BY SAPNA PATHKA
He hasn’t held the first official practice, but Dave Chase has plenty of reasons to believe his team can bring home a Class M title in 2007. The Hopkinton baseball head coach has yet to set his final lineup but already knows the squad’s core will be strong enough to compete against any foe.
Chase welcomes six pitchers, five returners and one newcomer, to the rotation. After falling to eventual Class M champion Campbell in a 4-3, extra-innings loss in last year’s semifinals, the Hawks look for a different outcome in this year’s tournament.
“Six pitchers, that’s something a lot of teams are lacking is pitching, but we’re set with a strong rotation,” said Chase. “We’ve consistently been a playoff team, but I think this year we could really do some damage with the guys we’ve got.”
Hopkinton has made an appearance in the postseason in each of Chase’s 10 years as manager, winning its last state championship in 2000. The Hawks begin their season on Monday, April 9, at Conant.
Hopkinton ace Jake McManus leads the hurlers, bringing a 5-2 record from 2006. McManus, an all-state first-team pitcher, threw 56 innings last season and contributed offensively with a .525 batting average, 18 runs batted in, two home runs and 30 runs scored.
“We’ll have some younger guys get some swings in there, too,” said Chase. “I feel pretty confident about how we look on both sides of the ball. We’re always working on offense. You can never have too much of that.”
Junior Matt Story, who finished 3-0 last year on the mound, also batted .377 with 14 RBI as a sophomore third baseman. David Brandt, who batted .442 last year, Hal Grogan, Tom Johnson and Concord High transfer
Dan Breen round out Chase’s mound crew.
Junior Matt Demers should add some speed on the base paths and split time between first base and outfield.
Utility man Nick Babson, who batted .500 in 10 at-bats last season, handles catching chores.
Freshman Evan Levy might see some time as the designated hitter, said Chase, while Dan Forrester and Sean Pirittiaho roam the outfield. After losing two outfielders and one catcher, Chase said this year’s team still brings enough depth and experience for an 11th straight playoff run.
The squad’s most memorable game may not come in the playoffs but on April 23, when the Hawks travel to Cooperstown, N.Y., to face Sunapee on the famed Doubleday Field. The Hawks will take the field after taking in the sights at Baseball’s Hall of Fame.
“I’m good friends with the Sunapee coach, and we could finally put something like this together,” said Chase. “It should be a great trip down there, and it’s open to parents who want to come, too. It’ll really be a great, unforgettable experience to say we played a regular-season game at Cooperstown.”
Fans can keep up with the team’s progress at eteamz.com/hawkbaseball.