PEABODY — When Russ Steeves reclaimed his role as head coach of the Bishop Fenwick baseball team, he expected the Crusaders to undergo a string of adjustments in gaining familiarity to a new coaching style. Instead, Fenwick has hit the ground running this season and senior pitcher David Furtado has led the charge.
Furtado, a Lynn native, pitched the Crusaders to wins in each of his four starts this spring. His first three starts saw Furtado throw 21 innings without allowing an earned run in victories over Arlington Catholic, St. Mary’s and Bedford. Furtado’s most recent start was a nine-inning effort in a 4-3 win at Cardinal Spellman Tuesday when he allowed two earned runs with three strikeouts.
“David has the confidence for me to call curveballs or changeups on 3-0 counts,” Steeves said. “When batters think the curveball’s coming, he throws a sinker for a strike. It’s rare to have that kind of control on the mound. It’s pretty incredible to be able to throw any pitch at any count successfully.
“He literally throws any pitch at any count. I can call a curveball or a changeup on a 3-0 count. Being able to do that is critical. He can throw a pitch that a batter isn’t expecting and that’s been a big piece to our success. He’s a great kid to coach. I wish I had him for more than one year. He’s a great kid and I’m enjoying the time we have together.”
Furtado came into his senior season with high expectations. After the Crusaders split the first two games of their 2018 campaign, Fenwick found its footing en route to a current five-game win streak. The Crusaders are 6-1.
“After our first loss we’ve turned things around,” said Furtado, a four-year varsity player and team captain. “We’re a lot more focused since then. That loss to Austin Prep was definitely a wake-up call. We’ve been locked in and ready to play since then.”
One of the keys to Furtado’s success this spring was the addition of a sinker to his arsenal. Furtado says he doesn’t take the mound with the intent of overpowering batters. Instead, he pitches to contact and lets his fielders make plays.
“I’m getting ground balls,” he said. “Over the winter I added a sinker. I’m not a big strikeout guy to begin with. It’s big on the infield. They’ve been fantastic all year. They were great last year too. I pitch to contact and try to get as many outs as possible. They make the plays. That helps out a lot.
“I try to establish the inside half as early as I can. I pitch low, pitch to contact and try to get as many ground ball outs as I can.”
He also pointed to the chemistry he has developed with catchers Keegan O’Connor and Ethan Belt as another key to his strong start.
“Keegan and Ethan are both awesome catchers,” Furtado said. “They both frame the ball really well and they both know how to control the game. They both know when to come out to the mound and talk to me. They both throw runners out and that has been important.”
The Crusaders are firing out of the gate after a run in the Division 3 North state tournament last spring. Fenwick entered the tournament as an underdog at the No. 16 seed, but the Crusaders made the most of their postseason. They took down No. 17 Bedford in the preliminary round before upsets over No. 1 Whittier Tech and No. 8 Hamilton-Wenham. Fenwick’s run ended with a 13-4 loss to Austin Prep in the quarterfinal.
Furtado’s looking to end his high school baseball career with another playoff run.
“It would be huge to go on another tournament run,” Furtado said. “It’s my last high school season. These memories last forever. I’d like to go out on top and go as far as we can get.”
When it’s all said and done for Furtado at Fenwick, he’ll jump to the college diamond at Division III Nichols where he’ll continue his career as a student athlete. Furtado made his commitment to the Bison official last October.
“It’s a small school,” Furtado said. “I’m planning on majoring in communications. The campus carries a small family-type atmosphere. The baseball team’s coming off back to back 25-win seasons. They have a great coaching staff. The coaches were great to me through the recruiting process.”
With Furtado pitching at his best, Steeves is confident the Crusaders can maintain their strong start through the rest of the season.
“Everybody’s doing a little bit,” Steeves said. “It revolves around good pitching with timely hitting and solid defense. It seems like we’re getting all three together.”
