Latest news with #AustinPrep
Boston Globe
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Three high school sports takeaways, including commitments to Duke, West Virginia, and Providence
Team Massachusetts is helmed by Braintree coach Bill O'Connell and assisted by BC High's Steve Healy , Walpole's Chris Costello , and Blackstone Valley Tech's Mike Denise . Related : The roster: Mac Bianchi (Nobles), Matt Blanusa (Dexter Southfield), Max Boehm (Wellesley), Owen Byrnes (Dexter Southfield), Alexander Cantwell (Dexter Southfield), Chase Edgar (Austin Prep), Morrie Fried (Pittsfield), Brett Gallo (St. Sebastian's), Luke Joyce (Braintree), Quincy Kerr (IMG), Bradley McCaffery (Austin Prep), Ryan Moreschi (Austin Prep), Braden Place (Roxbury Latin), James Rabuse (Wahconah), Nick Ranaldi (Austin Prep), Nolan Rappoli (Xaverian), Ryan Ruggiero (Winchendon), Brian Sao (Belmont Hill), Connor Secrist (St. John's Shrewsbury), and Andrew Shute (Bishop Feehan). Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up In addition, four Massachusetts players were selected for the National High School Baseball Coaches Association All-Region 1 team, which includes New England and New York. Advertisement Brayden Mercier , a senior pitcher for St. John's (Shrewsbury); Matt Stuart , a senior pitcher for Chelmsford; Paul McCarthy , a senior pitcher for Xaverian; and Randen May , a senior infielder for Bishop Feehan, were chosen. 1. Commitment central Emmy O'Donnell , a rising junior at Concord-Carlisle, announced her verbal commitment to play women's soccer at Duke. Advertisement A member of the US Under-17 Women's National Team, the only one from Massachusetts, O'Donnell is currently training in Fayetteville, Ga. O'Donnell has 14 goals and 10 assists in two varsity seasons, earning a pair of Dual County All-League nods and selection as an Eastern Mass. All-Star. Related : 'I would like to thank my coaches, friends, and family for supporting me through everything,' Emmy O'Donnell Her older sister was Maisey O'Donnell , ▪ Andrew Middleton , a former Canton High star who graduated from Dexter Southfield, is transferring to West Virginia after two years at UMass. A lefthanded pitcher, he struck out 29 in 11⅔ innings last season before undergoing internal brace surgery. Next stop, Almost heaven! — Andrew Middleton (@AMiddles16) ▪ Providence College announced its incoming men's hockey class, which includes Newton's Aaron Matthews . The 5-foot-11-inch goaltender split time with the Boston Jr. Bruins, Renfrew Wolves (CCHL), and Worcester Jr. Railers from 2022-24, then played for the New Jersey Rockets of the NCDC, posting a 3.60 GAA and .897 save percentage in 26 games. Four more additions to the 2025-26 roster! Alex Rybakov Jack Parsons Martin Masa Aaron Matthews Welcome to Friartown, guys! — PC Men's Hockey (@FriarsHockey) ▪ Evan Velardo , a rising senior at Masconomet, announced his commitment to play football at Colby College. The 6-foot-4-inch, 250-pound two-way lineman was named Northeastern All-Conference and also had offers from Nichols and Denison. After a great call with — Evan Velardo '26 (@evanvel59) 2. Coaching carousel ▪ Mashpee has promoted Molly Shield to be its girls' soccer coach. Shield had coached the Falcons' JV team for four years and the middle schools squad for one. Advertisement A two-year captain at Bridgewater State, she will be inducted into the Mansfield High Athletics Hall of Fame this fall. She takes over a Mashpee team that went 3-12-4 last year under coach Trish Morano . We are very excited to announce that Molly Shield will be the new varsity girls soccer head coach. Coach Shield is an outstanding young coach and teacher and has been the girls soccer JV coach for 4 years and was a 1 year middle school girls soccer coach. — Mashpee Athletics (@MashpeeAthletic) ▪ Kathryn 'Kat' Manigan will take the reigns of Seekonk athletics as the district's new Dean of Athletics and Programs, emerging from among eight candidates. An indoor and outdoor track coach at Southeastern, she also served as the school's assistant athletics and activities director. 'I'm confident that with her experience, Kay will be a great fit,' said Seekonk High principal William V. Whalen III in a statement. 'Not only will she make an excellent athletics director, but she's also a qualified administrator. We had a lot of good candidates, but Kay stood out and seemed like a perfect fit for this role.' A Quinnipiac graduate, Manigan taught science at Southeastern for 11 years, while leading the girls' track team to its first league championship in 2022, and the boys to their first conference crown in 26 years. She also served as an assistant volleyball, field hockey, girls' lacrosse, and girls' basketball coach. 