Follow @pbrnewengland

Interested in attending a PBR New England event? Check out our schedule by clicking here.

To view the commitment tracker, click here.
To view the uncommitted spotlights, click here.

North Kingstown

NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. - After a four-year absence, Kevin Gormley is back in charge of the North Kingstown baseball program.

“We have a lot of work to do to get the program back to competing with the top teams in the state,” admitted Gormley, an assistant at the school beginning in 1998 before taking over as head coach from 2003-2014. “I have had a few meetings with the potential players in the program and they all agree they are not happy with the state of the program as it now exists. They all have stated that they want to be one of the elite programs in the state again, but talk is cheap.

“I told them their actions when the tryouts begin (March 18) and throughout the entire season will dictate if we can compete at a high level this year. All teams want to be great, but few put in the work required to be great. We'll find out what type of group we are. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”

The Skippers have had two head coaches since Gormley left four years ago due to medical issues, finishing 9-11 last season.

“We’re looking to bring back consistency to the program,” Gormley noted. “We’re big on player development. We’re trying to instill a work ethic in practice to try and get the most out of the kids. That usually results in success on the field.”

That was the case in Gormley’s first stint with North Kingstown. The Skippers were 237-85 in his previous time as head coach, including a 170-46 league record and 42-26 playoff mark. In that time, North Kingstown was Division I state runners-up on five occasions.

“Being gone for four years, I don’t know how they’re going to practice, how they’re going to compete and how they’re going to handle adversity,” Gormley explained.

Cameron Lindberg, the 252nd-rated RHP in New England, is back to head the pitching rotation.

“He’s a competitor,” Gormley said of the uncommitted 6-0 200-pounder. “Last year he was one of the elite pitchers in the state earning wins versus some of the state’s top programs such as Bishop Hendricken. He’ll anchor our staff and give us a good shot to compete every time he goes out there.”

Question marks surround the pitching staff after Lindberg.

“We’re looking for guys that throw strikes and we’ll try to build off of that,” Gormley said. “We want a strong defense around it and try to get some timely hitting. If we can control the game with pitching and defense, we’ll have an opportunity to win games.”

Gormley points to seniors Brent Maloney and Brendan Kearns as “two guys that are passionate about baseball.” Both are catcher/third basemen.

Mike Halloran and Chris Sherman, a pair of outfielder/right-handed pitchers, are others expected to fit into the lineup along with Nick Quarella, a 6-8 220-pound left-handed pitcher rated 395th in New England’s 2019 class.

“The strengths for us as always will be pitching and defense,” Gormley noted. “We have enough athletes and good enough team speed to translate into good team defense.”

Of the 20 teams in Division I in Rhode Island, 14 will qualify for the playoffs.

“It’s tough to predict, but I always have high expectations,” Gormley said. “I promised the players, parents and the community that I would get every kid to reach his full potential as a player.

“From a record standpoint, we’re hoping things work out. We were 9-9 last year (in the league) but hope we’re better than that this year. We’re hoping to be playing our best ball May 1 and have a chance to play for a championship.”

For Gormley, pitching and defense will be the catalyst.

“One thing I’m confident in is we will play good defense and limit walks,” Gormley concluded. “If we do that, we have a chance.”