Like other baseball players in Massachusetts, Salem’s Tommy Beauregard missed a critical season of his high school career this past spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But after a lot of work over the summer, Beauregard started his senior year off on the right foot this week when he announced his commitment to play baseball at Wheaton College in Norton following graduation.
“It’s just a perfect fit for me,” said Beauregard. “Wheaton has great academics and a great baseball program, so it has everything that I’m looking for.”
“We’re all so happy for Tommy and I think he made a great decision, it’s a perfect fit at Wheaton,” said Salem baseball coach Gavin Softic. “Tommy is a great kid, a hard worker and a well-respected player among his peers. He leads by example, and he’s going to be a great player at the next level.”
Beauregard caught the eye of Wheaton baseball coach Eric Podbelski during a summer scrimmage at Bishop Fenwick, and the two remained in contact over the past few months.
“(Podbelski) just continued to recruit me and express to me that Wheaton was interested in having me, and our relationship just grew from there,” said Beauregard.
Beauregard, who also plays basketball for the Witches, has been making an impact on the Salem baseball team since his freshman year when he earned the starting shortstop spot. After back-to-back seasons of hitting over .300 at the plate and being a stalwart in the field for the Witches, Beauregard was poised for a breakout junior season in 2020 before the pandemic hit. But after the season was canceled, Beauregard didn’t waste time lamenting things he couldn’t change. He worked hard over the summer to make up for his lost season, including playing with the North Shore Freedom travel team in the New England Elite Baseball League and putting together an impressive performance for a few days at the Lynn Invitational.
“It was just great to get out and play this summer,” said Beauregard. “It was obviously tough not playing my high school season, but to be able to get out on the field this summer was nice.
“The Lynn Invitational is just a great showcase and I love what they do over there,” Beauregard said. “I’ve gone for the past two seasons and it definitely played a big part in the recruiting process for me.”
Now, as Beauregard prepares to head into his senior season this coming spring, both he and Softic feel that a big season could be in the future after getting this weight off his shoulders.
“I think making a decision like this at an early stage really is going to take a lot of pressure off of Tommy and it’s really going to free him up,” said Softic. “He’s going to pitch for us a bit this spring as well, so it’s really going to be interesting to watch what kind of season he’s going to have this spring.”
“It’s definitely a huge relief and a weight off my shoulders,” said Beauregard. “But at the same time, now it’s time to get down to work and continue to get better as we get closer to the season. This is only the start of things.”
