Boxers are in full swing
Brockton is total package
Brockton figured to be an improved baseball team with a solid nucleus returning to the fold. Earlyseason victories over Brookline and Catholic Memorial proved the initial hype was worthy, and the Boxers are a solid 13-4 heading into the home stretch.
“You never really know what’s going to happen until the season starts,” said second-year coach Chris Brennan, “but those wins over CM and Brookline gave us confidence. We have a group of seniors who have gone out and done things the right way.”
The pitching has been superb. Zach Sylvia (4-0, 1.72 ERA) and Ian Nadeau (4-2, 1.88 ERA) have been the anchors, while Chris Carbornara (2-1, 1.27) and Burt Rosher (3-0, 1.05) have provided quality depth.
“We have gotten good pitching and defense. Cole Sutherland has been very good in center field.” Brennan said. “They have all done a good job.”
Brockton has five players batting better than .300: Nadeau (.528), Sylvia (.368), infielder Trey Ciulla-Hall (.368), right fielder Tyler Wood (.328), catcher Frank Aten (.315). They’re a complete package, leading to some whispers about Brockton being a Super Eight contender.
“With the social media, it’s hard not to notice it,” Brennan said with a laugh. “All we’re looking to do is win games and play for a high seed in the playoffs. If the Super Eight happened, we’ll go there and play. Just being mentioned is a credit to the kids.”
Northeast athletic director Donald Heres thought first-year coach Bruce Rich may have bitten off more than he could chew, scheduling Bishop Fenwick, Wakefield and Watertown for nonleague starters.
Three victories later, Heres was a happy convert.
“We struggled a bit against those teams last year,” he said, “but it is amazing how much the attitudes have changed in a short period of time. The winning attitude is definitely contagious.”
A lot of that is due to Rich. The longtime coach at Chelmsford is a proven commodity in softball circles, but things are certainly more challenging at Northeast (11-7).
“We have kids from 12 different communities and many of the kids on the team work,” Rich said. “One of our players works an overnight shift at a hospital, comes to school, then to practice. It’s more of a challenge to develop a softball culture, but the girls have really come around and we’re having fun.”
Julia Carrillo has shown steady improvement as she’s pitched in all 18 of those games, while catcher Sofie Wyzanski has been solid defensively. Captains Julia Agostini, Katya Zelaya and Kayleigh Brammer have provided leadership and offensive support.
Rich coached many star players in his time at Chelmsford and thinks Brammer, who has 10 homers and a batting average of better than .700, can be as good as any of them.
“She’s as good a hitter as I’ve coached in 30 years,” Rich said. “The ball just explodes off her bat.”
Kelly, with a ‘K’
Norton senior ace Kelly Nelson wasn’t out there long on Wednesday, but it was long enough for history.
Pitching just the first inning, Nelson became the state’s all-time strikeout leader when she struck out the side against Westwood, giving her a career total of 1,222. Former Milford standout Shannon Smith from had the previous mark of 1,219, set from 2010-13.
“It was a special day for Kelly because it was Senior Day,” said coach Wade Lizotte, whose side won 14-2. “We celebrated all six seniors (Nelson, Ally Frontino, Steph Nosky, Liv Pietersen, Christina Dunne and Molly Doyle) because they helped rebuild the program, they brought us back to where we used to be.
“Kelly is the leader of the group. She’s always the first one at practice, has a great sense of humor and a great drive that feeds down to the others.”
Dr. Longball
Robbie Sarmanian of Manchester Essex turned Senior Night against Rockport into a personal showcase. The senior catcher belted three home runs in a 16-5 victory over the Vikings at Ross Field in Gloucester.
“When I hit the first one, I had a feeling I might be in for a big game,” said Sarmanian, who hit a home run in the previous contest against Georgetown to send it into extra innings. “It was special to be able to share the game with my family who were there.”
A two-sport standout at Manchester Essex, Sarmanian plans on concentrate solely on baseball in his freshman year at Bowdoin, but hasn’t ruled out football down the road.