Joe Paolucci knew his team possessed plenty of talent. To see it all come together, however, was hard to expect.
Behind ace Sean Zaslaw and a relentless lineup that has four hitters batting over .400, Weymouth heads into the final week of the regular season with a 15-4 record, with wins in 11 of its last 12 games.
The Wildcats hold a season sweep over Braintree to go splits versus Div. 2 favorite Milton and perennial Div. 1 contender Walpole.
“Every year here I have been cautiously optimistic but it has not worked out,” said Paolucci, who is in his ninth season as head coach. “I knew with a caliber pitcher like Sean Zaslaw he could take us to 6-7 wins. Between what he has been doing and 3-4 other guys, it’s turned into a great year.”
Senior first baseman Andrew Ferguson is batting .481 to go with three home runs and 21 RBIs. Paolucci’s shortstop, senior Gill Dolan, is one of the top overall players in the Bay State Conference as evidenced by his .468 average and premier defense at shortstop.
After playing nearly every day as a freshman, Andrew Daley has developed into one of the better sophomores in Eastern Mass. Daley is batting .435 with 17 RBIs.
Zaslaw has a fastball that creeps up into the low 90s to go with a tight breaking ball. He’s posted a 5-0 record and a 1.12 ERA. Behind Zaslaw is Jack Reyes, who has two complete games, and Matt Suplee, who’s pitched a no-hitter. The combination of a strong top of the lineup to go with three reliable arms has the Wildcats firmly in the mix in Div. 1 as the state tournament looms.
Paolucci believes one factor in his team’s success is his decision to roll with a smaller roster this year.
“Our practices this year are very efficient and that is largely due to the roster number we decided to take,” Paolucci said. “In years past we’ve had 22 guys on roster but this year we only have 14 players. The shorter roster allows everyone to play a role and as a result they want to get the most out of practice.”
Weymouth finishes the season with Newton North, Needham, and Hingham.
Woburn had plenty of reason to celebrate on Thursday as Morgan Barmash struck out 10 while Avery Sampson hit a home run to lift the Tanners (15-2) to a 2-1 win over Arlington the Middlesex Liberty crown. The Tanners have now won at least a share of the league title in 5 of the last 8 seasons.
It was quite the week for Chelmsford sophomore Matt Stuart. Stuart threw a complete game against Tewksbury while allowing just one run and striking out 13. At the plate, Stuart hit .667 with three home runs, two doubles, 9 RBIs, and four runs scored. Stuart guided Chelmsford to a 3-0 week and helped it lock up the Merrimack Valley Conference Div. 2 title.