The lights are out, the locker room is shuttered, and the 2013 Gatemen have headed back to their respective schools after a tough summer.

"I thought the guys worked really hard," said Gatemen Head Coach Cooper Farris, who led the team to become league champions in 2002 and 2012.

The Gatemen wrapped up 2013 with a record of 9 wins, 33 losses, and 1 tie.

The season got off to a slow start, after some of the Gatemen were unavoidably delayed due to college ball. The team never recovered.

"We had 12 guys in the [College] World Series," Farris explained.

Once the ballplayers came together at Spillane Field, they didn't having trouble meshing as a team. According to Farris, however, they did feel like they had something to prove, which may have worked against them.

"They all got along well. They pressed a little bit, put a little too much pressure on themselves," resulting in unnecessary mistakes, Farris said, adding that the boys could have played "smarter" at times.

"Talent-wise, we had some good players, but not as many as we usually have," the coach said.

Lacking in wins doesn't mean that the Gatemen were lacking in talent, but according to Farris, some players just hadn't been put through their paces quite enough to handle the higher level of play.

"They just need reps, and they didn't have them coming in," said Farris.

Of course, it's impossible to predict how every player is going to perform, and sometimes luck just isn't on your side.

"Some freshmen don't pan out," Farris said bluntly.

And the Cape League isn't a place to hone one's skills: "It should be a place to showcase their skills," says Farris.

Still, the Gatemen sent four players to the Cape League All-Star Game: Tino Lipson, Bradley Roney, Cole Sturgeon, and Ethan Gross.

Another change the ballplayers had to contend with was not being able to use aluminum bats as they're allowed to do under college rules. It's wooden bats only in the Cape League, and according to Farris, that can knock as much as 50 points off a players batting average.

Then there's the pitching.

When the guys get to Cape Cod they face off against pitchers who could be in the Red Sox bullpen in a year or two, and that can be a bit of a daunting prospect.

"It's the cream of the crop," said Farris. "It's kind of overwhelming, even for a good player."

It is what it is. Until next year!