Had Belmont High School’s baseball team won just one more game last year, they’d be coming off a Division I MIAA tournament berth.
But the Marauders went 9-11 and missed the playoffs, something they vow not to repeat this spring.
“I think we have a team that can do it,” senior outfielder and captain Casey Regan said. “We just need to keep working hard.”
If offseason workouts mean anything, they’re well on their way. Beginning in January, Regan and fellow captain, infielder/pitcher Charlie Tingos, organized workouts on multiple days of the week, focusing on strength, conditioning and baseball-specific drills. They vowed to lead a team ready to play from the jump, not to play catch up when tryouts began. Coaches told the captains to do it, sure, but they took the direction and ran with it.
“We’ve already put in way more work as a team than we have in the past three years,” Tingos said. “This is our best chance we have.”
Belmont coach Jim Brown, in his 24th year leading the program, likes the chemistry he sees in the group. The upperclassmen-heavy group bought into the program’s tenets instead of worrying about individual accolades.
“The stronger we are, the more we have,” Brown said. “We have a lot of leadership.”
Both Regan, back to full strength after missing half of last season due to injury, and Tingos batted above .300 last year. Junior shortstop John Connolly looks to build off batting .350 last year. Senior Brendan Han and junior Kellen Jones will split time at catcher, Tingos’ former position.
Three senior pitchers, all of whom will play collegiately, anchor the staff. Colby-bound lefty Kyle Ksander looks good and throws in the mid-80s after missing all of last season with a freak hamstring injury suffered during preseason practices. Another lefty, Craig Deane, will play at Suffolk following his Belmont High career.
Last year’s top pitcher, righty Eric Porter, will play across the infield when not on the bump. Ksander might play a little bit of infield, too, and “can swing the stick,” Brown said.
Overall, having so many pitchers is a luxury rarely seen in the program. Keeping arms healthy for the long-term won’t be so hard. Pitching, which the coach said should help the Marauders compete in every game, and defense, come first. Hitting follows.
“If we allow three to four runs per game, we should win,” Tingos said.
“Definitely pitching is our strength,” Regan added.
The regular season leads off with a home game against Everett High School on Friday, April 3 at 4:15 p.m. Other key matchups include:
- April 8 at Reading Memorial High School, 4:15 p.m.
- April 16 at Wakefield Memorial High School, 4:15 p.m.
- April 27 vs. Winchester High School, 4:15 p.m.
- May 22-23, Brendan Grant Tournament (Reading Memorial High School, Lynnfield High School, Burlington High School)
Belmont made the state tournament 19 straight years, but has not in three of the past four. Brown hopes getting into the tournament becomes the norm again.
“My goal every year is to compete for the Middlesex League, and I don’t think it should even be a question to make the tournament,” Brown said. “Our numbers are getting back up and our players are doing more in the offseason.”
Both Regan and Tingos will not play in college. For the first and only time in the multi-sport athletes’ careers, there isn’t another season to look forward to.
“After this,” Tingos said, “there’s nothing left.”
