Medway & Millis April 2020

April 2020 Medway & Millis Local Town Pages www.localtownpages.com Page 25
Sports
Pitching Will Be the Key for Medway Nine’s Tourney Hopes
By KEN HAMWEY, Staff
Sports Writer
It’s a good bet that no one in
Medway would complain if the
high school’s baseball team duplicated
last year’s results in the
Division 3 South Sectional Tournament.
The Mustangs rolled to the
school’s first Sectional baseball
crown by defeating Tri County,
Diman and Dedham before
eliminating Ashland in the final.
Coach Mike Coppinger’s forces
continued building on their momentum
by downing Bishop
Fenwick in the State semifinal
game before bowing in the final
to Taconic Regional of Pittsfield.
As Coppinger gets his squad
ready for its opener in Norton
(April 7), the new season will be
different than the historic 2019
campaign. Very different.
Ten seniors have graduated,
and three of them were the heart
and soul of the Mustangs’ pitching
rotation. “We’ll be a team that
will compete for the Tri Valley
League Small Division title, we’ll
strive to qualify for the tourney
and hopefully go deep again,’’
Coppinger said. “But, our pitching
will be a work in progress
because we’ll have to overcome
inexperience.’’
Losing Eli Joyce-Vorce, Justin
Pratt and Sam DiPillo is huge.
Joyce-Vorce, who was a Boston
Globe All-Scholastic, had a 9-3
record and an E.R.A. of 0.79.
Pratt was 5-1, his E.R.A. was 1.65
and his batting average was .357.
DiPillo pitched (3.23 E.R.A.) and
played the outfield.
Medway’s opponents would
be foolish to lower the degree of
difficulty when they face the Mustangs.
There’s still plenty of assets
and a balanced approach to deal
with.
“We’ll be strong defensively,
we can steal bases and play small
ball,’’ Coppinger noted. “We also
can hit for power and we’ve got
speed and quickness. Although
we’ve lost a lot of seniors, we’ve
got experience, a high baseball
IQ, and skilled players.’’
Medway’s senior captains —
Nick Sheehan and Matt Peterson
— are top quality players.
Sheehan plays shortstop and hit
.440 last year while Peterson, who
hit .423 last year, plays first base.
Coach Coppinger, Medway
baseball coach, confers with a
player. Contributed photo.
Sheehan has committed to play
for Southern New Hampshire
University and Peterson will play
for Assumption.
Nick competes hard, has excellent
range and has gap-to-gap
power,’’ Coppinger said. “He
makes routine plays easily and
can turn a difficult play into an
out. A terrific athlete, Nick was
the Defensive Player of the Year
in the TVL last year. Matt hits for
power, getting three homers and
knocking in 30 runs to lead the
team. He’s an excellent clutch hitter
and struck out only eight times
in 89 plate appearances. Both are
outstanding leaders.’’
Two other key infielders include
seniors Matt Kaplan (second
base) and Greg Assad (third
base). “Matt hit .351 in the cleanup
slot,’’ Coppinger said. “Able to
hit for power, his 15 RBIs were
second on the team. He’s smooth
defensively ,and he’s got speed on
the bases. Greg buoyed our infield
with some smooth play. He
got some timely hits in the playoffs,
and we’re hoping he takes a
step forward on offense.’’
Senior Matt Mueller, a spot
starter at catcher last year, filled in
for the injured Trent Flood. Coppinger
likes his efforts behind the
plate. “Matt has a quick release
to second base,’’ Coppinger said.
“He’s solid on defense and blocks
the plate well. He swings hard
and has power.’’
Junior Troy Newman is the
only underclassman in Medway’s
six-man nucleus. “Troy hit .304
South Sectional champions in 2019, Medway Baseball has strong players, but with a loss of 10 seniors last
year, some growth as well. Contributed photo.
last year,’’ Coppinger said. “He’s
a good contact hitter who’s awesome
on defense. He’s displayed a
good approach to the game. His
instincts are very good, he gets
a good jump on the ball and his
throws are accurate.’’
The corner outfield positions
are up for grabs, and at Local
Town Pages deadline, Coppinger
was preparing to see which prospects
would emerge during preseason
practice. One potential
prospect is Drew Plunkett, Medway’s
two-time MVP in football
and basketball. He’s decided to
play baseball. “It’s always great to
add a multi-sport athlete,’’ Coppinger
said. “I’m not sure where
he’ll play, but we’re pleased he’s
decided to compete.’’
On the pitching front, senior
Drew Nix and sophomore Ryan
Abrams are right-handers who
got limited innings last year.
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“Drew’s fastball goes 80 mph,
his curve is good, and he’s working
on his change-up,’’ Coppinger
said. “We’re hoping he
takes a step forward and becomes
a key in the rotation. Ryan
pitched only two innings last year,
but he throws hard, has good
control and mixes his pitches
well. His fastball also is in the 80
mph range and his curve ball is
effective.’’
Sheehan, who’s pitched occasionally,
could be available in
relief or as a spot starter. “Nick
throws strikes, has good control
and an effective fastball,’’ Coppinger
emphasized. “I’ll be looking
for additional pitching help
throughout the program. I may
call on a positional player for
help.’’
Coppinger expects Medway to
contend for the small division title
in the TVL. He views defending
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Now in his sixth year as coach,
Coppinger will continue to rely
on a competitive philosophy that
focuses on reaching one’s potential.
“If our players are improving
and having fun, then winning
will follow,’’ he said. “And, we
also want our players to learn
valuable life lessons, like being
accountable, being good teammates
and leaders, and understanding
the importance of being
resilient.’’
The Mustangs displayed
all those qualities last year in a
campaign that produced a 17-7
record, a Sectional title and the
school’s deepest tourney run.
Medway has a quality corps
of veterans returning, and if it
gets consistent and capable pitching,
another tourney berth will be
in its future.
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