Pitching is always at premium in the game of baseball. So, although the Haddam-Killingworth baseball team is pleased with its 11-0 start to the year, the Cougars know that their pitchers will need to stay sharp throughout the second half of the season in order for the club to make a run at Shoreline Conference and state titles.

Last year, Head Coach Mark Brookes’s squad finished with an overall record of 19-7 after reaching its second straight Class M State Tournament semifinal. This season, the Cougars secured their state tourney berth in short order by winning their first eight games and then tacked on three more victories last week by defeating East Hampton 18-3 on April 23, posting a 2-0 shutout versus Cromwell the following day, and then winning 4-0 against North Branford on April 28 to run their record to 11-0.

Coach Brookes said that H-K’s pitching staff still has to develop some depth, but he added that there are plenty of promising up-and-comers who are making some serious strides on the mound.

“We had a lot of returning players coming into this year, but only one or two pitchers. With the new pitch count rules, you need more than two guys,” said Brookes. “It fell on us to get more arms. We’ve been using Owen Marica as a closer, and he’s one of our more experienced pitchers, but he and [fellow senior] Trevor Rydel have been our main starters. [Junior lefty] Jon Civiello threw well against Coginchaug, and [freshman] Christopher Garrelts has made a couple starts and made a great one against Old Lyme.”

In last week’s action, freshman Alec Erskine picked up his first win of the year by throwing three innings of scoreless relief and striking out six. Civiello and Marica each had four hits, while sophomore Mike O’Toole collected four RBI to lead the Cougars to the 18-3 blowout.

Against Cromwell, senior Ben Alonzo had three hits with two RBI to lead H-K’s offense. Civiello added two hits and pitched five scoreless innings for his second victory on the spring. Marica got the save by fanning four in two scoreless innings of relief to seal the 2-0 victory.

Versus North Branford, Garrelts and Marica combined on the five-hit shutout for Haddam-Killingworth. Senior captain Jackson Parmentier had three hits, Marica laced two doubles, and senior Kyle Crandall chipped in two hits.

Marica, who also plays shortstop and will continue his career at Eastern Connecticut State University, is serving as one of the Cougars’ captains this year. The other half of that leadership tandem is utility player Parmentier, who can play anywhere from catcher to second base to shortstop to third. Coach Brookes praised both captains for how they complement each other in terms of their approach to mentoring their teammates.

“Owen has been a solid player since his freshman year and is a quiet leader. We have a great deal of freshmen and some sophomores, and he’s done a great job of taking them under his wing,” Brookes said. “Jackson is a versatile player, and he’s a vocal influence in the dugout and played well up to this point. We have a nice combo of kids for captains.”

Going around the horn, Alonzo returns to second base after making All-State in 2017, while fellow senior Ross Meglin is at first base for H-K. Crandall plays center field, junior Darren Hiller starts in left and also bats leadoff, and Civiello is patrolling right field. Junior Tobey Callender is the Cougars’ designated hitter, and sophomore Sam Erskine has hunkered down behind home plate as H-K’s starting catcher.

“Catcher was our one glaring weakness coming into the year, but Sam has done a great job defensively. He is solid and consistent in his defense. Without him, we wouldn’t be where we are now,” said Brookes. “Ross has been hitting well. Darren has been extremely good offensively and gives us a lot of speed. Jon is also a very good hitter and right fielder.”

With the pedigree of the Cougars’ program, it’s practically a given that they are going to make the Shoreline Conference and State tournaments every year. However, the Cougars want to go deeper into the draws this season. While Coach Brookes knows it will take a total team effort for that to happen, he believes that quality pitching could ultimately prove the biggest difference.

“The goals are always the same. We are looking to make both tournaments and earn a winning record. Those are things we expect the kids to do, and we are on our way to doing that,” said Coach Brookes. “The rest all comes down to pitching. If we can get repeat showings from Jon and Christopher, we will then have four good arms. We also have a sophomore pitcher Carmelo Rosa, who we will start using again. If he develops, it could solidify the staff. Our defense is OK, and we are hitting the ball well and scoring runs. It’s about getting enough pitching to keep us rolling.”

From the Sidelines

Mark Brookes is in his 42nd season as the head coach of the Haddam-Killingworth baseball team.

The Cougars’ assistant coaches this year are Ryan Fuller (varsity assistant), Alex Pollack (JV coach), and Dan Milardo (JV assistant coach).

The Class M State Tournament begins with the first round on Tuesday, May 29. The final is slated for either Friday, June 8 or Saturday, June 9 at Palmer Field in Middletown.