The Middleboro Mocka Rays have captured the 18+ Division title for the second straight season, becoming the first 18+ team to go back-to-back since 2016. Their latest championship comes on the heels of a commanding 3-0 finals sweep of the No. 2-seeded Norfolk County Mariners, marking the fourth championship in the team's 18-year history.

Cameron Breault was named postseason MVP after a dominant performance on the mound, going 2-0 with two saves and a spotless 0.00 ERA. Over 15 1/3 innings of work, the hard-throwing righty allowed just four runs (all unearned) while striking out nineteen, putting a finishing touch on his stellar postseason by throwing 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to close out the title-clinching game.

"In the world of baseball, there's no better feeling than winning back-to-back championships and watching your son help lead the team to the ultimate prize," said current player and former manager Bill Ferdinand, who handed the reins to his son Tyler Ferdinand back in 2020. Since that transition, Middleboro has reached the finals every year, capturing four titles in their last six appearances.

Their successful title defense capped off a 2025 campaign that saw the Mocka Rays finish the regular season with a division-best 20-4 record. It set a new franchise record for wins and cemented a second-straight Manager of the Year award for Tyler.

Offensively, the club led the division in runs scored (162) and overall run differential (+85), while finishing second in average (.354), hits (231), slugging percentage (.452), and OPS (.915).

At the forefront of their offense was manager and 2-hitter Tyler Ferdinand, who led the team in average (.519), hits (28), runs (21), and OPS (1.273). He ranked among the top three in the division in each category and went on to place third in MVP voting.

On the mound, the one-two punch of Cameron Breault (5-1, 1.00 ERA, 50 K) and Jonathan Matos (4-0, 1 SV, 1.30 ERA, 11 K) anchored the Mocka Rays' pitching staff, as the duo combined to post a 9-1 record with a 1.13 ERA. Breault's five victories tied for second most in the division and his 1.00 ERA ranked third, earning him a runner-up finish in the Cy Young race.

Heading into the postseason, the top-seeded Mocka Rays secured a first-round bye and advanced directly to the best-of-five semifinals, where they met a familiar opponent in the No. 4-seeded Merrimack Valley Marlins (16-8), the same team they defeated in last year's championship series.

True to their regular-season form, the reigning champs went on to win the hard-fought series three games to one, with all four games decided by a single run. Their lone setback came in Game 2, when they let an early lead slip away, putting an end to their impressive 20-game winning streak.

Zachary Walker (6-10, 4 R, RBI), Thomas Lenane (5-14, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2B, 2 BB), and Mike Knell (5-9, RBI, 3 BB) sparked the offense, combining to hit .485 (16-for-33) with 4 RBI and 7 runs scored in the series.

For the sixth straight season, the Mocka Rays punched their ticket to the Finals, becoming the first 18+ team in BMBL history to appear in six consecutive championship series. Awaiting them were the No. 2-seeded Norfolk County Mariners (18-6), who clinched a Finals berth in just their second season after sweeping the third-seeded Malden Marlins (18-6) in the semifinals.

Led by the division's top-ranked pitching staff (1.25 ERA), the Mariners' trio of Luke Harder (W, 7 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 14 K, BB, 1.00 ERA), Nick Panzini (W, 7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 8 K, 3.00 ERA), and Brendan Halloran (W, 7 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 7 K, BB, 0.00 ERA) combined to allow just four earned runs against a Marlins' lineup that led all teams in batting average (.378) and featured 2025 Cy Young winner Nick Powers and MVP/Rookie of the Year Manny Powers.

This set the stage for a championship clash between the division's top two teams, as the defending champion Mocka Rays squared off against the second-year Norfolk County Mariners in a highly anticipated showdown.

Game 1 of the best-of-five series opened with a marquee pitching matchup as the Mariners' Luke Harder (6 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 2 ER, 3 K, BB) faced off against the Mocka Rays' Cameron Breault (W, 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 6 K, BB) in a battle of aces.

The Mocka Rays drew first blood, grabbing a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a Mike Knell (0-1, RBI, BB, SAC) sacrifice fly that scored Lucas LeTourneau (1-3, R, RBI). One inning later, they extended their lead to 3-0 on a bases-loaded infield single from Thomas Lenane (2-3, 3 RBI) and a fielder's-choice RBI from LeTourneau.

Middleboro kept the pressure on in the fifth as Lenane came through again, lining a two-run single to left to give his team a 5-0 advantage.

