It's a minefield of excellent programs, players and coaches in the upcoming MIAA Division 1 and 2 baseball playoffs beginning this week across the Bay State. But no squad is hotter than Catholic Memorial of the Catholic Conference as squads begin postseason play.
Catholic Memorial (15-5) made club history its last three games with no-hitters by sophomores John Goreman and Matt Goreham capped by a two-hitter by senior Phil Rossi in a 1-0 win over Wachusett.
The Knights are just a No. 4 seed in the upcoming Division 1 sectional and in the five-team Catholic Conference, they are one of three teams with a 3-5 record behind league champ Boston College High and second-place St. John's Prep.
"It is very balanced," fifth-year head coach Hal Carey said of the conference."Any team can knock each other off. And everyone plays a tough non-league schedule, too."
Matt Goreham nearly pulled off a perfect outing against Needham in a 16-0 win. The tall righthander baffled Rockets' hitters by striking out 15 batters with precision and power and allowed just one ball out of the infield. But a swing at a pitch in the dirt on one of his K's in the fifth inning got away and the runner reached first. There was another error in the final inning on a routine grounder.
"It gets pretty competitive," Carey says of his pitching trio averaging 10 Ks per game with a collective ERA of just over 2.0. "They try to outdo each other and kid around about who does best but all of our players approach the game by being professional and workmanlike. Matt might be the most polished in velocity and control, John is an all-around player and outstanding hitter and Phil has the best fastball. But their pitching gives us confidence that we feel will give us a chance to win every game."
Division 1 North
Lincoln-Sudbury, led by one of the outstanding hurlers around in Derek Lowe, is the top seed at 18-2 but it is difficult to name a clear-cut favorite in this group. Torrid Beverly (18-2), Northeastern Conference Large title shareholder (with Peabody), has reeled off 11 straight wins and has a powerful hitting attack paced by Peter Kallas (six homers). Three weeks ago Westford knocked off Lincoln-Sudbury. Looming not so deep in the background are Catholic Conference squads, St. John's Prep and Malden Catholic.
Division 1 South
At least six of the best players in the state are in this extremely competitive, 22-team sectional which features not only top seed Bridgewater-Raynham (18-2) but also BC High (16-4 and MaxPreps' No. 1 squad in the state), Dartmouth (15-5) and Catholic Memorial.
Division 1 Central
Wachusett (17-3) demonstrated how strong it is in its recent 1-0 loss to Catholic Memorial in its final game. But it will have their hands full with several other sectional qualifiers including Holy Name, Algonquin and Milford, seeded right behind with 16-4 records.
Division 2 Central
Last year's state finalist Auburn (18-2) might have a slight edge in several ways, especially experience. But the buzz is also about top seed Worcester Tech (18-2) which recently won the Large Division Vocational State Tournament championship, 17-0, over Assabet fueled by a 12-run fifth inning and featuring the hitting of Roberto De Los Santos, Shane Keddy and Mike Mastrototaro. Nipmuc and Hudson, both at 16-4, round out the top four seeds.
Division 2 North
Hingham (17-3), the Patriot League Keenan Division champ, earned its top seed with efforts from such standouts as Sam Koonce, Alex Criscuolo, K.C. Murphy, Jake McGuiggan and standout hurler, Eric MacIver. There is plenty of worthy company, though, with last year's sectional finalist and perennial South Coast Conference power Dighton-Rehoboth (16-4), along with Bishop Stang (14-4) as well as King Philip and Hopkinton (each 15-5) also could contend for the sectional title. And no squad will ever count out Bishop Feehan or Duxbury (both 14-6) or defending state champ Plymouth North with Joe Flynn (11-9) either.
Boys Lacrosse: Playoff pairings set
Lacrosse programs have grown and evolved in the Bay State in the past five years with no greater indicator of that than participation by several past Massachusetts public and prep school stars in last week's NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships held at Foxboro's Gillette Stadium.
Eastern Division 1 top seed St. John's Prep (16-2) offered a window of hope when it shockingly halted Duxbury's 99-game reign over MIAA competition last month. But that might be the motivation the Dragons (15-3) need to secure another state title. Look for the numbers three through eight seeds, however, to put up a fierce fight including Billerica (15-3), Barnstable (18-2), Lincoln-Sudbury (14-2), BC High (13-5) Xaverian (12-7) and Needham (15-5).
Central Division 2 top seed St. John's got a huge boost when it defeated Longmeadow, longtime Western Massachusetts power and 17-time state champion. And it still might yet meet the formidable Lancers late in the state playoffs. But the 15-3 Pioneers, a top seed in this sectional, will still have to overcome their biggest adversary, No. 2 seed Algonquin (16-2) and other strong squads such as Bromfield and Grafton, both of whom were 14-4.
In Eastern Division 2, something must give in what should be a titanic tug-of-war between so many high-quality teams. Guaranteed: one of the unbeatens will eventually go down, be it top seed Medfield (20-0) or No. 2 seed Reading (18-0). Then there is Walpole (18-1) and Concord-Carlisle (18-2) right behind. Not to be overlooked: Hingham (14-6), a deceptive No. 6 seed because of its tough schedule.
Girls Lacrosse: Top seeds Wellesley and Lincoln-Sudbury lead the way
In Division 1 North, it could be a wild scramble. While Lincoln-Sudbury (17-1) may be the top seed (17-1-0), Concord-Carlisle (16-1-0), Framingham (18-2-0) and Chelmsford (16-2-0), are among other squads with excellent records could emerge as sectional champ.
Several squads are itching to topple unbeaten Wellesley (18-0) in Division 1 South, including perennial power Westwood (19-1-0) and Needham (15-4-1).
In Division 2 South, top seed and undefeated Martha's Vineyard (18-0-0) will try to overcome Duxbury (17-1-0) and Mansfield (15-2-1) among other powerful squads.
In Division 2 North, top seed Bishop Fenwick (16-2-0) will be pursued by Arlington Catholic (17-3-0), St. Mary's Lynn (15-3-0), Winchester (14-3-1) and North Andover (16-4-0), among others.
Note: Western Mass. pairings for lacrosse and baseball were not established as of publication.
