Follow on Twitter: @pbr_newengland
Follow on Instagram: @pbr_newengland

To view the full list of 2023 Team Previews that we have already completed, please click here.

2023 Spring Team Preview: Pickerton Academy

DERRY, N.H. - The top four hitters are back but will it be enough to overcome the loss of some key pitchers from last season’s Division I state championship squad at Pinkerton Academy?

“We’re not the team we had last year when our one and two averaged 10 to 15 strikeouts a game,” related head coach Steve Campo.

Liam Doyle, a southpaw who pitched a two-hit shutout in a 2-0 win over Londonderry in the state finals, is now at Coastal Carolina while Tom Rioux is with Colby. Doyle is a two-time New Hampshire Player of the Year and Colby a two-time all-state pitcher.

“This year we have to actually play defense,” Campo said. “We’ll need a strong defensive core and have our pitching step up.”

A trio of three-year starters will anchor the defense, Cole Yennaco behind the plate, Lorenzo Corsetto at second base and Jacob Albert in center field. Yennaco, the second-rated senior catcher in New Hampshire, and Albert, the top-ranked 2023 outfielder in New Hampshire, are both seniors committed to Merrimack.

Yennaco is also slated to pitch this year, joining senior Garrett Hammer and sophomore Leo Boucher, both with varsity experience on a 21-3 team that lost 140 innings to graduation. Senior Casey Watson will also be on the mound for the Astros this year along with junior righty Jackson Marshall and sophomore lefty Michael Cioffi.

Brendan Horne, the fifth rated sophomore shortstop in New England, is another returnee to aid the middle defense for Pinkerton with Marshall penciled in to play first base. Marshall will join Albert and Yennaco at the top of the batting order for the Astros. 

Third base is an uncertainty while junior Eli Sharp adds depth at catcher when Yennaco pitches.

Leo Boucher, a sophomore, is slated to play one corner outfield position with the other up for grabs.

“Our defense returning our catcher, shortstop, second baseman and center fielder is our strength,” Campo noted. “All had big years last year and all are experienced in big games.”

But the pitching remains a concern.

“Our big focus is replacing the innings we lost,” Campo explained. “We need guys to step up and make things happen. We had a lot of guys that made it happen in the offseason and we have some good newcomers. It will be hard to replace what we lost, but we feel we will be competitive.

“I like the way these guys are approaching the season,” Campo added. “They’ve bought in since the first day of tryouts and they’re focused.”

It has the 10th year head coach excited about what is ahead at a program that had gone 36 years without a state title before the 2022 season.

“Our goal is to be competitive every year and have a chance to make a run in the tournament,” related Campo. “I feel we’ve done that. It’s great for our school and the community. It’s great to see baseball at Pinkerton come back.”

Recent Articles