The Middleboro Mocka Rays are back on top of the BMBL 18+ Division, capturing their third championship in the past five seasons.

The 3-time champs capped off an impressive 2024 campaign by defeating the Merrimack Valley Marlins 3 games to 1 in the best-of-five championship series, once again hoisting the title and erasing the heartbreak of 2023.

"This is awesome," said the Mocka Rays' manager Tyler Ferdinand following the Game 4 victory. "Last year we let it slip away, so it was good to come back out this season and get it done."

After falling short in Game 5 of the finals last season, the Mocka Rays returned to the drawing board, putting together a remarkable 2024 season that saw them finish with a division-best 19-5 record.

They tied the franchise mark for most wins in a single season, fueled by an offense that topped the division in virtually every statistical category, including average, hits, runs, doubles, walks, slugging %, and OPS.

Thomas Lenane, the division's leading hitter with a .490 average, was the engine behind their high-powered offense, taking home the 2024 Batting Title and sharing MVP honors with Norfolk County Mariners' rookie standout DJ Goldberg.

On the mound, the Mocka Rays' pitching staff was just as imposing, leading the division with a stellar 1.39 ERA, allowing just 32 earned runs over 161 innings. Anchoring the rotation was the southpaw duo of Nick Radcliffe and Jonathan Matos, who together went a flawless 8-0 with a 1.04 ERA.

The top-seeded Mocka Rays' postseason journey began with a best-of-five semifinal matchup against the No. 4-seeded Boston Hogs (14-10). The Hogs, fresh off their first-ever playoff victory — a thrilling 5-4 walk-off win over the Boston Bandits in the wild card game — pushed the Mocka Rays to the brink, with two of the three games decided by a single run.

In the end, Middleboro's firepower and experience proved to be too much as they completed the 3-0 series sweep. Thomas Lenane (4-10, 3 R, 5 RBI, 2B), Nick Radcliffe (4-10, 2 R, 2 RBI), and Tyler Ferdinand (4-9, 2 R, 3 RBI, 3B) led the offense, which batted .360 as a team and averaged eleven hits per game in the series, including home runs from Drew Boli and Jon LeTourneau.

For a fifth consecutive season, the Mocka Rays punched their ticket to the Finals, this time squaring off against the No. 2-seeded Merrimack Valley Marlins.

For the Marlins, this was their first trip to the Finals in the franchise's six-year history, following a 3-0 sweep of the No. 3-seeded Norfolk County Mariners in the semifinals.

The two squads had just one prior meeting in the postseason, back in last year's semifinal round, where the Marlins let a 2-0 series lead slip away at the hands of the Mocka Rays, who staged an improbable comeback, pulling off the reverse sweep and eliminating the Marlins from the playoffs.

Determined to put last year's disappointment behind them, the baby fish came out strong in the series opener, earning a 4-0 win behind a masterful performance from ace pitcher Ben Lodge (7 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 6 K, 1 BB).

The 2024 Cy Young runner-up fired seven shutout innings, scattering six hits to go along with six strikeouts, while issuing just one walk.

The turning point of Game 1 came in the sixth inning of a scoreless contest, when Zach Barry stepped up to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded. After going 0-for-2 with two broken bats earlier in the game, Barry stunned the crowd by shattering a third bat — only this time, it died a hero, as he legged out an infield single, driving in the game's first run.

The Marlins tacked on three more runs in the seventh, giving Lodge all the support he needed to seal the 4-0 victory. Mocka Rays' starter Nick Radcliffe (7 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 10 K, 2 BB) suffered his first loss of the season, surrendering four runs on nine hits over seven innings while matching his postseason-high with 10 strikeouts.

The Mocka Rays bounced back in Game 2 with a convincing 6-1 win, evening the series at one game apiece. In his first start of the postseason, Jonathan Matos (7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 6 K, 0 BB) turned in a stellar outing, tossing seven innings of one-run ball, surrendering just five hits while striking out six and walking none.

The hard-throwing lefty received ample run support from his offense, which plated four runs in the first three innings and two more in the fifth.

Thomas Lenane (1-4, RBI, K) ignited the scoring with an RBI single in the 1st. Matt Borges (1-3, RBI, 2B) followed suit in the 2nd, launching an RBI double that one-hopped the center field fence and extended the lead to 2-0.

The Mocka Rays continued to apply pressure, tacking on two more runs in the 3rd and another pair in the 5th on RBI singles from Nick Radcliffe (1-2, 2 R, RBI, K, SB) and Mike Knell (1-2, R, RBI).

The Marlins lone run came in the 3rd on an RBI fielder's choice from Andrew Crowers (2-4, RBI), who had multiple hits on the night alongside teammate Anthony Shea (3-3), who went a perfect 3-for-3 in the losing effort.

In the pivotal Game 3, the Mocka Rays kept up the momentum, walking away with a 4-2 victory and a 2-1 lead in the series. Timely hitting from Thomas Lenane (2-3, 2 R, RBI, 2 2B) and Mike Knell (2-3, R, 2 RBI) proved to be the difference, as the duo combined to go 4-for-6 on the night, driving in three of the team's four runs.

On the mound, Harry Mackinlay (6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 6 K, 7 BB) earned the gritty win, allowing just two runs over six innings while working his way out of several jams. Justin Sylvia (1 IP, 2 K, BB) came on in the 7th to shut the door and secure the victory, notching the save. The Mocka Rays climbed within one win of taking home the 2024 title.

With their eyes on the prize, the Mocka Rays handed the ball to Game 2 winner Jonathan Matos in the potential series-clinching Game 4.

Pitching on five days' rest, Matos (7 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 8 K, 0 BB) was lights-out, tossing a complete-game shutout that sealed the Mocka Rays' third championship in the last five seasons.

Matos was in complete command, scattering just six hits over seven shutout innings, striking out eight without walking a single batter. His dominant outing was backed by timely offense, highlighted by Derek Pizarro's (2-for-5, R, 2 RBI) RBI single in the top of the 3rd that got the scoring started.

Pizarro added another RBI single one inning later, sparking a four-run 4th-inning rally that broke the game wide open.

With a 5-0 cushion heading into the top of the 7th, Jon "Lumpy" LeTourneau (4-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR) put an exclamation point on the game, crushing a two-run homer over the right-field netting at World Series Park in Saugus. LeTourneau finished a perfect 4-for-4 on the night with two RBIs and two runs scored.

Matos was named the Finals MVP after going 2-0 in the series with a miniscule 0.50 ERA, striking out a total of 14 while giving up 0 walks. He finished the 2024 season with a perfect 6-0 record.

Congratulations to Tyler Ferdinand and the Middleboro Mocka Rays on winning their third overall championship title and reclaiming their place atop the 18+ Division. Hats off as well to the Merrimack Valley Marlins on a tremendous season and their first appearance in the 18+ Finals.