Expectations Raised for Burncoat Baseball

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Joe Parello, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

The Patriots will lean heavily on Regan Aghdam this season. The senior is expected to bat third in the order, star at shortstop and lead the pitching staff.

Burncoat came within one run of making the Central Mass Championship game a year ago, and their coach does not plan on taking a step back this season.

“The expectations are always about the same,” coach Brian Sargent said. “But this year, they’re actually a little higher. We bring back a bunch of seniors, and we want to get back to where we were, but also take a step and win the district.”

Senior Laden

The Patriots bring back 11 seniors to be exact, and have several that will be asked to fuel their powerful offense. Charles Barbon has led Inter-High in batting for the past two seasons, and his phenomenal .532 average a year ago earned the outfielder Co-MVP honors in Central Mass. He will no doubt look to lead the Patriots this season, and improve upon a career batting average of over .500.

Senior Ryan O’Connor is second on the team, batting “only” .350, and holding down the hot corner defensively at third base. Classmate Regan Aghdam will star in the middle of the infield at shortstop, and is expected to bat in the middle of the order. The Patriots will need big contributions from those two if they are to seriously contend for a district championship, but Aghdam believes the team’s camaraderie may be its biggest strength.

“Having so many guys all in the same age group, it really helps because we’re all friends,” Aghdam said. “We have great team chemistry, and we pick each other up after mistakes.”

Offensive Firepower

The Patriots boast one of the region’s best offensive orders, and coach Sargent will put his lineup against any in Central Mass.

“I think we can compete with anybody out there,” Sargent said. “Offensively, from one through nine, I think we hit well at all spots. The offense is definitely going to carry this team.”

Will Pitching Emerge?

While the Patriots have a stacked order, there are question marks in their pitching staff. To add depth, Sargent is hoping sophomore Matt Howard can step into a starting pitching spot, and play first base on off-days. He is also looking for junior T.J. Cameryt to step into the lineup at catcher and help manage a thin pitching staff.

Senior centerfielder Matt Lavin is confident that someone will step up in the rotation. But, if they do not, he believes the Patriots have enough veteran depth to make up for it in other areas.

“Absolutely it helps (to have so much experience),” Lavin said. “We can lean on each other in different places to get better (as a team). The defense has to minimize errors and make sure we give our pitchers a real chance to be successful.”