cup. 

While tonight marks the official start of the Cape Cod Baseball League’s summer game series, the race for the Patriot Cup begins Sunday night when the Hyannis Mets face the defending champion Cotuit Kettleers in the competition’s opening game.

“It is our goal to win the Patriot Cup,” said the Cotuit Athletic Association’s First Vice President, Paul Logan. 

If the team plays as well as it did in 2006, they’ve certainly got a solid chance. Last season the team posted a stellar 27-16-1 record, the most wins for the CCBL franchise since 1995. 

Not only did the Kettleers capture the Patriot Cup, they also claimed the Western Division title and the Commissioner’s Cup for Top Team of the Year. 

Eight players, including Justin Smoak, were named to the Western Division All-Star team. Smoak ended his season as the recipient of the CCBL Pat Sorenti MVP award. 

While several key players will not be returning to the 2007 lineup, including Smoak, Eric Farris, and James Simmons, others including Tony Delmonico, Michael Cisco and Reese Havens are already generating excitement.

Havens was a standout for the Kettleers last season, batting .266 with two homers and 16 RBIs. For his efforts Havens was named to the CCBL All-Star team.

Grandson of Galen Cisco, former major league pitcher and pitching coach, Michael Cisco posted an impressive 4-0 record for the Kettleers in 2006, as well as a 2.90 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 40.1 innings pitched for the team. 

Joining the Kettleers this season are rookie pitcher Jeff Lockwood and catcher-relief pitcher Robert Stock. Lockwood, from Tennessee, brings a .315 batting average and a 3.20 ERA, while Stock, from southern California, has a fastball clocked as high as 95 miles per hour and a high school batting average of .456. 

Hoping to lift the Hyannis Mets up from their fourth place finish last season are five returning players from the 2006 lineup. 

With a batting average of .365 Ryan Flaherty is one to watch when the Mets vie for the Patriot Cup this season. Named one of the Top 30 Prospects in the Cape League last summer by Baseball America, Flaherty is sure to be an opposing pitcher’s nightmare.

Matt Daly, who attends Hawaii University, boasts an ERA of 3.38. Last year the right-hander led the Mets with 25 runs. 

Newcomers Shea Robin and Shane Peterson bring with them batting averages of .303 and .344 respectively, as well as strong team play at Vanderbilt and Long Beach State.

“Both teams look strong,” said Barnstable Patriot Publisher Rob Sennott. “We anticipate a highly competitive season.”

The Patriot Cup was created in 2004 in recognition of the fact that Barnstable is the only town on Cape Cod with two CCBL teams. 

The trophy is awarded to the Barnstable team that wins the most of their six head-to-head matches throughout the season (games played against each other). 

In the event that the teams are tied in the end, at three games each, a tiebreaker will be held. The following methods will be used to break the tie: 

1. Fewest runs allowed – the team that allowed the fewest runs during all games will be named champion. If this doesn’t work, it will be followed by

2. Most strikeouts – the team with the most strikeouts wins. If a tiebreak is still necessary then 

3. There will be a baseball bat toss by the team captains. 

We’d like to see that bat toss! 

The race for the Cup begins Sunday at 5 p.m. in Cotuit, with subsequent games to follow on June 24, July 4 and 14. It concludes with a double-header on August 5 and 6. For updated schedules visit www.capecodbaseball.org.