LYNN — You always want to put forth your best showing when you take the field against crosstown rivals in front of your hometown fans. The St. Mary’s baseball team didn’t do so in last year’s Nipper Clancy Tournament.
St. Mary’s fell to Classical in the opening round and dropped to English in the consolation game. The Spartans were the only team to go winless in last spring’s tournament.
“It was disappointing last year,” Spartans coach Derek Dana said. “My coach, Coach (Jim) Tgettis, always talked about the importance of Nipper Clancy. He talked about his legacy. To me, it’s an important tournament. I believe the kids will be ready to go.”
Hungry to prove themselves after a forgettable showing, the Spartans will host North Reading Friday afternoon (4) in the first round at Fraser Field. The Hornets were last year’s tournament champions and have plenty to play for this weekend, needing one win to qualify for the state tournament.
“They’re going to give us their best shot,” Dana said. “We’re lined up. We have all our pitchers ready to go. We’re looking forward to the challenge of playing against North Reading Friday and hopefully playing in the championship game. We’re not looking past North Reading but we’ve had some success here and we’d like to get back on track.”
The Spartans last won the tournament in 2016.
St. Mary’s (11-5) concluded a busy stretch of six games in seven days earlier this week. The Spartans split a double-header with Andover (win) and Austin Prep (loss) last Saturday, defeated Masconomet Monday and fell to Malden Catholic Tuesday.
“We’ve done more mental stuff than physical stuff over the past few days,” Dana said. “The kids were excellent at practice Thursday, even though the seniors had to leave early for graduation. This crew has been great, the senior leadership has been excellent. I really like this crew. I think we’ll be ready to go.”
On the mound, right-hander Bobby Alcock leads the rotation. Right-handers Aiven Cabral, Jared Coppola, Terrence Moynyihan and Lee Pacheco have given the Spartans solid outings as of late. Cabral went the distance in wins over St. John’s and Andover.
“Aiven has picked up the slack,” Dana said. “Lee was 7-0 last year. He wasn’t ready to go earlier this year but he’s done fantastic every time he’s gotten the ball. Terrence has given us good innings. Our pitching has been excellent.”
At the plate, the Spartans are led by Coppola, Pacheco, John Mulready, Kyle Oullette and Colin Reddy.
“We had a great game against Masconomet earlier this week where we hit the ball all over the place,” Dana said. “I like what we’re doing. I think we’re really starting to hit the ball well.”
Dana, a 1988 St. Mary’s graduate, carries vivid memories of his days playing in the Clancy Tournament for former Spartans coach Jim Tgettis. He shares the message he learned about Clancy’s legacy with his current Spartans.
“I tell them about the importance of the tournament,” Dana said. “Coach Tgettis has more stories than I do. Some of the guys on my coaching staff played for Coach Tgettis. It’s a great tournament. It teaches you that you want to keep winning because the state tournament’s up next and if you don’t win, you go home.”
