NORTH READING — Of the four teams in the Nipper Clancy Tournament pool, the North Reading Hornets have the most to play for this weekend. At 9-7 on the season, the Hornets need just one win to qualify for the Division 3 North state tournament.
But coach Eric Archambault and his players know it won’t be handed to them. The Hornets expect to be tested when they take the field in the Clancy Tournament and this year’s no different.
“To me nothing beats the Nipper Clancy Tournament,” Archambault, in his fifth season guiding the Hornets, said. “It’s an awesome state tournament-like atmosphere for the kids to play in. I know some of the state tournament games are played at Fraser so we get to play in one of the venues. More importantly, the level of competition is strong. It’s three quality teams that are well-coached. It’s very hard to go out there and win both games.”
North Reading won the tournament last year with a win over English in the opening round and a victory over Classical in the championship game.
“It’s an honor to play in this tournament,” Archambault said. “Everything I’ve heard about Nipper, he was a tremendous coach and a tremendous man. It’s a privilege to play in this tournament. The kids look forward to it every year. It’s an awesome environment. We just look forward to playing the best way we can and representing North Reading well.”
The Hornets are playing their best baseball as of late. North Reading started the season on a down note but has turned it around since then, winning seven of its last eight games. Archambault said it’s been a full team effort, through all three phases, that has opened the door for his team to get back on track.
“We started the season 2-6,” Archambault said. “We weren’t playing well, we weren’t getting the timely hits we needed. We’ve come together as a team. We’re throwing strikes, playing defense and putting the ball in play. It’s been successful for us.”
At the plate, the Hornets rely on Alex D’Ambrosio, Ryan Connor, Matt Solecki, Joey Frammartino and Cole Doke, last year’s tournament MVP.
“Our offense has been hitting the ball well,” Archambault said. “We’re pretty good at running the bases and putting the ball in play. We’ve had some timely hitting and we’ve been playing pretty well.”
Doke, a left-hander, leads the rotation on the mound alongside right-handers Frammartino and Demitri Boulas.
“We’ve been throwing strikes and playing good defense,” Archambault said. “When we don’t throw strikes and don’t play defense, that’s when we struggled. It sounds obvious but that’s how it has been for us.”
North Reading gets a tough task out of the gate with St. Mary’s Friday afternoon (4) in the opening round of play. The Spartans didn’t win a game in last year’s tournament and are eager to erase their doubts.
“We’re playing pretty well right now but the chances are always up in the air when you’re playing St .Mary’s in the first round,” Archambault said. “They’re a very talented team so we know we’ll have our work cut out for us.”
