Summer development key for Hawks’ baseball

Matt Metcalf
Posted 8/6/15

There are varying views of summer baseball for high school ballplayers.

Winning is, of course, a common goal for all teams.

But there is also a secondary goal for some of the summer programs …

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Summer development key for Hawks’ baseball

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There are varying views of summer baseball for high school ballplayers.

Winning is, of course, a common goal for all teams.

But there is also a secondary goal for some of the summer programs around the state.

Take a program like Hendricken, which fields teams in the Connie Mack and Senior Legion leagues.

Player development is key, particularly because many of the top players don’t play in those leagues. Rather, they play for elite travel teams to gain exposure.

Senerchia Post 74, Hendricken’s Senior Legion squad, had a lineup that featured All-State shortstop John Willette and post-graduate outfielder Brady Chant this summer.

But other than that, Senerchia rolled out a largely young and inexperienced roster.

The result wasn’t bad, though.

Obviously Hendricken has a great deal of talented players coming up through the ranks.

And when those players get put on a stage to perform in front of varsity coaches, there’s no better opportunity.

That seemed to bring the best out of some of those players with Senerchia, as those players competing for varsity roster spots next spring helped to lead it to a third-place finish in the regular season.

Senerchia won one game and lost two in the state tournament, exiting with a loss to South Kingstown – Post 39, but there was no doubt in Manager Chris Sheehan’s mind that the summer was a success.

“Just off the top of my head, I can think of eight guys who really showed a lot this summer,” Sheehan said following the loss to SK.

Some of those players have to be third baseman Jarrad Grossguth, second baseman Brian Cipolla, pitcher and infielder Nico Salvaggio and outfielder Billy Roberge, who were all mainstays in the Senerchia lineup and showed versatility at the plate and in the field.

Additionally, Hendricken’s Flood Ford Auto Connie Mack team is currently playing its best baseball of the summer.

Flood finished the season at 7-7, but knocked off top-seeded North Providence in the preliminary round of the playoffs to earn a trip to the quarterfinals.

Even if Hendricken’s teams don’t win any titles, the program has come away a winner in terms of developing young players.

When the newly-infused talent on next spring’s varsity roster meshes with the impressive core that’s highlighted by Willette, Boston College-bound centerfielder Dante Baldelli and ace right-hander Matt Kennedy, the Hawks should be in good shape once again.

A little hard work this summer will go a long way for a new-look Hendricken team next year.

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  • JohnStark

    Credit manager Chris Sheehan for always seeing the bigger picture. He did a fantastic job with this group!

    Thursday, August 6, 2015 Report this