Follow @pbrnewengland

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

To view the commitment tracker, click here.
To view the uncommitted spotlights, click here.

Fairfield Prep

FAIRFIELD, Ct. - It was a memorable season for Fairfield Prep in 2018.

The first Southern Connecticut Conference championship in school history.

USA Today national ranking as high as 21st in the country.

A 25-2 final record.

“We had a very good team last year that was top-heavy in seniors,” said head coach Rudy Mauritz, a 1994 Fairfield Prep graduate who went on to play baseball at Providence.

Five players have moved on to play in college from that outstanding squad that lost in the state semifinals in 2018. Joe Mancini is pitching at Boston College, Will Lucas is playing infield at UConn, Dan Fallacaro a catcher at Sacred Heart, Alexey Linsenmeyer pitching at the University of Maine and Grant Purpura pitching at Drew University..

“We have a strong program,” Mauritz noted. “Why we’re successful over a period of time is we have freshman and JV teams with solid guys and are fortunate enough to have good people coaching them at those levels.”

It means reloading rather than rebuilding for Fairfield Prep.

“We’ve had some very strong teams,” noted the 15th-year head coach, whose squad has qualified for the league tournament every year since 2011. “The program is one that has been on the rise. I’m blessed to have talented kids come to our school. Two years ago we had a player (David Gerics) that signed a pro contract and this past year another (Dean Lockery) was drafted. The caliber here is improving with many having successful college careers with some fortunate enough to go on and play pro ball.

“We’ve had others playing at Harvard and Yale. We pride ourselves in providing a strong academic education.”

Adam Stone will be the next Fairfield Prep standout to move on to the Ivy League. A leadoff batter that had 38 hits with a .392 average, the 6-6 190-pounder scored 25 runs while driving in a dozen as a junior. A Harvard commit, Stone pitches, plays infield and outfield.

Junior outfielder/pitcher Henry Schwoerer is another returnee. The 5-11 165-pounder ranked 212th in New England’s 2020 class batted 288 a year ago.

The senior trio of Pete Scopellitti and twins Matt and Dan Massaro were role players last year that are expected to step up in 2019. A catcher/DH, Scopllitti hit .310 a year ago. Matt Massaro was a second baseman in 2018 while Dan Massaro platooned in the infield, but will see time on the mound as well this season.

Junior Liam Wilson, a right-hander, adds to the pitching depth for the Jesuits and Mauritz.

“What I like best about this team is they get along and have good camaraderie with each other,” Mauritz said. “The pitchers we have go out and pound the zone. We have the ability to send out multiple pitchers that get it over. We also have guys that can fill in defensively.

“Our biggest concern is offensively. The guys we lost provided a majority of the thump. Stone set the table and they were productive. I think Henry Schwoerer can be one of those guys this year. We’ll just have to see who else will step up to fill those roles.”

Mauritz is looking for help from non-varsity players a year ago.

“We definitely have guys from our freshman team that are looking good and a couple guys from the JV team ready to contribute to the varsity this year,” Mauritz explained. “I don’t see another 25-2 performance, especially with the innings we lost. Marcini, Lucas and Stone were shutdown guys. We’re going to need guys to fill those roles.”

Making the most of opportunities presented is why the Jesuits have been successful under Mauritz.

“Expectations are high in our program,” Mauritz said. “You have to have the talent, but the guys also must be willing to work hard. There are some strong programs in the area where kids come to us. We’ve got a good reputation for teaching the sport and playing as competitive a schedule as we can. Families that send their kids here believe in the school’s mission and philosophy. It all goes hand in hand with having strong athletic programs.”

Mauritz is counting on the baseball team to follow suit this year.

“We’ll be a very competitive team with as good a shot as anybody to be in the thick of the Class AA state tournament,” Mauritz explained. “For us, any time you start the season our main focus is on making sure we’re solid defensively. With pitching this year, at the start it’s a situation of piecing it together using multiple pitchers. Hitting wise, we need to make sure we put it in play and stay away from strikeouts to make the other teams earn those outs.”