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Baseball
From left: Riley O’Brien, Brady Ericson and Eric Mathewson will be key for the Centaurs at the plate and on the mound this baseball season. Photo by Marc Allard/Woodstock Academy.
It’s been a long time since Connor Elliott strolled the sidelines for an athletic program at Woodstock Academy. Well, in his mind anyway.
The assistant football coach for the Centaurs last was on the field on Thanksgiving Day and then had to weather the winter.
“Football came to an abrupt end, and then it was the holidays and the semester changed but in late January, it’s like two months to get to this point. And even now, the weather still wants to tease you. I’m very happy to be back together (with the baseball team),” Elliott said.
That happened for the first time as a true team last Tuesday.
The first official baseball game is at noon Saturday at home against non-league foe, Northwest Catholic, at the Bentley.
“I prefer it,” Elliott said of the short prep time for the entire team.
Pitchers and catchers were allowed begin the week before.
“In football, talk about a tease, you have five weeks before that first game,” he added.
Elliott was the assistant last year to Brian Murphy who stepped aside following the season.
“I can’t say enough good things about coach Elliott,” senior pitcher and infielder Eric Mathewson said.
Elliott will actually be the old timer on a coaching staff that will include fellow young baseball minds, Troy Stefanski who played at UConn and will serve as hitting coach and Max Grossman who will work with the pitchers.
The pitching will be a key for the Centaurs.
Brady Ericson returns after a phenomenal sophomore season where he finished 6-0 with a 0.70 earned run average.
Ericson allowed just four earned runs and 15 hits in 39 2/3 innings, struck out 76 and walked 19.
“Less walks,” Elliott said matter-of-factly when asked where Ericson, who has already committed to play for UConn in a couple of years, could improve.
He hit .343 with three homers, five doubles and two triples and drove in 19 runs last season.
Mathewson is another key contributor at the plate and on the mound.
He finished with a .347 average with seven doubles and 11 runs driven in. The senior was often the closer on the mound, giving up just five earned runs in 20 innings with 29 strikeouts.
Riley O’Brien is another member of the mound staff who enters his fourth season as a starting pitcher for the Centaurs.
He finished with a 5-2 record, going 31 innings with 33 K’s for the Centaurs.
Pitchers and utility players Jack Sumner and Eli Smith, outfielder/infielder Keon Lamarche, outfielder/pinchrunner David Bunning and outfielder Noah Sampson, who returns after a year with the lacrosse program, are the other seniors.
Another player likely in his last season with the Centaurs is junior shortstop Maxx Corradi who hit .296 with five doubles and 10 runs batted in.
Sophomores Caleb Simoneau and Brady Lecuyer and junior Tanner Graham will share the catching duties.
Other juniors on the squad include Bradley Blair (pitcher/infielder).
Matt Hernandez (outfield) and Haydon Rowland (infield).
Sophomore Logan Coutu (pitcher/utility) will also see varsity time.
The Centaurs had a strong regular season a year ago where they posted a 17-3 record and advanced to the ECC championship game where they lost to East Lyme.
But the state tournament was a disappointment as Masuk came to Woodstock and knocked out the Centaurs in the first round as they finished 19-5.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
.