Central Division I Baseball Semifinal Preview

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Wednesday, June 05, 2013

Matt Metcalf, GoLocalWorcester Sports Contributor

Top-seeded Nashoba will look to make it to the finals with a semifinal win this afternoon.

The Central Division I semifinals will get underway Wednesday afternoon at Tivnan Field in Worcester, Massachusetts, with the winners playing in the championship at 7pm on Saturday.

#3 St. John's vs. #7 Leominster (4pm)

The Pioneers have been one of the most consistent teams in all of Central Mass, compiling a 17-5 record on the year. They made it to the semifinals with a 7-5 hard-fought win over sixth-seeded Shrewsbury High School in the quarterfinals. St. John's is led by Tom Petry and Steve D'Agostino, who have both been dominant this season. Petry has a .403 batting average at the plate with three home runs and 26 runs batted in, while D'Agostino has thrown 24 innings this spring, compiling a 4-1 record with 39 strikeouts and a 1.17 earned run average.

Seventh-seeded Leominster has been one of the surprises in this year's tournament, knocking off second-seeded Shepherd Hill 15-8 in the quarterfinals to secure a semifinal berth. The Blue Devils are led by offensive standout Neil O'Conner, who has posted a .424 average on the year, while driving in 14 runs.

#1 Nashoba vs. #4 Wachusett (7pm)

17-3 Nashoba has been the most dominant team in Central Mass this year, powering past Algonquin with a convincing 7-1 victory in the quarterfinals. Nashoba is led by Nick Campana and Jack Sarnoski, who have both been dominant performers all year. Campana has hit .382 on the season, with one home run and 17 runs batted in, while Sarnoski is a perfect 5-0 on the mound, with 40 strikeouts in 40 innings pitched and a 1.07 earned run average.

Fourth-seeded Wachusett will look to knock off top-seeded Nashoba in the semifinals, after an impressive 5-0 win over Doherty in the quarterfinals. Wachusett is led by two of the better hitters in Central Mass this season. Scott Tupper and Connor Gill are each hitting an impressive .413 on the year, posing a threat to Nashoba's pitching staff.