'I knew we were special': East Bridgewater baseball emerging as a contender at midway point
An at-bat worthy of the highlight reel, senior year moment and gut-check win all wrapped in one.
Jaden Lovell learned a lot about the East Bridgewater High baseball team this month.
Lovell, the Vikings' ace and occasional third baseman, hit a game-winning RBI base hit to right-center field, handing East Bridgewater an underdog 3-2 win over Bishop Feehan, a Division 1 team, on the road on April 19.
"Right now, that's my favorite memory" of the season so far, Lovell said. “When we had that really close game and ended up winning it, I knew we were special.”
That was the win that spiked the Vikings' (6-2) stock as the team rose atop the MIAA's first Division 4 power rankings last week, a fortuitous spot that coach Jeff Ghiloni isn't pressed about heading at the midway point of the regular season.
"I was more interested to see where we (landed) than expecting anything," Ghiloni said. “They last for about six hours every time they come out before another game happens. Then you wait until next Friday."
On the topic of postseason scenarios, East Bridgewater dropped down a division after falling to eventual champ Oakmont by a 5-0 margin in the Division 3 Sweet Sixteen as the bracket's No. 20 last spring. The team upset No. 13 Hudson, 4-0, in the round prior.
“I think that first win over Hudson shows that, once you get to the playoffs, the seedings don’t matter," Ghiloni said. "We can go out and beat anyone, but we’ll need to play well because the flip side can just as easily happen.”
This team appears ready for the challenge.
East Bridgewater graduated a prominent senior class from last year's team, headlined by pitcher Ray McNaught, a reigning All-Scholastic who is now working out of the bullpen in his freshman season at Quinnipiac. The right-hander maintained a 1.72 ERA his senior year of high school.
Ghiloni searched for answers in the offseason. Lovell, a righty, was surely one. The underclassman core was then quick to impress.
Freshman Collin Meserve pitched a complete game shutout vs. Cohasset (featuring 10 hits and two hits) on April 24; Sophomore Devon Blair went five innings in the win over Bishop Feehan; And freshman Jared Hardiman made his first varsity start in Monday's 4-1 road win over Bristol-Plymouth.
More: The MIAA spring power rankings are out. See where South Shore high schools stand
“We were short-staffed for pitching going into this year, but we’re doing very well, holding our starters to low ERA’s,” said senior left fielder Matt Werra. “They’ve been fitting in the roles perfectly.”
Meserve, on Opening Day, hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning of EB's 3-0 win over Middleboro to record his first varsity hit. Sophomore catcher Joey Foley was a South Shore League All-Star as a freshman, and freshman Johnny King has taken over the starting shortstop job. Junior pitcher/first baseman Garrett Berry is also a versatile fit into Ghiloni lineup card.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys and a big senior group," Ghiloni said. "They’re excited. They’re hungry. We’ve got a little bit of a learning curve, but they come every day and they’re putting in the work. ... The young guys are coming along, and pushing the older guys to also play well."
The Vikings suffered a 9-2 loss to Silver Lake on Friday, just hours after the release of the power rankings, to likely sour the stay at No. 1 but have time to regain ground as the second half of the regular season calendar approaches.
The team will see Abington on Tuesday, the last home game before hitting the road again for six of the next seven with matchups against an improved Carver team, Rockland, Apponequet, Middleboro, Norwell, Sandwich and Silver Lake ahead. All of which, as of right now, are at or comfortably above the .500 mark.
“We all want to win," said Lovell. "We are all trying to get there, grinding, finding new ways to get there.”
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: East Bridgewater High baseball atop the MIAA's first power rankings
