Doherty Baseball’s Youth Movement

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Joe Parello, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Senior Ray Familia provides power in the middle of the Highlander order.

The baseball team at Doherty Memorial High School saw its season end earlier than expected last year when they were bounced in the first round of the playoffs. Now, faced with a large rebuilding project, coach Ed Whalen knows he will have to be patient.

“I think we should be fundamentally sound, and we have a lot of talented young guys,” Whalen said. “But physically, it’s going to take some time for these kids to develop, and we have to get a lot of guys experience.”

Growing Up

The Highlanders went 15-6 last season, and entered the Central Mass playoffs as the No. 2 seed. Unfortunately for Doherty, they ran into a hot Holy Name squad, and fell 13-3. The Highlander’s have graduated 11 seniors since then, and Whalen is looking for younger players in the program to step up.

“One thing about our program, is we really integrate the varsity and JV teams,” Whalen said. “We think that prepares them mentally, and hopefully eases the younger guys’ transition. But, you still have to go through those growing pains.”

Sneaking In

The term “rebuilding year” has been thrown around a lot at Doherty, and rightfully so. But, senior catcher Adam Goldstein doesn’t view the term negatively. On the contrary, the four-year starter sees this season as an opportunity to surprise everyone in the district.

Senior Adam Goldstein is back for his fourth year starting at catcher for Doherty.

“This team reminds me of the one I was on two years ago as a sophomore,” Goldstein said. “Everyone said we were in a rebuilding year then too, but we were able to fly a little under the radar and sneak into the playoffs. I think we can do that this year, and other teams will not be thinking about us as much.”

Players to Watch

They may be young, but the Highlanders still have some players that can make some noise this year. Junior Noah Robinson comes in with massive expectations, and he’s big enough to carry the weight. As a 6-foot-4 college football recruit, Robinson certainly has power, and he is the Highlanders’ best returning hitter. On a team comprised of mostly underclassmen, senior Ray Familia should be able to tie the infield together. A solid defensive third baseman with great power in his swing, Familia is one of Doherty’s most complete players.

Rejuvenated

While Whalen admits his team has a great deal of work to do, he thinks this year’s squad has reminded him why he loves coaching.

“We have a lot of talent, but we only return three or four kids that have a varsity hit,” Whalen said. “It’s a big jump, but I’m excited to reteach a lot of the fundamentals. You get revitalized a little bit working with younger players. Last year’s team had a lot of experience, and we didn’t spend a lot of time working on pick-offs and things like that. Now we’re getting back to those things.”

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