We still have some time before the second half of the 2024 Atlantic League of Professional Baseball season gets underway, but if you want to check out two potential contenders for the league title square off in late May, here’s your chance.

The first-year Gastonia Baseball Club has three dates this weekend with the Staten Island FerryHawks — live and exclusively broadcast on FloBaseball — at 6:30 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday, and 1:30 p.m. Sunday, all of which are listed in Eastern Time. 

• Subscribe to Watch Atlantic League Baseball in 2024
• What Teams Are In The Atlantic League?

This weekend’s three-game homestand at Staten Island’s home field of SIUH Community Park will be the first half of a home-and-home, back-to-back setup between Staten Island and Gastonia, with three games at Gastonia’s home ballpark (CaroMont Health Park) taking place between the two teams immediately after this weekend on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. 

FINAL: A 4-4, 2 HR, 5 RBI performance from Robert Brooks helped lift the FerryHawks back into FIRST PLACE with a 12-7 victory today in York 🔥
•
Other top performers today:
Nate Scantlin 2-6, 2 RBI
Taylor Motter 3-5, 1 RBI
Pablo Sandoval 2-5, 1 RBI
Ben Norman 3-5, 2 RBI pic.twitter.com/5gWlvuL0vl

— SI FerryHawks (@FerryHawks) May 26, 2024

Gastonia (unrelated to the Gastonia Honey Hunters, who made last year’s league Championship Series before being expelled by the league due to reported unpaid debts) has been flying in its debut season, leading the South Division by 2½ games (as of this writing Thursday night) with a 22-10 record, putting them in business for a potential playoff spot by way of winning the first-half division title.

Elsewhere, the FerryHawks have begun to fly after two underwhelming seasons to start their existence in 2022 (48-84 overall) and 2023 (49-75), going 17-15 to start 2024 as they’re in second place in the North Division, three games behind the leading York Revolution. However, a four-game losing streak and 2-8 record in its last 10 games entering Friday has put Staten Island in a bit of trouble — making its six-game stretch against Gastonia that much more important.

Gastonia Baseball Club Scores

• May 3: Gastonia 1, Charleston Dirty Birds 2
• May 4: Gastonia 6, Charleston Dirty Birds 1
• May 5: Gastonia 7, Charleston Dirty Birds 8
• May 7: Gastonia 3, Hagerstown Flying Boxcars 1
• May 8: Gastonia 5, Hagerstown Flying Boxcars 2
• May 9: Gastonia 1, Hagerstown Flying Boxcars 2
• May 10: Gastonia 2, York Revolution 1
• May 11: Gastonia 2, York Revolution 7
• May 12: Gastonia 6, York Revolution 4
• May 14: Gastonia 11, Charleston Dirty Birds 7
• May 15: Gastonia 19, Charleston Dirty Birds 9
• May 16: Gastonia 5, Charleston Dirty Birds 3
• May 18: Gastonia 9, Lexington Legends 1
• May 19: Gastonia 2, Lexington Legends 0
• May 19: Gastonia 1, Lexington Legends 2
• May 21: Gastonia 8, Lancaster Stormers 5
• May 22: Gastonia 7, Lancaster Stormers 4
• May 23: Gastonia 5, Lancaster Stormers 1
• May 24: Gastonia 8, Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 3
• May 25: Gastonia 6, Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 5
• May 26: Gastonia 5, Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 6
• May 27: Gastonia 4, Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 3
• May 28: Gastonia 9, Long Island Ducks 4
• May 29: Gastonia 5, Long Island Ducks 2
• May 30: Gastonia 1, Long Island Ducks 2

