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2024 New England High School Team Previews

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2024 Spring Team Preview: Rice Memorial (VT)

SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. - Good pitching is being counted on to help Rice Memorial make a strong run at its first state title in nearly a decade.

“Our strength this season is solid pitching and front half of the lineup hitting,” noted Rice Memorial head coach Jamie Merchant, who has been in charge of the program since 2011, leading the Green Knights to back-to-back state titles in 2014 and 2015.

Senior southpaw Wyatt Wolpert, a Villanova commit, is the ace of the team with 6-5 junior right-hander JD Raleigh another arm being counted on for a team that finished 11-7 a year ago, losing in the quarterfinals to South Burlington.

Senior shortstop Derek Wenner and junior third baseman Coleton Merchant have the abilities to bring more depth to the mound for Rice Memorial and their head coach, who was an assistant in the program for three years before taking over in 2011.

“We don’t have a lot of upperclassmen so we will have a lot of young guys on the field this season,” noted Merchant, whose biggest loss from the 2023 squad is Evan Havreluk, a middle infielder and pitcher for the Green Knights who is now playing at Limestone College.

The veteran mentor sees a difficult task ahead in league play this season.

“Pitching-wise, the league this year is the toughest I can remember with a lot of guys going to college on scholarships to pitch, especially at the D1 level,” explained Merchant. “Runs will be tough to come by for most teams.”

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