The Catfish Defeat the Aviators to Claim the 2025 Prospect League Championship!

The Basics
Score: Cape Catfish 6, Lafayette Aviators 2
Records:  Cape Catfish (40-20, 4-0), Lafayette Aviators (37-23, 2-2)
Location: Capaha Field - Cape Girardeau, MO

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO – The Cape Catfish are the 2025 Prospect League Champions!

The Catfish defeated the Lafayette Aviators 6-2 in game two of the Prospect League Championship Series Thursday at Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau.

The game began with the Aviators threatening in the 1st. However, they were unable to capitalize with the bases loaded as both starting pitchers settled in.

In the bottom of the 2nd, the Catfish got on the board first as Brett Vondohlen launched a baseball to right field and the Catfish led 1-0.

The Aviators answered with a run of their own in the top of the 3rd. Brody Chrisman doubled and Keifer Wilson singled him home to tie the game 1-1.

The Catfish took their lead back three frames later in the 4th. Matthew Cash singled to lead off the inning, and Tank Sims brought him home with 2 outs, to make it 2-1 Catfish.

The pitching duel changed in the 6th. The Catfish loaded up the bases with just one out, and Sims once again came through. Sims' 2-RBI single extended the Catfish lead to 4-1.

The Aviators started a comeback in the 8th on singles from Wilson and Gavin Smith to cut the lead to 4-2.

However, the Catfish had more, plating 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th. Sims led off with a double, Caleb Niehaus drove Sims home with a triple, and Niehaus came across on a Caleb Champion single. The Catfish had their deciding 6-2 lead.

Aviators starter Cole McDaniel was tagged with 4 runs and took the loss, unable to make it out of the 6th. Catfish starter Sean Williams secured the victory, striking out 5 and allowing just 1 run across 5 innings.

Tank Sims was named Playoff MVP for his heroics in game three. He finished the Playoffs batting .571 with 8 hits, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 5 runs scored, and 7 runs batted in.

Turning Point
Timely hitting and dominant pitching were once again the story for the Catfish, as they put the game away with late runs.

Inside The Box Score

• Tank Sims went 4-4 with 3 runs batted in and 1 run scored to lead the Catfish hitting.

• Brody Chrisman led the Aviators with 2 hits, a double, and a run scored.

• The Catfish outhit the Aviators 12-8 as each team only walked twice.

• Walker Brodt closed out the victory for the 4th time in the playoffs.

Notes

• This is the second Championship for the Catfish across six seasons.

• The Catfish outscored opponents 21-9 in the playoffs, winning all 4 games and sweeping the Championship Series.

• The Catfish keep the recent champions party low, staying with the Paints and Pistol Shrimp as the only teams to win a Prospect League Championship since 2019.

Up Next
The Prospect League will return for the 2026 season! Thank you to you, Prospect League fan, for your support during the 2025 season!