In his inaugural year with the Wareham Gatemen, Head Coach Cooper Farris led the boys to a champion title.

That was 2001. In 2002, the Gatemen were Cape Cod Baseball League champions once again. Fast forward to last year.

It's mid-August, and the final game of the championship series against Yarmouth-Dennis. Scoring only on home runs -- and after a nail-biter rally into extra innings -- the Gatemen bring home the first championship title in a decade.

So, of course, inquiring minds would like to know if the boys can repeat past success with a championship win in 2013.

Come on! Those championship rings are so nice!

But with many of his boys still off playing in the College World Series, and others instead choosing to play with other summer leagues, Farris is currently focused on the immediate.

"The roster changes every day," he said at Spillane Field on Tuesday, as some players made their way to the locker room for the first time this season. "We just try to hold down the fort."

Though there are some returning Gatemen, Farris hasn't seen much of his roster in action yet, and that will dictate the team's strategy going forward.

"You try to fit the game according to the type of players you have," he explained. "The biggest thing is teaching them how to play the right way. We try to give them what they need to improve their game, and hopefully we'll win some."

Some of the familiar names on the roster include pitcher Fred Shepard of Amherst College, who was on the mound during last year's championship game, pitcher Sean Newcomb of Middleborough and the University of Hartford, infielder Ethan Gross of the University of Memphis, and catcher Matt Walsh of Plymouth, who attends Franklin Pierce.

Farris notes: "We may have some surprises after the draft."

The Major League Baseball draft is this week, and depending on who gets picked up and when, some Gatemen alum and perhaps some newbies may choose to spend summer in Wareham.

Having returning players is an advantage for the Gatemen.

"They've been through it. They know the ropes and how we do things," Farris said, noting that this year, "we've got a lot of new faces."

Farris is eager to see what the players can do.

"I want to see all these guys," he said. "I'm excited about all of them."

The Gatemen will take the field for the first time in a preseason game this Sunday, June 9, against the Newport Gulls -- the 2012 New England Collegiate Baseball League champs. Wareham has home field advantage. The game begins at 6 p.m.

Despite the holes in his roster, Farris isn't worried about the Gulls.

"It'll be fun to watch," he said, noting that the Gatemen played them in a preseason game last year with a skeleton roster.

"We beat them last year," he said, "and we had pitchers playing positions!"

Farris said he hopes the stands will be filled with Wareham fans, and thanked them for continually supporting the team.

He also gave kudos to the Gatemen organization: "They do a great job running this program."

And so the 2013 season begins. Go Gatemen!