Under the glow of the setting suns and amidst the roar of record attendance at the Shark Tank, the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks displayed grit, cohesion, and perseverance throughout the 2025 New England Collegiate baseball League (NECBL) season.
Despite their 16–7 loss to the Keene SwampBats in game two of the three-game series for the Fay Vincent Sr. Cup Championship on Friday, the Sharks’ journey was marked by resilience and an Island community proud to rally behind them.
This season, the Sharks finished second place in the NECBL after starting out just 1–5.
“There was a little sense of despair but the message always stayed the same — keep putting the work in and it’ll turn around,” head coach Payton Fuller said in an interview with the Times. “We just kept working and started working together and we just ended up making a good run.”
Friday’s showdown began with uncertainty as to how the Sharks would bounce back after losing game one at Keene. In that game, they found themselves on the bad end of a heartbreaking ninth-inning comeback.
In the first inning on Friday, however, the Sharks’ Will Hampton (No. 8, from Vanderbilt University) and Brady Krzciok (No. 25, Central Michigan University) ignited the crowd, driving in baserunners from first and third for an early two-run lead. The Shark Tank erupted when catcher Max Kaufer (No. 27, University of South Carolina Columbia) stepped up and crushed a three-run homer over the left field fence, giving the Sharks a 5-0 lead in the first.
The Sharks’ strong start didn’t stop there. In the bottom of the second, Hampton delivered a two-run home run that barely cleared a SwampBats centerfielder’s glove over the fence, extending the lead to 7-0.
Starting pitcher Chayce Kieck (No. 10, Clemson University) was also a dominant force early on, holding the SwampBats scoreless through the first four innings and receiving cheers as he exited the mound in the fifth.
But the SwampBats began to bounce back, starting off with a deep-center-field shot to the fence from Keene’s Ripken Reese (No. 33, Kent State University), driving in three runs followed by one extra later in the inning to bring the game to 7-4.
After the Sharks were held to zero runs in the bottom of the fifth, Reese struck again, this time with a three-run homer to tie the game.
With one more home run from Reese in the seventh inning, accompanied by some Shark errors in the field, the SwampBats were able to pile on nine more runs, bringing their lead to 16–7. Despite a valiant effort, the Sharks were held scoreless in the final three innings.
The SwampBats claimed the Fay Vincent Sr. Cup, and celebrated at center field as the Sharks retreated to right field, who reflected on a season that, while short of a Championship, made Islanders proud.
“I thought it was really special — losing Thursday night at Keene in probably the toughest way possible, and to bounce back Friday, and take a 7–0 lead early in the game, and to see our guys regroup and come back and really put our best effort on the field. That was special,” Fuller. said
The Sharks’ turnaround from a tough early season, according to Fuller, can be credited to a focus on disciplined defense, a steady work ethic, and building team camaraderie.
“In the first couple weeks of the season we were last in fielding percentage in the entire league, which became a priority first and foremost,” he said. “[We are] gritty and we had a very talented group, but the cohesiveness they built throughout the summer, it was special. They showed up May 31, and didn’t really know each other, and by the end they were a really tight group.”
The Island’s charm and supportive community played a vital role in the team’s success, he also said.
Fans packed the Shark Tank for games throughout this season, winning prizes through Jaws trivia, kids’ dance-offs, and races around the infield between innings. Off the field, players embraced Island life, frequenting South Beach and enjoying nightlife in Oak Bluffs on their time off.
“This has been a wonderful summer,” Fuller said. “They made my job really easy, the way they conducted themselves day in and day out. We are already looking forward to next summer and getting started back up.”
“I would just like to thank everybody involved with the organization. I’ve never been to the Northeast; it truly was a special two months and it goes back to general manager Russ [Curran] and his wife, they created an amazing experience for everyone involved,” he added.
Oh, well.
NEXT year.