Staten Island FerryHawks Scores

• May 1: Staten Island FerryHawks 4, Long Island Ducks 2
• May 2: Staten Island FerryHawks 14, Long Island Ducks 7
• May 3: Staten Island FerryHawks 4, Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 7
• May 4: Staten Island FerryHawks 2, Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 13
• May 5: Staten Island FerryHawks 10, Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 3
• May 8: Staten Island FerryHawks 13, Long Island Ducks 3
• May 8: Staten Island FerryHawks 4, Long Island Ducks 3
• May 9: Staten Island FerryHawks 2, Long Island Ducks 7
• May 10: Staten Island FerryHawks 4, Lancaster Stormers 1
• May 11: Staten Island FerryHawks 2, Lancaster Stormers 8
• May 12: Staten Island FerryHawks 1, Lancaster Stormers 0
• May 14: Staten Island FerryHawks 7, Hagerstown Flying Boxcars 1
• May 15: Staten Island FerryHawks 13, Hagerstown Flying Boxcars 3
• May 16: Staten Island FerryHawks 10, Hagerstown Flying Boxcars 0
• May 17: Staten Island FerryHawks 9, Hagerstown Flying Boxcars 2
• May 18: Staten Island FerryHawks 6, Hagerstown Flying Boxcars 4
• May 19: Staten Island FerryHawks 5, Hagerstown Flying Boxcars 2
• May 21: Staten Island FerryHawks 3, Long Island Ducks 5
• May 22: Staten Island FerryHawks 7, Long Island Ducks 9
• May 23: Staten Island FerryHawks 3, Long Island Ducks 8
• May 24: Staten Island FerryHawks 7, York Revolution 16
• May 25: Staten Island FerryHawks 3, York Revolution 0
• May 26: Staten Island FerryHawks 12, York Revolution 7
• May 27: Staten Island FerryHawks 3, York Revolution 4
• May 28: Staten Island FerryHawks 3, Lancaster Stormers 6
• May 29: Staten Island FerryHawks 2, Lancaster Stormers 3
• May 30: Staten Island FerryHawks 2, Lancaster Stormers 7

How to Watch Atlantic League Baseball in 2024

Watch Atlantic League baseball on FloBaseball and the FloSports app.

FloBaseball will be streaming the Atlantic League and more independent league baseball all season long.

Players to Watch

Jake Gatewood, INF, Gastonia Baseball Club

A first-round MLB Draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2014, Gatewood made it as high as Triple-A with the Los Angeles Angels organization, where he smashed baseballs with the Salt Lake Bees (50 home runs, 150 RBIs, .456 slugging percentage in 224 Triple-A games in 2021 and 2022) but never quite got the call-up to the majors. 

A 2023 season in Mexico led to a move back stateside with Gastonia this past offseason, and the expansion club’s choice to sign Gatewood on has paid back big dividends. 

The 28-year-old California native has 10 home runs and 25 RBIs in just 31 ALPB games played (following the conclusion of Thursday’s games), being one of just four players league-wide to have already hit the double-digit homers mark. 

Gatewood’s batting average, which currently sits at .257 on the year as of this writing, still needs to be a bit higher if he is to be considered a feared total-package type of hitter, but if he makes contact in fair play, chances are that the ball is going to go far.

Christian Capuano, RHP, Staten Island FerryHawks

If it wasn’t already apparent that Capuano was the FerryHawks’ unquestioned ace after a 10-4 record, 3.82 ERA and 118 strikeouts across 117⅔ innings last season for the ballclub, it’s crystal-clear now. 

Not to be mistaken for the similarly-named, former MLB All-Star pitcher Chris Capuano, Christian is regardless pitching right now like he’s on another planet to everyone else, rocketing to a 5-0 start with a 1.36 ERA, 36 strikeouts (compared to just nine walks) in 33 innings pitched and just 21 hits allowed entering Thursday night’s games. 

The ALPB’s current wins leader, Capuano had his first off night of the season in a start against Lancaster on Thursday night, only lasting 4⅔ innings while being tagged for six runs on eight hits, but as long as it’s just a minor blip in his resume, Capuano should still remain as the FerryHawks’ top starting pitching option throughout the year.

Join the Baseball Conversation on Social

• Follow us on Twitter @FloBaseball
• Follow us on Instagram @FloBaseball
• Follow us on TikTok @FloBaseball
• Watch us on YouTube
• Like us on Facebook