The season doesn't start until June 13, but the Gateman organization is ready... for now. The roster has been set, housing has been found, and part-time job opportunities are arranged, but now comes the most tenuous part of the year.

"We're in waiting mode now," said Sheri Gay, the secretary for the organization. Injuries, changes in players' schedules, and the potential for some returning players to be drafted to the majors all could could require some last-minute maneuvering, she said. "Once the guys start coming, it gets a little easier. Plus it's fun to see them and actually interact with them in person."

Twenty-eight players are under contract, meaning they're obligated to come here if they are going to play in a summer league, right now, according to Tom Gay, Sheri's husband and Gatemen President.

Eleven of the players were members of last year's team. Jack Armstrong from Vanderbilt and Sagamore resident Keith Bildeau from the University of Maine are scheduled to return to the Gatemen mound. Indiana University's Alex Dickerson, who has been named the Big Ten Player of the Week for two weeks in a row already this season, will patrol Spillane's outfield.

The Gatemen have also recruited more local talent to their roster. Gay said he hoped that Plymouth resident Joseph Flynn, who pitches for Franklin Pierce University, and Steve Perakslis, who lives in Abington and pitches for University of Maine, may attract some fans from the wider area.

"We're trying to do more recruiting of local kids who have the talent to play in the Cape League," said Gay. "In past years, we hadn't paid too much attention to the local, New England colleges and residents because there were teams in Florida and Texas that played year-round."

Members of these teams, however, also frequently appear in the College World Series, which extends into the end of June, and play so frequently during the regular season that the summer provides their only recuperation period. Thus, it is risky to save a spot on the roster for these players...you never know what's going to happen. Last year, one of the team's top pitchers, Taylor Youngman, ended up not coming because he pitched a lot in the world series.

"It put a big hole in the starting rotation," Gay said. "Things happen."