Coming off a 7-13 record, Lawrence High coach Alberto Abreu had much higher expectations this spring, that his team would much more competitive.
More experience equated to more wins. So far, the assessment is spot-on.
The Lancers are currently 6-2, with Friday’s 5-0 forfeit win over Andover and Monday’s 18-8 clubbing of Central, pushing Lawrence up to No. 6 in the most recent MIAA Division 1 power rankings.
“Our guys turned it up. We had some great hitting, we were aggressive at the plate and we demonstrated what our bats can do,” said Abreu.
Monday’s game was the third time this season that the Lancers have scored nine runs or more in a game – each time having big innings with multiple runs coming across including a five-run inning and then a seven-run inning.
“(Innings like that) help get our confidence up, we get through our entire lineup , we get more at-bats and the guys get more comfortable as the season goes on,” said Abreu.
Lawrence had last beaten Central in the 2019 Division 1 North tourney opener. Those Lancers — who swept both regular season games vs. the Raiders — finished 14-9 overall, losing in the sectional semifinal to Andover.
Since then, Lawrence has not had a winning season. The Lancers are now one win away from equaling last year’s win total, with 11 games left on the schedule.
“Yeah, we expected this. We have worked really hard with these kids. They all had a good offseason, they worked hard and we’ve had some volunteer coaches who have helped these guys out so yeah we expected this. We play to win,” said Abreu.
The success has come from up and down the roster. Will Perez is batting .353, followed by three other guys at .333 — Angel Castillo, Luis Arias and Isaias Romero. On the mound, both Jayden Minaya and Jose Abreu have two wins, and Christian Reynoso and Perez have provided big innings.
“Senior Angel Castillo is playing really well. He’s the team leader in runs batted in for us and he’s also a rock at third base,” said Abreu. “Another senior David Manon was able to turn it up (against Central). Jhon Hidalgo, our lead-off hitter has been great for us and just has amazing speed. Will Perez is probably one of our most valuable players. He can do it all. He can pitch, he can play center field, he can play shortstop and he had a couple of hits (against Central) and he’s just been clutch for us. He’s a veteran.”
Sticking it out
Methuen High senior Noah Kneeland put together several strong seasons for the three-time league champion boys hockey team. He can also play a little ball.
“Noah was called up to varsity as a sophomore and ended up suffering a shoulder injury causing him to miss most of his junior year,” explained coach Cam Roper. “Not playing baseball for essentially two full years is very difficult and Noah is starting to find consistency for us. He’s developing into a leader and providing us with some much needed mental toughness. Noah has filled a void at the top of the lineup, settling nicely into the two-hole.”
Speaking of sticks
Troy Takesian was one of the top local hockey goalies over the past few years, and while his goalie equipment has been put away for a while, he’s kept his stick with him.
“He’s had some big hits for us in our wins,” said coach Todd Dulin. “He had two big hits in our come-from-behind win over Lowell and he also had the game-winning hit against Westford Academy. He also brings intense competitive energy to the baseball team.”
Rosario providing big innings
Greater Lawrence is struggling at 1-7, but lately senior Jehu Rosario has really stepped up. He’s given up just three earned runs in each of his last two starts, first in a 4-1 loss to Malden and then in the team’s first win, a 10-4 triumph over Northeast. Over his last 14 innings, he’s struck out 13. In addition to pitching, he’s also played error-free defense at third, first and center.
Pythons off to a torrid start
Pelham is enjoying a 6-2 start with both defeats coming in extra innings by one-run to Milford (1-0) and Plymouth (2-1). Leading the way for Pelham thus far has been Henry Paquette. Out all of last season with a broken leg, he has been dominant with 44 strikeouts in 29.2 innings pitched, walking just eight and giving up just two earned runs for an 0.47 ERA.
Nolan Drew is 2-0 with a 2.42 ERA and offensively, Zach James is batting .435 with 11 RBIs. Jake Davidson is at .308 with eight RBIs and James Patchen is at .348 with six RBIs.
Peetz starting to peek
Timberlane Regional is struggling with a 2-7 record, but last week pitcher Myles Peetz picked up both wins on the mound coming against Windham and Manchester Central.
“His season started slow with a couple of injuries in preseason, but he has since recovered and been very productive for us,” said coach Alex Horgan. “Myles is a hard-throwing lefty that can strike people out. He also can mix in his slider that is tough for people to hit. He has done a good job of getting outs when needed. He has been a big spark in the rotation and we except him to be a big innings guy for us.”
Besides Peetz, freshman Shaun Ingram has “also been a spark the past few games. Working between catcher and third baseman he has been inserted and been productive making plays in the field and putting the ball in play,” said the coach.
Martino thriving in new position
Throughout his entire baseball life, Windham’s Josh Martino has been a catcher – up until this year. He has moved to the mound and has thrived with two wins, a 3.50 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 14 innings.
“With poise and makeup to be a legit number-one arm in the near future, featuring an 84-86 mph fastball, slider and changeup mix, Josh has been one of our top arms this year being our number-two starting pitcher,” said coach Matt Case. “The ceiling for Josh is extremely high and we look forward to helping grow into his pitching role.”
He’s also done pretty well with the bat, currently batting .296.
Eli pretty Sharp behind plate
Pinkerton Academy is the lone unbeaten in New Hampshire Division I and senior Elijah Sharp has been at the heart of lightning start.
Moving in from left field, Sharp also slid into the cleanup spot this spring and currently has a .310 average with three RBI.
“Eli has done a great job adapting to his spot in the middle of the order,” said head coach Steve Campo. “He worked hard in the offseason to simplify his mechanics and it has been paying off.