The Mariners finally broke through in the sixth when Jalil Marinez (1-3, R, RBI, 2B, BB, K) crushed a double off the center-field fence to plate their first run, took third on the cutoff throw home, and scored as the catcher's throw to third sailed past the bag, cutting the deficit to 5-2.

Marcos Feliz (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K, 2 BB) took over for Cameron Breault with two on and nobody out in the sixth. A wild pitch followed by a passed-ball strikeout allowed another run to cross, cutting Middleboro's advantage to 5-3.

An insurance run in the bottom half extended the lead to 6-3, which proved more than enough run support for Zachary Walker (SV, 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K), who took over in the seventh and struck out the first two batters before inducing a game-ending groundout to close out the win and earn the save.

Behind timely hitting and a steady bullpen, the Mocka Rays took a 1-0 lead in the series with a 6-3 Game 1 victory.

In Game 2, the Mariners looked to even the series behind starter Brendan Halloran (L, 5 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 3 K, 3 BB), while the Mocka Rays turned to Zachary Walker (2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 K, BB) in pursuit of a commanding two-game lead.

The Mariners struck first, jumping out to an early 2-0 lead in the opening frame after a leadoff walk, a hit-by-pitch, and a Jalil Marinez (1-4, 2 K) RBI single, followed by an RBI fielder's choice from DJ Goldberg (1-3, RBI, BB, K).

Middleboro cut the deficit in half in the top of the second when Walker (0-0, RBI, 2 BB, SAC) helped his own cause, lifting a sacrifice fly that scored teammate Derek Pizarro (3-3, 2 R, RBI, 2B, 2 SB), who was making his postseason debut following the birth of his daughter.

In the bottom half, Chris Holland (1-3, RBI, HR) restored the Mariners' two-run cushion with a solo home run to right that made it 3-1. The momentum was short-lived, though, as two innings later Jon "Lumpy" LeTourneau (1-4, R, 3 RBI, HR, K) turned the tide with a three-run blast to right, giving the Mocka Rays their first lead of the night, 4-3.

The Mariners answered right back in the bottom half of the fourth as Luke Harder (2-3, 2 R, RBI, HR, BB, SB) launched a solo shot that evened the score at 4-4. Middleboro quickly regained control for good in the fifth, plating two runs on back-to-back RBI singles from Lucas LeTourneau (1-4, RBI, 2 K) and Pizarro to make it 6-4.

From there, the bullpen took over. Matt Borges (W, 5 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 6 K, 0 BB), who logged just three innings in the regular season, pitched valiantly in relief. The right-hander tossed five strong innings after relieving Walker in the third, surrendering just one run on one hit while striking out six to earn the win. The Mocka Rays held on for a 6-4 victory, taking a 2-0 lead in the series and moving within one win of repeating as champions.

With their backs against the wall heading into the must-win Game 3, the Mariners once again jumped out in front, scoring twice in the first and once more in the third to build a 3-0 lead off Mocka Rays starter Nick Radcliffe (W, 5.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 3 K, BB).

On the opposing side, DJ Goldberg (L, 5 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 3 K, 2 BB) took the ball for his first postseason start and impressed early, holding Middleboro in check through three innings before a passed ball with the bases loaded allowed the Rays to scratch across their first run of the game in the fourth.

The Mariners answered back with a run of their own in the top of the fifth to take a 4-1 lead, but the Mocka Rays' trademark grit was on full display once more. Down three in the bottom half of the fifth, Middleboro's offense came alive — and the youngest LeTourneau delivered the biggest swing of his budding BMBL career. With two on and two outs, Lucas "Baby Lumpy" LeTourneau (1-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR) deposited a two-run homer to left, a no-doubt shot that sent the Mocka Rays' dugout into a frenzy and flipped the game on its head, giving them their first lead, 5-4.

From there, Cameron Breault (SV, 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, BB) slammed the door with 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief to seal the 5-4 win and complete the sweep — clinching Middleboro's second straight championship and fourth title in six years.

Radcliffe earned the win with a gritty performance on the mound, working his way out of multiple jams over 5 2/3 innings to keep his team within striking distance.

Congratulations to Manager Tyler Ferdinand and the Middleboro Mocka Rays on capturing the 2025 18+ Championship, their second straight title and fourth in six years. A special shoutout as well to Hall of Famer Mike Knell, who remarkably reached the 18+ Finals for the 11th consecutive season.