By MICHAEL LETENDRE
STAFF WRITER
BRISTOL – Off a 20 win season, what’s the encore going to be like for the baseball squad at St. Paul Catholic High School?
The group has lost a significant senior presence but there’s more than enough firepower- especially on the mound – to keep the Falcons more than competitive this year.
Senior Connor Crean and junior Wes Lahey will lead that talented pitching staff and there should be a few others in the mix as well.
Here’s a look at the St. Paul Catholic baseball team in 2016:
- PAUL CATHOLIC
Head Coach: Victor Rinaldi (first year)
Last season’s Ledger: 20-6 overall, 2-1 NVL Tournament
2015 Tournament: Ranked fifth in the Class S tournament fray, the Falcons sank No. 28 East Hampton 8-3, downing No. 12 Holy Cross in the second round 8-2; but in the quarterfinals they lost to tournament runner-up, No. 4 Morgan, by a 5-3 final.
Strength: Returning pitching; experience
Weakness: Depth
Key Losses: Emilio Santiago (C); Troy Micale (P/INF); AJ Lorenzetti (INF); Kyle MacLean (DH/INF); Brendan Pronovost (OF); Jared Valois (P); Joseph Klimczak (OF/UTL).
Players to watch: Connor Crean (sr., P/INF); Jackson Hines (sr., INF); Ben Mazzone (sr., P/INF); Michael Dombrowski (sr., P/INF); ‘Big’ Chadd Richardson (sr., C); Wesley Lahey (jr., P); Andrew Owsianko (jr., ULT); Jack Bator (jr.).
What to expect from the Falcons: St. Paul has a new coach but his group isn’t exactly new to the baseball diamond.
Off a 20-win campaign, the Catholic baseball program is looking to keep that momentum going and in terms of pitching, the Falcons return some familiar weapons.
Southern New Hampshire University bound Connor Crean was the squad’s top pitcher in 2015 and now, he’s looking to improve on those numbers from a great junior campaign.
Overall, the chucker carried a 2.37 ERA in just over 41 innings of work and allowed opponents just a .153 batting average.
He went 7-1 in nine appearances, starting every game he played in.
Along with Crean will be junior Wes Lahey, who had a big season as a sophomore, going 7-3 in 12 appearances and went the distance in three games.
He had an outstanding 2.40 ERA in a team best 61.1 innings pitched, collecting 51 strikeouts, and allowing just 22 hits overall.
Senior Ben Mazzone (1-0, 1.45 ERA) might crack the rotation as well, as will junior Andrew Owsianko.
Mazzone also brings leadership to the field while Owsianko is going to be a big arm for the Falcons.
Backing up that group of pitchers will be “Big” Chadd Richardson, finally getting his chance to catch full-time at St. Paul.
In a small sample size from last season for the Falcons, Richardson batted a blazing .750 with three hits and an RBI while in the summer, his play for Bristol during the American Legion Northeast Regional Tournament spoke volumes of the player he could become for the Falcons.
And don’t be fooled by senior Mike Dombrowski’s stature (.342, average, 25 hits, 17 RBI and that towering home run shot that left the yard at Wolcott last season) as the veteran has a power game and a glove certainly suited for the infield.
Crean and Mazzone (.243, 18 hits, 13 RBI) also will man positions along the infield as will senior Jackson Hines (.372, 35 hits, 26 runs).
Owsianko (.250, there hits, three RBI) could be an option at first base as well.
The other spots in the line-up will be manned by some first time varsity players and it should be interesting to see what seniors like Wayne Sharp, Jarod Deegan, and Joe Ricciuti— along with junior Jack Bator— bring to the plate as well.
Sure, this team will have its ups and downs this season but expect better than a .500 record out of this group.
Naugatuck Valley League Outlook: Hey, it’s NVL baseball and every game is going to be a challenge whether it’s Wolcott or Naugatuck.
Game One (Saturday, April 2): Connor Crean goes for six RBI off the power of a two-run homer, a three-run tripled and a sacrifice fly as St. Paul demolished Kennedy 20-1 on the road.
Jackson Hines and Mike Dombrowski nabbed three hits apiece while Zach Parent smashed out three hits – including a home run.
Andrew Owsianko was on top his game with a five-inning, one-hit gem for his first scholastic win.
He also struck out eight while Wes Lahey came out of the bullpen in a three K, no hit performance.
Comments? Email mletendre@BristolObserver.com.