Nashoba Tech Baseball Looking to Rebound After Disappointing Season
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Just two years ago, the Vikings were one of Central Mass’ better teams, posting a record of 15-5 before falling in the M.I.A.A. Division 2 playoffs and the State Vocational School Semifinals.
The Vikings then lost 10 players, including three Central Mass All-Stars, to graduation, and faced a major rebuilding project in 2011. Nashoba Tech was only able to win five games that season, but coach Pat Miele believes his program is trending back up, despite a 1-3 record this year.
“We’re still in an adjustment period, what I think is the second year of a four-year cycle,” Miele said. “I think right now we’re moving in the right direction. We’re playing some solid ball, so the goal for this year is to improve, and then next year we think we have a shot of making the tournament.”
Obstacles
Nashoba Tech baseball currently plays in the highly competitive Colonial Athletic League of Division 2, instead of competing at the Division 3 level like the rest of the school’s varsity programs. That means facing off with schools that sometimes have over 1,000 more students to draw from, and constantly playing freshmen and sophomores against juniors and seniors.
“We’ve got three freshmen starting, and only one senior that is really an everyday starter,” Miele said. “Most of the teams we play will have guys a lot older than ours, so we have to sort of throw our guys to the lions, so to speak. But they’ve done a good job of dealing with it.
Key Players
While the Vikings are young, they do still have some upperclassmen talent. Senior James Murray started the season well on the mound, pitching four innings and giving up only two runs in Nashoba Tech’s win over St. Clement. Murray was able to bat a tremendous .404 last season, and will be the key bat in the Vikings order.
Junior second baseman Matt Brennan has impressed in the field early on, and Miele says he has the athleticism to play shortstop, but tendinitis in his elbow has slightly hampered his throwing this year. Regardless, the Vikings will need continued solid defense from Brennan, as well as another great year at the plate (.467 on-base percentage), to take their next step.
“Last year we had a lot of new guys,” Brennan said. “This year, we at least have some guys coming back, so we’re hoping to get on the same page this year.”
Chemistry Concerns
Another major obstacle Miele and the Vikings have to overcome on an annual basis is that of team chemistry. Unlike at most high schools, where the majority of players have played together for years before getting to varsity, Nashoba Tech brings together players from multiple towns. This can make it difficult to build continuity defensively, and settle on an order offensively.
“With other schools, kids show up and the coach knows where they play and what they can do before they even step on the field,” Miele said. “Here, we have six kids that all think they’re going to be our shortstop, so we have to manage that.”
Building in Cycles
Miele has said that, given the limitations of his program, he must build in four-year cycles, picking a large freshman class with talent, and building toward their senior season. The last class that peaked was the 2010 class, and the only contributor left from that team is Murray. Despite spending the final two years of his high school career on teams in rebuilding mode, Murray is still having a great time.
“It’s definitely hard going from playing with so many guys with experience to so many young guys,” Murray said. “But I’m making the best of it. I love playing the game, so it’s definitely still fun.”
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