New-look Hawks seeking fifth straight title

By Matt Metcalf
Posted 4/12/16

The Hendricken baseball team will once again be looking to defend its state championship this spring, after capturing a fourth consecutive title, and the program’s 20th overall, at McCoy Stadium …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

New-look Hawks seeking fifth straight title

Posted

The Hendricken baseball team will once again be looking to defend its state championship this spring, after capturing a fourth consecutive title, and the program’s 20th overall, at McCoy Stadium last June.

This season, the Hawks will have a bit of a different look, however.

Last spring, the Hawks rolled out a bevy of players with a great deal of varsity and playoff experience, which ultimately led to an undefeated, 18-0 regular season and the postseason crown.

But this is a new year, and Hendricken will be looking to fill a plethora of crucial vacancies.

The Hawks have lost seven of nine players from last year’s starting lineup, in addition to Mike McCaffrey and Anthony Cofone, Hendricken’s No. 1 and No. 3 starting pitchers, respectively.

The two biggest losses in the field will be a pair of First Team All-Staters – catcher Gian Martellini and shortstop John Willette.

Hawks’ head coach Ed Holloway is confident that his squad will reload, though.

“We lost a lot of guys, and it’s going to be hard to replace them,” Holloway said. “But we have a good amount of talent. We’re just going to work hard every day and continue to get better.”

The few returning starters will be leaned on to carry a bulk of the weight early on until other players adapt to the varsity level.

And those three players are three of the best in the state.

Returning in center field will be senior captain Dante Baldelli, who will be manning Hendricken’s outfield for a third straight season. Headlining the Hawks’ rotation will be senior Matt Kennedy, arguably the top returning pitcher in the state. He started the clinching game of the title series last year, and will be relied upon to shoulder some heavy innings as the staff’s ace.

Lastly, Elijah Brown will be shifting from second base to shortstop in the absence of Willette, who transferred to Johnston High School back in the fall. It will be a seamless transition for Brown, as he is a natural shortstop.

Holloway is expecting all three to have big years. Baldelli, a Boston College commit, Brown, a Sacred Heart commit, and Kennedy should be up to the task. They’re seasoned players who have done nothing but win as Hawks.

“They’re huge for us, guys with a lot of experience,” Holloway said of Baldelli, Brown and Kennedy. “We’re going to need Matt to pitch like an ace. We’re going to need him to pitch as well or better than last season. Dante is a terrific player, and we’ve had so many other guys in our lineup the last couple of years, but this is the year that I think he’ll really step up and shine. We’re expecting a big year out of him. Elijah moved to shortstop and looks good so far this spring. We’re also expecting him to have a big year.”

At catcher, there is a battle going on to fill the void left by Martellini. The two front runners are junior Jordan Carvalho and senior Colin McBride, while seniors Joe Boland and Andrew Sarazen are also in the mix trying to earn innings behind the dish.

At first base, juniors Andrew Hopgood and Ernesto Espinal and sophomore Nico Salvaggio are fighting for time.

Hendricken has a lot of options at second, as well. Senior captain Brendan Conley will play either there or in right field, while seniors Brian Cipolla and Andrew Almonte are also in the mix.

Almonte, a middle infielder, will also serve as the backup for Brown at shortstop.

Third base is expected to be occupied by either senior Matt Sweeney or Salvaggio.

In the outfield, junior Andrew Flint will start in left field. Flint came up big for the Hawks at the plate in the title series as a sophomore last season, and Holloway is hoping that he can continue to steadily progress and get even stronger in his junior campaign.

Conley may claim the starting job in right if not at second. Other outfielders in the mix are Tucker Flint, the lone freshman on the team, and junior Billy Roberge.

Hendricken expects to have a deep pitching rotation.

Starting slots behind Kennedy were still up in the air when The Beacon spoke to Holloway on Wednesday, but he mentioned that several pitchers are looking good thus far. Caleb Wurster and Marc Andrews, a pair of senior southpaws, are certainly prime candidates to claim a starting job, as is senior right-hander Joe Maynard.

Salvaggio is another arm that could see a lot of innings for the Hawks, as Holloway called the sophomore a “really good prospect for us.”

Senior P.J. Thomas, juniors Chris Hindle, Andrew Flint, Roberge and Isaiah Mylers and Tucker Flint will round out the staff. Holloway noted that Hindle could see bullpen work in the late innings this season.

“I think pitching is our biggest strength,” Holloway said. “Things are looking good, we have some depth there.”

Holloway also wanted to mention his coaching staff, which is “doing a great job with the team.”

Assistants Chris Sheehan and Bryan Leahey will return this season, while Angelo St. Laurent will join the staff as a first-year assistant. Sheehan will be working with the pitching staff, while St. Laurent is working with the hitters.

The Hawks will begin their title defense today at 4 p.m. when they host rival La Salle. The Rams are 0-1 after falling at Cranston West, 2-1, on Saturday.

It won’t be easy replacing some of the players that Hendricken lost from a season ago, but this year’s group is determined to carry on the tradition of the program.

“We’re going to go out and try to win every game,” Holloway said. “I think they’ll play with confidence and tradition. I expect good things from this team. I think they’ll follow tradition and step up.”

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here