MIAA baseball tournament: Favorites, sleepers, and players to watch for Divisions 1-5
Top-seeded Taunton, which last won in 2023, carries a 16-6 record while second-seeded St. John's (Shrewsbury) is 15-5.
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In Division 3, top-seeded St. Mary's is arguably the favorite after
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Pittsfield sits atop the D4 bracket, but
English High made history as
Here's a breakdown of each division.
Division 1
Favorites
: No. 1 Taunton (16-6), No. 5 Xaverian (15-5)
Sleepers
: No. 9 Weymouth (16-6), No. 13 Lawrence (13-7)
Players to watch
: INF Joey Benoit (Taunton, Jr.), P/DH Max Boehm (Wellesley, So.), INF Jack Forgues (St. John's-S, Sr.), P Cam Hasenfus (King Philip, Sr.), P/OF Chris Jaillet (Andover, Sr.), P/DH Luke Joyce (Braintree, So.), P Paul McCarthy (Xaverian, Sr.), P Jack Reyes (Weymouth, Sr.), P/SS Will Shaheen (St. John's Prep, Sr.), P/DH Andrew Shute (Bishop Feehan, Jr.), P/1B Matt Stuart (Chelmsford, Sr.)
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Best first-round matchup
: Monday (4:30 p.m.), No. 20 North Andover (16-6) at
Longest road trip:
Monday (5 p.m.), No. 25 Springfield Central (14-6) at No. 8 Braintree (12-8), 95 miles
Analysis
: Among the top 15 seeds are four Hockomock teams, four from the Catholic Conference, three Bay State, and three Merrimack Valley teams. Only No. 3 Bishop Feehan, which closed the year winning 11 of 12, isn't from those four conferences. Taunton is no stranger to deep tournament runs, having won
Division 2
Favorites:
No. 1 Plymouth North (16-4), No. 2 Reading (17-3).
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Sleepers:
No. 8 Duxbury (15-5), No. 15 Hopkinton (14-7).
Players to watch:
SS/3B Matthew Nardone (Plymouth North, Sr.), P Ethan LeBovidge (Reading, Sr.), P/OF Brady Paradis (North Attleborough, Sr.), P Andrew Burke (Walpole, Sr.), P/OF/C Brady Wilson (Duxbury, Sr.), C Drew Donegan (Westwood, Sr.), P/OF Scott Longo (Milton, Sr.), OF Nick Pedroli (Hopkinton, Sr.), INF/OF/P Jacob Getchell (Whitman-Hanson, Sr.)
Best first-round matchup:
Sunday (6 p.m.), No. 18 Whitman-Hanson (12-8) at No. 15 Hopkinton (14-7).
Longest road trip:
Friday (3:30 p.m.), No. 36 Lynn Classical at No. 29 Minnechaug — 97.5 miles.
Analysis:
From opening day, top-seeded Plymouth North manufactured seven consecutive wins before falling, 4-1, to one of the D1 favorites, Xaverian, then launched another seven-game win streak. Three of the Eagles' four losses came in the last five games, which could be a team slumping at the wrong moment, or motivation to get back on track. No. 2 Reading has good pitching across the board — which helps now that the schedule gets tight. Brady Paradis has that clutch factor coaches rely on in the postseason, and he is complemented in No. 3 North Attleborough's lineup by Lucas Crovo and Nick Torres. The trio are a nightmare for opposing pitchers, and the Hock repeatedly produces winners. No. 9 Westwood, the Tri-Valley Large champion, has sound leadership, starting with Drew Donegan, and No. 8 Duxbury is deep beyond measure and is enjoying one of the program's most successful seasons in recent years.
Division 3
Favorites
: No. 1 St. Mary's (19-3), No. 2 Norwell (16-4).
Sleepers
: No. 8 Weston (15-5), No. 12 Hanover (12-6).
Players to watch
: P/OF Josh Doney (St. Mary's, Sr.), P/SS Patrick Higgins (Norwell, Sr.), P/OF Jack Shapiro (Latin Academy, Jr.), P/IF Ryan O'Leary (Foxborough, Sr.), OF Will Forman (Dighton-Rehoboth, Sr.), SS Dyllon Pratt (Shawsheen, Sr.), P/IF Owen Jurajuria (Weston, Sr.), SS Brock Winslow (Bishop Stang, Jr.), P/SS Brayden Francis (Gloucester, Sr.), SS Jason Curran (North Reading, Sr.).
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Best first-round matchup
: Monday (3:30 p.m.), No. 18 Latin Academy (17-6) at No. 15 Dighton-Rehoboth (14-6).
Longest road trip
: Sunday (2 p.m.), No. 17 Taconic (11-8) at No. 16 Apponequet (10-10), 163 miles
Analysis
: The runner-up a year ago, St. Mary's returned its entire team and have thrived
Division 4
Favorites:
No. 1 Pittsfield (16-4), No. 3 Hamilton-Wenham (17-3)
Sleepers:
No. 6 Seekonk (12-8), No. 9 Uxbridge (15-5)
Players to watch:
SS/3B/OF Jack Abel (Pittsfield, Sr.), P/3B Walter Radulski (Lynnfield, Sr.), OF Gian Gamelli (Hamilton-Wenham, Sr.), P/1B Brian Mancinelli (St. John Paul II, Jr.), P/OF Cole Arruda (Seekonk, Jr.), P/1B Devon Blair (East Bridgewater, Sr.), SS/P Charlie Criscola (Uxbridge, Sr.), P/OF JP Bolduc (Northbridge, Jr.)
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Best first-round matchup:
Monday (5 p.m.), No. 17 Old Colony (13-5) at No. 16 Frontier (12-8).
Longest road trip:
Monday (4 p.m.), No. 21 Monomoy at No. 12 Monument Mountain – 203 miles.
Analysis:
The best player in the D4 bracket, with no hesitation, is No. 3 Hamilton-Wenham's Gian Gamelli,
Division 5
Favorites
: No. 1 Pioneer Valley Regional (20-0), No. 2 English High (17-5)
Sleepers
: No. 7 Charlestown (13-5), No. 16 Georgetown (10-10)
Players to watch
: P/SS Armanis Romero (English High, Sr.), 2B Ethan Quinn (Pioneer Valley Regional, Sr.), SS Brendan Loewen (Georgetown, Jr.), 2B Brayan Pimentel (Boston International, Jr.), P/3B Connor Hinkell (Drury, Jr.)
Best first-round matchup
: Sunday (2 p.m.), No. 17 Lenox (12-7) at No. 16 Georgetown.
Longest road trip
: Sunday (2 p.m.), No. 17 Lenox at No. 16 Georgetown, 157 miles.
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