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Wellesley

WELLESLEY, Ma. - Two years ago Wellesley lost in the Division I state finals. Last season the Raiders set a school record with 19 wins.

Not bad for a program that sent just one player to the next level from those two squads.

“It’s been a pretty remarkable group of kids,” noted head coach Robert Kane. “Baseball is maybe their second sport or they’re looking at other avenues and not even going to college.”

But the 13th-year Wellesley mentor sees a potential transformation ahead.

“That could change in the future with the junior and senior classes,” Kane said in reference to sending players on to play college baseball. “The freshmen class may also do that.”

One has already committed with Henry Weycker, the top-ranked senior left-handed pitcher in New England, headed to Virginia Tech next year. The 5-10 202-pounder was 7-2 a year ago with a 1.40 ERA for Wellesley, fanning 66 and walking 18 in 55 innings.

Jay Driver and Max Zajec are two other pitchers back with experience for the Raiders. Driver, a 6-2 190-pounder, is the ninth-ranked junior in New England while Zajec, a 6-0 195-pound righty, is rated 27th in the 2020 class. Driver, who hit 88 at the PBR Nokona Scout Day event in February, was 4-3 with 50 Ks and 18 walks in 52 innings with a 2.28 ERA. Zajec, a .300 hitting first baseman when not pitching, was 4-1 on the mound fanning 28 in 21.1 innings with nine walks.

“All have significant experience,” Kane said. “They all pitched in the state championship.”

Michael Kenney, limited by an injury a year ago, is expected to provide pitching depth his senior year.

One big piece to the puzzle this year is Holt Fletcher.

“This will be his third year behind the plate,” Kane said about the 6-4 220-pounder who batted .299 with three home runs in 2018, one behind team-leader Weycker. “Last year he had strong numbers and he’s bigger and stronger this year.”

Matt Maiona, the 247th-rated 2020 in New England, returns for his junior year after scoring 16 runs and driving in eight a year ago. The 6-2 185-pounder was the second fastest from home to first and had the best outfield velo at the Nokona Scout Day event last month.

Sophomores Will Glowacky and Kyle McCausland are among the players looking to step up after the loss of a number of starters from a year ago including third baseman Tommy Lieberman, the 2018 top hitter at .321 who is now playing at Gettysburg College.

“We’re unsure defensively right now,” Kane admitted. “We’re going to have to move some guys around to fill some spots.”

Playing in the Bay State Conference adds to the challenge ahead for a program that is still in search of its first state title.

“It is one of the toughest conferences in the entire state,” Kane said of a league that featured the state champ from a year ago. “There are no cupcakes, every single game is a battle with every team more than capable.”

Last year there was a major change to the league with aluminum bats replacing wooden bats.

“I like wood and my players did, too,” Kane pointed out. “We made the switch, but aluminum is not made like it used to be. The numbers were better, but not off the chart numbers.”

Still, it is on the offensive side that Kane looks when it comes to the key to success in the  2019 campaign.

“Offensively I think we’ll be able to manufacture runs, whether it’s with the small ball or the meat of the order,” Kane noted. “Weycker has over 300 at-bats for his career, Fletcher over 150, Zajec over 200 and Matt Maiona has probably over 150. You’d think with that experience at the plate we’d be able to execute offensively.”