By: Alec Henden

ORLEANS, Mass. – To say family is important to Eddie McCabe II would be a massive understatement. The 20-year-old Georgetown infielder grew up in a large household in Norwalk, Connecticut the eldest of five kids where sacrifices were crucial to everyone’s success.

His father goes by Ed (they share different middle names), the father and son share a love of sports and a particular dedication to baseball. The eldest McCabe never let an unbalanced work schedule as a firefighter stop him from being apart of his children’s lives.

“The fact that he works so hard and is still able to be a dad to all of us and does everything for our family is everything,” Eddie McCabe said.

His dad’s career as a firefighter forces him to be able to work as a unit in order to accomplish tasks. Being a part of a team at home that helped him reach his dream is special. Eddie took the role of being the oldest brother and found ways to connect with his younger siblings each in a unique way.

“It was fun,” McCabe says of his upbringing. “I was entertained all of the time, there were always people to play with. It was also a big responsibility because I had four little kids looking up to me and watching my every single move.”

Eddie’s mother Anna saw firsthand how her son works both on and off the baseball field. Whether it’s finding ways to include others or constantly honing his passion for baseball into on-field success.

“It’s been a wonderful journey for us as a family,” Anna McCabe said. “He’s a good role model, he helps his younger siblings strive and we’re really happy for him. This has been an amazing opportunity and we’re so happy to be a part of it.”

His oldest sister, Ellie is closest to Eddie’s age at 17, they share a special bond that siblings close in age have.

“Ellie’s my best friend,” Eddie says of his eldest sister. “Growing up together, experiencing the same things, to have her so close in age and to experience everything at the same time as her has been amazing.”

Ellie and Eddie share a passion for music that includes Ellie’s talented ear for music. She learned how to play Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ on the piano from watching the movie, a skill few people possess.

Eddie’s only brother John is the middle of the five siblings at 13. The two share a deep love of sports despite at times having communication barriers.

John is deaf and uses American Sign Language as his primary form of communication. He attends the American School for the Deaf in West Hartford, Connecticut where he’s a part of a strong culture of fellow deaf and hard of hearing students.

“He goes to a school where he’s made a lot of friends and gets to be with people that are just like him,” McCabe said. “It’s so important at that age to have friends and people you can connect to and relate with. It’s fun having him as a little brother because I can play video games with him, play whiffle ball, basketball, everything that I do he does as well.”

Following John in the order is middle sister Maria at 11 years old. Eddie views her as the comic relief in the family because of her intelligence and humor at a relatively young age.

“Maria I’d say is the mom of the group,” Eddie said. “She makes me laugh all the time with her little quips you wouldn’t expect an 11-year-old to have.”

Eddie remembers fondly a gift his middle sister gave him prior to a great night at the field. Maria made the oldest McCabe sibling some rubber band bracelets to use in a game. Eddie proceeded to hit two home runs that night wearing his gift with Maria happily taking the credit for her brother’s on-field performance.

Rounding out the family tree is youngest sister Bridget, the six-year-old. While Eddie and Bridget are far apart in age, it’s his work as an oldest brother and his joy in bringing people closer together that drives him. For Eddie and Bridget, it’s a love for a certain Disney soundtrack and the ocean.

“When I was in high school I watched an interview with Chicago Cubs star Kris Bryant about how when he’s in a slump he listens to the “Moana” soundtrack,” McCabe said. “Bridget and I started watching it over and over through the course of the summer and I started calling her 'Moana' and it became our thing. We went to the beach a couple of times that summer and couldn’t get her out of the water.”

While Eddie’s relationship with his siblings and family drives him, he knew playing baseball his whole life that he wanted to do everything he could to make it to the next level.

After his freshman season at Georgetown, McCabe received a taste of the Cape league. Starting in Orleans’ final game of the 2018 season and going 2-for-4 at the plate.

“Cape Cod has always been a dream,” McCabe said. “The best of the best college baseball play here, and when you decide to play college baseball you start thinking about the Cape."

“He loves to play and he loves to compete,” Firebirds manager Kelly Nicholson said of the infielder. “He goes to Georgetown so you know you’re going to get a good young man. He made a good impression and obviously, Pete Wilk (Georgetown head coach) was very high on him.”

McCabe’s signature attribute is his defensive prowess at the shortstop position. It earned him collegiate accolades during his sophomore season and he’s continued that dazzling display with the Birds despite dealing with some injuries early on in the season.

Growing up in Norwalk, McCabe lived just an hour’s drive from his favorite team, the New York Yankees. As an infielder, he gravitated to a certain athlete who wore the No. 2 and was deemed the captain for most of his illustrious career.

“Before I knew about baseball I knew about Derek Jeter,” McCabe said. “My dad and mom showed that if I’m going to play the game the right way you need to play it like Jeter. Growing up and watching him handle himself on and off the field he was definitely a person I idolized.”

The Yankee tradition has been passed down throughout the McCabe family. Eddie remembers his dad picking him up from school in kindergarten and driving to the old stadium to take in an evening rivalry game against the Boston Red Sox. Fandom for the Bronx Bombers brought the father and son closer together.

“My dad instilled the Yankee tradition in me from a young age,” McCabe said. “His grandpa used to live a few blocks away from Yankee Stadium. He remembers going to Yankee games with him all the time. It’s kind of a tradition in our family to be Yankee fans.”

While McCabe’s baseball career is still in its infancy, he’s mature enough to understand the legacy he wants to leave as a person.

“From what my parents have taught it’s to try and be a good person,” McCabe said. “Getting to hear outside perspectives saying your parents are such great people you should try and be like them to me is a compliment.”