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By Dylan Hefflinger, Dennis Healy, Trevor Brown and PBR Staff
Editor in Chief / Co-Director of Scouting

With the 2016 spring season right around the corner, PBR New England is eagerly anticipating bringing the New England states the best high school coverage throughout the region.

Starting in Late-January, we began releasing team previews for teams across the state, leading into the Preseason All-State Teams as well as the Preseason State Rankings.

If you are a coach and haven't filled out your 2017 Team Preview, click here.

Interested in attending a PBR New England event? Check out our schedule by clicking here.

2017 Massachusetts SPRING TEAM PREVIEW: Phillips academy Andover

Team Name: Phillips Academy Andover
Head Coach: Kevin Graber
Division: Central New England Prep School Baseball League
2016 Record: 18-3
Conference Record: 9-3
Returning Starters/Pitchers: 6/5

2017 Team Strengths:

• Pitching will be a strength, with four Division 1 commits on the mound (Rob Cerulle '17 - UPenn; Henry Ennen '17 - Northeastern; Travis Lane '18 - Boston College; Anthony Redfern '17 - Georgetown), plus Cam Garfield '16, who'll pitch next year at Colby College.
• Experience is another strength, as Princeton commit Taylor Beckett '17 enters his third season at 3B; Navy commit Joe Simourian '18 is a three-year starter in centerfield; and Columbia commit Matthew Cerfolio '17 will play shortstop; while Lane and Cerulle add big bats in the middle of the order, Kai Marcos '18 (uncommitted) returns as the starting left-fielder, and Redfern will see time in the outfield.  

2017 Team Weaknesses:

• Graduation leaves a huge void behind the plate with the departure of 2016 Central New England Prep MVP John Simourian '16 (now at Georgetown).  

Coach Outlook: "Andover claimed its 10th Central New England Prep Championship last season (and third in the last five years) with an 18-3 record. Notable victories included a 2-1 win over Worcester Academy in the Central New England Prep Championship game; a 3-0 win at nationally-ranked Poly Prep; and a 7-1 win over perennial ISL power Belmont Hill."

PBR Outlook: "Tons of talent on the mound will make Phillips Andover the hands down favorite on paper. These guys on the bump not only have plus stuff but they command the ball. Look for the offense to be productive and let the pitching handle putting the game away."

Top Returning Players:

• Taylor Beckett, 3B, 2017, 5-11/190 pounds, R/R (Princeton commit, .333 avg, 8 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 17 RBI, 16 R, 7 SB)
• Rob Cerulle, P/1B, 2017, 6-1/195 pounds, R/R (UPenn commit, .412 AVG, 3 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 7 R, 1 SB. 4-1, 0.00 ERA, 16 K, 15 BB)
• Travis Lane, P/1B, 2018, 6-2/225 pounds, R/R (Boston College commit, .257 AVG, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 10 RBI, 2 R, 9 SB. 4-1, 2.39 ERA, 38 K, 11 BB)
• Anthony Redfern, P/utility, 2018, 6-1, 185 pounds, R/R (Georgetown commit, .294 AVG, 1 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 6 R, 4 SB. 2-0, 1.91 ERA, 21 K, 9 BB)
• Joe Simourian, CF, 2018, 5-11, 170 pounds, L/L (Navy commit, .328 AVG, 9 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 19 R, 5 SB)
• Kai Marcos, OF, 2018, 6-0, 170 pounds, R/R (uncommitted, .289 AVG, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 9 RBI, 12 R, 11 SB)
• Cam Garfield, P, 2017, 6-1, 190 pounds, R/R (Colby College commit, injured last season)

Top Underclassmen:

• Travis Lane, P/1B, 2018, 6-2/225 pounds, R/R (Boston College commit, .257 AVG, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 10 RBI, 2 R, 9 SB. 4-1, 2.39 ERA, 38 K, 11 BB)
• Anthony Redfern, P/utility, 2018, 6-1, 185 pounds, R/R (Georgetown commit, .294 AVG, 1 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 6 R, 4 SB. 2-0, 1.91 ERA, 21 K, 9 BB)
• Joe Simourian, CF, 2018, 5-11, 170 pounds, L/L (Navy commit, .328 AVG, 9 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 19 R, 5 SB)
• Kai Marcos, OF, 2018, 6-0, 170 pounds, R/R (uncommitted, .289 AVG, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 9 RBI, 12 R, 11 SB)
• Jackson Emus, P/1B/OF, 2019, 6-foot-4, 2019
• Tristan Latham, C, 2019 (new on varsity this year)
• Lucas Stowe, OF/INF, 2020