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Worcester Academy

WORCESTER, Ma. - The rebuilding year is over. The Hilltoppers of Worcester Academy are looking to get back to where they were in 2017 - atop the Central New England Prep School League standings.

“We graduated 14 from the 2017 team that won the league and then our best player who was going to UMass got hurt,” reflected head coach Jim McNamara. “This year we should be strong. We return a player committed to Maryland and we also have eight others committed to play.”

Middle infielder Matt Shaw is a 5-10 175-pounder, ranked fourth in the New England junior class, that is headed to play for the Terrapins in the Big 10.

The senior class is full of more college recruits with the return of Tim O’Connor, Sean McCarthy and JP Coughlin. O’Connor (rated 360) is a 6-1 195-pound left-handed pitcher headed to Denison University, McCarthy a 6-2 190-pound RHP/1B going to Suffolk and Coughlin a LHP committed to Colorado School of Mines.

Newcomers headed to play at the next level include seniors Eddy Beauregard (3B/RHP, Stonehill College), Mike Borrelli (C/1B/RHP, St. Anselm), Kevin Cox (MIF, Assumption) and Zach Magdis (OF, Syracuse for football).

Junior catcher Asa Floyd is also getting college looks. The 5-11 180-pounder is the second-ranked 2020 catcher in New England who has already received a D-I offer.

“We have a decent shot at winning a championship again, it all comes down to pitching,” said McNamara, who must replace a pair of standouts now at UMass-Amherst in shortstop/third baseman Christian Walsh and pitcher Jack Steele. “We need someone to step up.”

That is where a sophomore could play a key role. Kyle Rizy, a 6-8 220-pound right-handed pitcher, has already been offered by Division I schools. The 42nd-rated 2021 in New England has upped his velocity seven mph in the last year.

“We have a chance to be good offensively and defensively, it just comes down to pitching,” McNamara said. “Pitching will be a reflection on how our season goes. I feel comfortable with the team offense and our defense is strong. The talent is there, we just need to figure out who can give us consistency on the mound.”

The Worcester Academy coach is hoping experience comes into play.

“We graduate 10 to 14 players every year,” McNamara pointed out. “This year we have nine seniors so we’re a more veteran team than last year.”

It brings a lot of hope with the season ready to kick off at a school that began playing baseball in 1886.

“I like our overall attitude and the approach of the kids when they come to practice,” noted McNamara, a fourth-year head coach who in his first three seasons has sent more than 30 players to college, 14 to Division I including schools like Wake Forest, Dayton, Siena, Georgetown, Florida Atlantic, Rhode Island and Buffalo as well as UMass-Amherst and Lowell. “They’re excited to do well, but they’re also very humble. There’s a lot to prove both in practice and once the season starts.

“We certainly think we have a chance to win a championship. Our expectations are to make the playoffs, it just comes down to pitching. Playing consistent defensively and get timely hitting will also be key.

“We’ve added a lot of pieces this year,” McNamara continued. “We have almost an entire new infield except catcher. That’s our only returnee. So we need to find some difference-makers as the season goes on.”