Follow on Twitter: @pbrnewengland
Follow on Instagram: @pbr_newengland

Success Is A Given With Austin Prep Baseball

READING, Ma. - How good has the Austin Prep baseball program been of late?

Try five straight Catholic Central League titles, a 2018 state championship and a 19-1 regular-season record in 2019 

Now Jonathan Pollard gets his chance at running the show at the Massachusetts powerhouse.

“We have been ranked as one of the top teams in the state for some time now, with some organizations recognizing us as the top team in the state leading into the 2020 season,” noted Pollard, who was appointed head coach in 2020 only to have the campaign cancelled. Prior to that, he was JV coach for three years after coaching in a variety of roles within USA Baseball in Cary, N.C. from 2010-18.

“First and foremost, we lost the opportunity to have a tremendous senior class lead our program and finish their career in the manner they deserved,” Pollard said about last year’s missed season. “Beyond that, we were set to be very young in 2020, so to lose the opportunity to answer some questions about our highly-talented underclassmen was unfortunate.”

Captains Jake Elbeery, Evan Blanco and Ernie Little are being counted on to lead the way for Austin Prep in 2021. Elbeery is a senior infielder (No. 12 2021 shortstop) committed to Richmond while Blanco and Little are juniors, Blanco the number one 2022 left-handed pitcher in New England who is verbally committed to Virginia, and Little, an uncommitted infielder/outfielder. 

“Our strengths will certainly be our pitching depth and a dynamic offense,” explained Pollard, who lost pitchers Andrew Croteau (Nichols College), Tim Norton (St. Anselm College) and Stephen Agrippino (Roger Williams University) to graduation in 2020. “We should be a team that is hard to score on, while at the same time putting consistent runs on the board. Our weaknesses should all be controllable and something we can prevent from impacting our team.”

An impressive group of newcomers are expected to play key roles this campaign, including freshmen Aidan Driscoll, Jake Zawatsky and David Vanderzouwen. Driscoll is the sixth-ranked 2024 catcher in New England who is committed to Maryland, while Zawatsky is the ninth-rated 2024 right-handed pitcher and Vanderzouwen the 24th-ranked freshman shortstop. 

“Our underclassmen have been very exciting to watch perform throughout the fall and winter and have immediately shown the ability to compete at a high level,” Pollard said of his 2024 trio of standouts. “Our key to success will be the entire roster embracing their role on any given day, and constantly contributing to a competitive environment with high energy.

“With the ability we have throughout the program, let alone the varsity team, every player has to buy into the fact that bringing their absolute best day in and day out not only takes themselves to their highest level of play, but makes their teammates the best version of themselves. Our on-field success will be the byproduct of if we are successful in creating that environment throughout all levels of our program.” 

Although there will be no Super 8 this season, something that Austin Prep has never missed out on in its time of existence, there is a lot to look forward to for the first-year head mentor.

“First and foremost, we are just thankful to actually have a season in 2021,” Pollard explained. “Beyond that, we are extremely excited to compete within the incredibly competitive Catholic Central League. The league has produced four State Champions since 2017, so we know every league game will be a test.

“Lastly, I am excited to see our guys compete both internally and against the many great teams we will face from throughout the state. Our expectation for the season is to control what we can control and work everyday to become a better version of ourselves than we were the day before. If we achieve that, success on the field will take care of itself.”

Recent Articles: