Massachusetts Team Of The Week - Austin Prep
May 30, 2019
To view all things related to the 2019 Spring High School Baseball Season, click here.
Massachusetts Team Of The Week - Austin Prep
With three top pitchers back from the Class C title team in 2018, the Massachusetts Prep Baseball Report Team of the Week has lived up to expectations.
“Our pitching has been very good,” head coach Steve Busby said. “Our defense has played pretty well and our hitting is starting to come around. We’re taking a good approach at the plate and fine-tuning that. It’s turning in the right direction.”
The Cougars recently finished off a fifth consecutive Catholic Central League title, improving to 52-4 in that time span in conference play and 101-16 overall.
“I’m a firm believer that it’s a culture thing,” explained Busby, whose squad is currently 18-1 on the season. “We have a winning culture here. We expect to win. The next group just picks up from the previous one, it’s just an extension. Guys want to win and guys expect to win. Plus, the kids work hard.”
The lone loss this season came in game five by a 1-0 score.
“Not to make excuses, but we had not played in 12 days ... we were caught in that rain thing,” Busby reflected. “Our pitcher pitched great, games are just decided by one or two plays … or non-plays.”
Austin Prep scored 19 runs the following game and the Cougars have not let up since.
“These kids are very coachable, and we get talent,” Busby said.
A pair of players are UMass-Lowell commits, number one pitcher Cam Seguin and shortstop Jonny Gilbride. A left-hander ranked 72nd among seniors in New England, Seguin is 5-1 with one save and a 0.98 ERA, fanning 63 in 50 innings. Gilbride, the 82nd rated 2019 in New England, is hitting .314 out of the two-hole with 11 RBIs and a team-high 28 runs scored.
Seguin has been helped out on the mound by three other hurlers with three or more wins.
“Some guys have really stepped up over the course of the year that did not play much last year,” Busby noted.
Jason Grongrande, a senior going to LaSalle, has not permitted an earned run in 16.2 innings with a 3-0 record and one save. Stonehill College recruit Colin Jaena, the 310th-ranked senior who was the number two pitcher last year, is also logging innings with freshman southpaw Evan Blanco, the number one-ranked player in the New England 2022 class, adding depth to the staff.
In fact, Andrew Croteau - the 290th rated New England junior who was one of the top three pitchers on the squad a year ago with a 7-0 record - is playing second base full time this season.
“We pound the zone, we throw strikes, we change speeds well and locate,” Busby noted. “Pitching 101.”
Center fielder Damon Kruppa, the leadoff hitter rated 443rd among New England juniors, is batting a team-best .453 with 23 runs scored with senior left fielder Mike Barletta at .362 with 15 RBIs and 17 runs. Jaena, the three-hole batter who plays right field in addition to pitcher, has 26 runs and 21 RBIs with a .328 average.
The Cougars are also getting big contribution from sophomore third baseman Jake Elbeery, a Notre Dame commit rated 20th in the 2021 class. The left-handed hitter is batting .339 with 23 RBIs.
“We’re kind of the hunted,” Busby said about the program, which despite so much success has not been chosen to participate in the Super 8 up to this point. “We’re always consistently good.”
But winning does not come automatically as Busby points out.
:You’ve got to find different ways to win in the tournament,” the ninth-year head coach said. “You’ll face pitching that you’ve got to find a way to win 2-1 games, and then later in the tournament you’ll need to win an 8-7 game.
“If you have good pitching and defense, it always gives you a fighting chance,” Busby added. “After that it’s about executing, quality at-bats and situational baseball.”