'I have played and coached so many sports in my life that it is hard to find one that I have not participated in or tried, but I also have a strong passion for the musical arts,' Manigan said in a statement. She replaces John Moran , Seekonk Public Schools Names Kathryn Manigan as New Dean of Athletics and Programs: Seekonk Public Schools has named Kathryn Manigan as the District's new Dean of Athletics and Programs. (Photo Courtesy Seekonk Public Schools) SEEKONK — Superintendent… — Seekonk Public Schools (@SeekonkPS) ▪ Taylor Pirie , who grew up in Hamilton and graduated from Governor's Academy, has been named the varsity lacrosse coach at Avon Old Farms in Connecticut. Advertisement An All-ISL selection at Governor's, where his father, John , is the coach, he went on to play at Middlebury, then coached at Trinity-Pawling and the Millbrook School in New York. We're proud to officially promote Mark Naclerio to Head Coach! Read More: — AOF HOCKEY (@AOF_Hockey) 3. Odds and ends ▪ Tess Barrett , who graduated from Cohasset early and has already spent a semester at Boston College, was honored as the Massachusetts girls' soccer Player of the Year by the United Coaches Association. Barrett scored 29 goals with 27 assists, finishing her All-American high school career with 123 goals and 94 assists, graduating as the school's all-time leader in points, goals, and assists. She will play this fall for the Eagles. ▪ St. John's Prep football coach Brian St. Pierre will be inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Hall of Fame in the fall. St. Pierre, an SJP alum who was born in Salem, quarterbacked the Eagles to a nine-win season in 2002, including a win in the Motor City Bowl. He threw for 5,837 yards and 48 touchdowns during his time in Chestnut Hill before being selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft by the Steelers. He went on to play in the NFL for six seasons and was hired at St. John's Prep in 2014 and has since led the Eagles to three Division 1 Super Bowl wins. Congratulations to Brian St. Pierre '03 for being a member of the 2025 Boston College Varsity Club Hall of Fame Induction Class! Read more: — Boston College Football (@BCFootball) Brendan Kurie can be reached at
CBS News
14-06-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Reading 'Swamp Boy' McCafferty's named Gatorade Massachusetts Baseball Player of the Year
A junior at Austin Prep in Reading will be touring the country playing baseball, and he's hoping it will someday lead to Fenway Park. The Swamp Boys A long line of D-1 college baseball players has emerged from a field in Reading, affectionately called "The Swamp." "We refer to ourselves as the Swamp Boys, and that's a nod to the players that came before this current generation who played down here when it was a swamp," said Austin Prep Baseball Coach JP Pollard Of all Austin Prep's "Swamp Boys," Bradley McCafferty is the only one who has been named the Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year for Massachusetts. "Every moment of every day, when I was little, I wanted to play baseball. It took me where I am today. So I love the game," McCaffery said. Most days, McCaffery dedicates himself to working on his craft as a catcher. "Every play, you're back there commanding the game. So that's, I think, why I fell in love with it. Never a moment where you can't be locked in. I'm a competitor. The rising senior has been a standout behind home plate, says Austin Prep alum Evan Blanco, who's now a Major League Baseball draft prospect out of the University of Virginia. "Bradley's a stud. I remember him catching me when he was in middle school before he came to Austin Prep. I even knew that he was something special back then," Blanco said. A student of the game McCafferty said he takes notes from guys like Blanco who've been there before. "It's always just valuable because those guys have another insight - I haven't been there yet," McCafferty said. He's helped lead Austin Prep to a 20-2 record this season, batting .367 and averaging one RBI per game. "He's come a very long way as a catcher, and as a hitter he's night and day. He is a well-rounded hitter that has power potential, but can hit to all fields, can shorten up and hit in two-strike counts. He's a future pro," Pollard said. McCafferty's already gotten a taste of the big leagues over the past two years, spending time on the Red Sox and Yankees scout teams. "It's pretty surreal playing for those great organizations. I go to places like Fenway. I like to go to ballparks a lot. I try to envision myself on that field. What would it look like? ... I see it happening. That's the goal at least," McCafferty said. This summer, he'll be crossing the country playing ball, eventually serving as captain for Team Massachusetts in Omaha. "I wasn't a good Little League player. ... When I do my coaching stuff, I tell the young kids, 'I never hit a home run in Little League, and, like, look where I am now.' It doesn't matter about how you are when you're young. When I was young, I was confident in my ability, but I never thought I'd have the chance - maybe have the chance - to go to college or to go pro to play baseball. It's all about work ethic and goals. Your skill is never a complacent thing. ... You gotta keep working at it."
