State tournament season is finally upon us, and baseball teams across the area are on deck.
In Division 1, No. 7 St. John’s Prep hosts the winner of No. 26 Needham/No. 30 Malden (Thursday at 4:15) at 4 p.m. on Monday.
Prep’s offense is led by junior Will Shaheen and senior Cam LaGrassa, who are the leading hitters. On the mound, Anthony Romano has enjoyed a strong spring, picking up five wins.
Last season, the Eagles finished the season ranked No. 10 and advanced to the Round of 16, falling to traditional archrival BC High.
But with 13 wins under its belt, let’s see what The Prep has in store come Monday.
You could say one of the hottest programs around is Peabody. Led by its ace, Cam Connolly, the Tanners finished the season 16-4 to earn themselves the No. 29 seed. They host No. 36 Belmont this Friday at 5 p.m.
Connolly has eclipsed the 70-strikeout mark, and will be a key player in determining how far Mark Bettencourt’s Tanners go this spring.
Switching over to Division 2, Mike Giardi’s Marblehead Magicians are the No. 24 seed at 15-5. They make the journey to No. 9 Westwood for a noon showdown on Saturday.
The Magicians are a well-balanced team with an offense led by gap-finding hitters like Chris Cannuscio, Charlie Sachs, Bodie Bartram, and Brooks Keefe.
Cannuscio earned six wins from the mound and recorded nearly 60 strikeouts, to boot.
Then, there are the Rams of Lynn Classical, who don’t have to wait long. They are the No. 35 seed and face No. 30 Malden Catholic at 4 p.m. on Thursday.
The Rams, despite dropping their last two games to Lynn English and Swampscott, are a team that can hang with anyone. Lead-off hitter Almani Gerardo is a speedster when he gets on base, turning singles into doubles and doubles into triples. Rolky Brea serves as one of Classical’s power hitters, and Christian Figueroa does a little bit of everything on the diamond.
In Division 3, St. Mary’s (16-4) was rewarded with the No. 2 seed. Despite its hitting struggles, the Spartans come with elite pitching and top-notch defense.
St. Mary’s started the year strong, winning its first 11 games. Now, fresh off its Mullins Tournament win – Josh Doney was named Most Valuable Player with a phenomenal performance against Swampscott in Game 1 – it’s looking to bring home its first state title since 2021.
The Spartans host No. 31 Hudson/No. 34 Pentucket at Fraser Field this Sunday at 3 p.m.
Swampscott has a home game to begin its postseason journey. The Big Blue host No. 38 Boston Latin Academy at noon on Saturday.
Swampscott, under the leadership of Joe Caponigro, has enjoyed a solid spring with a regular season record of 11-9.
Nick Berube and Chase Groothuis are threats in the batter’s box, and on defense, one voice you’ll always hear is that of Michael Collins behind the plate. The sophomore catcher is the field general, often directing his teammates.
In Division 4, the Lynnfield Pioneers earned themselves the No. 1 seed. Arguably the hottest team in the state, winning 14 straight games, Lynnfield is full of morale after snagging the Brendan Grant Memorial Tournament Championship last weekend. Tyler Adamo earned Most Valuable Player honors, going 5-for-9 across two games with three doubles.
The Pioneers welcome the winner of No. 32 Winthrop/No. 33 South Hadley (TBD) with the date and time to be announced.
No. 37 Lynn Tech finished the spring 11-9 and will travel to face No. 28 West Bridgewater this Friday at 4 p.m.
The Tigers, under head coach Eddie Lewis, clinched the postseason with an 8-2 win against Minutemen earlier in May. Will McCafferty is sure to get some time on the mound, while Eddie Lewis Jr. has been, arguably, Tech’s biggest presence with the bat.
This spring has the making to be a good one, and for these programs, only time will tell if they can bring home the gold.
