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Franklin Looking To Continue Recent Success

FRANKLIN, Ma. - Success is nothing new at Franklin since Zach Brown has been in charge of the program. The Panthers were 21-5 in 2018 and 22-3 in 2019 with strong expectations heading into last season. But as everyone knows, 2020 did not take place leaving questions as Brown and company look ahead to 2021.

“We felt we had the culture where we wanted it with a stable of senior arms last year and then the season never happened,” reflected Brown, now in his seventh year at the helm.

While some uncertainty this season has been determined - there will be a 14-game regular season starting April 26, hopefully followed by a single-elimination league tournament before a full state playoffs that conclude no later than July 3 - the unknown is how Franklin, and most teams, are able to overcome inexperience.

“A couple factors will play into our overall success,” noted Brown. “How quickly can we identify the right players in the right roles? Pitching and defense have been our hallmark. Offensively we do the things we need to do so getting pitchers in their roles and staying healthy will be keys. Being a Covid season, we’ll need luck, too.” 

Numbers are not an issue in the program.

“Typically we have low-hundreds that have tried out and we end up with 60 guys if we take 20 on all three rosters,” Brown said.

But despite the large number of players interested in putting on a Franklin uniform, there are concerns.

“There are not many guys with varsity experience,” pointed out Brown, who led Franklin to the Super 8 title in 2018 before going 1-2 a year later against a difficult draw.

Jake Fitzgibbons, a Hartford commit rated 18th among 2021 catchers, is the top returnee for Franklin.

“I assume he will be captain and could start at catcher or shortstop,” Brown said of the left-handed hitting senior. “His bat will be impactful for us.”

Seniors CJ Jette, Luc Boudreau and Nick Quinn are others that have been on the varsity roster. A left-handed hitter, Jette is the 36th-rated 2021 outfielder in the area and will be joined in the outfield by Boudreau while Quinn is a pitcher.

“From my observation following guys in the summer, we have a good nucleus of position guys back,” Brown related. “We will be solid on defense and athletic. Hopefully, we will put together a lineup one-to-nine that’s dynamic and can do a bunch of things.”

Depth is a plus in the eyes of Brown..

“I do think we’ll have an influx of talented players that are currently unknown varsity players,” Brown said. “We have some exciting freshmen coming into the program, but it’s tough because they’ve not done anything for a year. 

“I do feel we have guys that can come off the bench more than in the past that can do some different roles on the base paths or to upgrade defensively later in games.”

But how will the pitching hold up as the Panthers look to make it consecutive Hockomock League championships after winning in 2019?

“We don’t have a ton of guys with a lot of varsity experience but we have a lot of talented arms,” explained Brown. “I don’t think there’s a shortness in arms, we just don’t have those household names.”

Ryan Gerety, a sophomore left-handed pitcher and left-handed hitting center fielder, is a newcomer that could be a contributor this season.

“I think we’ll have a good blend of sophomores, juniors and seniors this year that will have impactful roles and set the tone for the next couple seasons,” Brown concluded.

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