DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette Cutters’ McGwire Holbrook and Parker Kruglewicz celebrate a second-half win over Frederick at Bowman Field. The team is set to take on Trenton in the MLB Draft League title on Thursday.

Championship baseball in Billtown.

That’s what is set to take place Thursday evening, when the Williamsport Crosscutters will, for the first time in the ball club’s history, host the MLB Draft League Championship for 2024.

The Cutters clinched a spot in the title game with home field advantage by winning the first half season in dominant fashion, going 22-8 for the season while finishing five and a half games out in front. And their efforts will officially bear fruit Thursday, when the Cutters look to clinch their first ever Draft League title.

But in the shape of the league, which moves from a college summer ball league to a professional operation in the second half, many of those athletes that clinched are no longer with the team, with the newcomers tasked with carrying the torch towards the title.

That journey, up until last week, looked bleak after the team dropped as far down as 17 games below .500. But with the tournament in the vicinity, Williamsport’s second-half squadron captured each of their last three series, echoed by a series win against the local State College Spikes.

When asked during that series whether or not the pieces were coming together for Thursday’s game, Williamsport manager Ryan Hanigan exposed a smirk: “Yes. Yes, they are.”

“The guys know their role.” Hanigan would add. “We have a plan. Everything for us right now is building for that game… I think they are very comfortable with what they are expected to do.”

In a separate interview, Hanigan went deeper into their thought process heading into the championship game.

“The pitching rotation and who’s getting work is all based on getting guys enough work and being fresh for Thursday,” said Hanigan, who also added on what will take place at the plate. “I’d say [the lineup] is about 85-90% set,” quoted Hanigan on Monday. “I’m still keeping these guys guessing a little bit, so they can keep producing strong.”

So, with the puzzle set to showcase itself Thursday night, what will it look like as Williamsport looks to capture its first Draft League crown?

Starting at the hill, Williamsport’s pitching has seen a sharp uptick in production as part of this late season run.

Of the last five series played in the course of 14 games going into Wednesday night, the Cutters have allowed more than five runs just once against the hitter-heavy Trenton Thunder. This despite a constant shift of pitchers going from starting games to shifting into the bullpen, making it anyone’s guess as to who picks up the ball first on Thursday.

Based purely off of ERA alone, the best pitcher who has been a regular starter is Shaun Gamelin. Gamelin, the ace of 2023’s Williamsport second-half team, comes into Thursday with a 2.53 ERA with seven starts and five appearances out of the pen. There is also the in-form Mike Hansell, who has given up just two earned runs across his last two starts, conceding just four hits in the process.

Joshua Lanham will be one to watch as well. Added to the roster just two weeks ago, he represents a wild card pick who has allowed just two runs across 11 innings when he’s come to the mound.

Out of the pen, Peter Kruglewicz and Brett Thomas are near surefire choices, each appearing in 11 games this campaign. There is also Zachary Murray, who turned his team defining role as Williamsport’s ace in the first half into a reliable arm out of the pen in the second half.

At the plate, Williamsport seems to have their foundation set. Shortstop Levi Perrell, center fielder Porter Brown and second baseman Cole Taylor all look to be sure-fire locks in the lineup, if not batting one-two-three in the order as they have done six times in the last eight games.

Left fielder Mark Shallenberger, and first baseman/catcher McGwire Holbrook will most likely be featured in the middle of the order, with both hitting one out of the park in the last week.

The bottom of the order is where the water gets murkier, as the Cutters have kept a rotation of bats around the bottom half of the lineup. The exception to this is third baseman Mikey Florides, who has started ninth in the order for the last five games and carries a tidy three-game hitting streak going into Wednesday.

This leaves a potential first baseman or catcher opposite Holbrook, a right fielder, and a designated hitter to bat sixth through eighth in the lineup.

The front runner to be placed either in right field or DH is Mitch McCabe, who has made his way into the lineup six straight times fitting one of those roles. Jacob Harper, Ali LaPread, Josh Lopez, Kyson Donahue, and Will Binder will all look to battle for the remaining two spots.

The championship takes place Thursday night, with Williamsport set to face off against the Trenton Thunder. First pitch at Historic Bowman Field is set for 6:35 p.m.