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04/21/2023 07:07 AMAs a perennial contender for both conference and state championships, the Haddam-Killingworth baseball team is looking to continue that postseason pedigree while acting as a single entity, with each component producing at its highest level for both the person next to them and the school logo on its jersey.
The Cougars posted an overall record of 14-9 for the 2022 campaign–qualifying for both the Shoreline Conference Tournament and Class M State Tournament after a 13-7 regular season.
The Cougars earned the No. 4 seed for the Shoreline bracket, yet they took a close 6-5 loss to No. 5 North Branford in the quarterfinal round. Then, No. 13 seed H-K started off the Class M State Tournament by claiming a 15-0 home victory over No. 20 Bullard Havens on May 31. The next day, the Cougars faced No. 4 Barlow on the road in the second round and lost the game by a 4-1 score.
Thus far for the 2023 slate, H-K has raced out to a fast 5-0 start. Last week, the Cougars scored a momentous 3-2 victory over fellow Shoreline Conference heavyweight Valley Regional on April 10. H-K then took down East Hampton 7-1 two days later.
Though Head Coach Mark Brookes is pleased with the pleasant opening to the campaign, he and the Cougars are not resting on any laurels as they look to build a complete and close-knit ball club.
“When we get them in early spring, all of them have played summer and fall baseball on other teams, so the first thing we do is to get them together and approach competition from that angle,” said Brookes. “We talk to them about being cohesive and supportive of each other. It is a process to build culture here, and the goal is to win as a group and give as much as they get in terms of support and working as one unit that is H-K. We have gotten off to a good start, but we can get better for sure. With this group, they can and already have corrected mistakes.”
Assisting with constructing that culture foundation are three captains for the Cougars this spring. Senior Callen Powers, who has committed to the University of Massachusetts, comes back to the fold as a pitcher and infielder. Fellow senior classmate Joe Giaccone is in the outfield and back from his second season as a starter, plus Blake Kamoen is a junior leader and three-year starter who will play at shortstop.
“Callen is an outgoing and vocal leader for the kids and is a good student,” said Brookes. “Joe is a very determined player and good leader. Blake will probably continue with baseball after high school, and all three are good students and good examples of student-athletes.”
H-K boasts additional key senior figures on its roster in second-year hurler William Gordon on the mound, Dylan Coon at first base, and Jackson Pray, who has made the move from the infield to behind home plate as catcher.
“William has thrown a lot for us the last two years,” said Brookes. “Jackson is doing an adequate job in the catching department, and he has handled the switch very well. Dylan is a good hitter and has made nice plays for us on defense.”
Junior Ryan Erskine is back for his second campaign as a starter and will double on the mound and in the infield. The Cougars have additional youth on their side with a duo of sophomore starters in outfielder Todd Butler and Matt Shea within the infield.
“Todd is a good hitter, and he will be coming back to pitching for us after a shoulder injury,” said Brookes. “Matt was on the team last year, and he has been a starter for us this year throughout the scrimmages and early season games.”
While Brookes and H-K have already had their first cracks at a couple of tough conference competitors, he noted that the talent pool of teams in the league is never shallow, as there are always ball clubs that can come out of nowhere to the shock of others.
“The preseason favorite in the Shoreline is probably Valley Regional. They are very competitive, and so is North Branford, who we already played once,” said Brookes. “There are always several teams that can pop up that you are unsure about, and I think that is Old Lyme and Coginchaug this year. Morgan and Cromwell are also scrappy teams. You cannot take a break in the Shoreline Conference.”
Lastly, as the Cougars continue to traverse the terrain throughout the Shoreline, they are always locked in on attaining dual postseason bids and doing it while consistently maintaining a championship-caliber mentality.
“Our first two goals each year are always to make both the Shoreline and state tournaments,” said Brookes. “We also want to earn a winning record, and we try to instill an ‘expect to win’ attitude with the guys going into any game. With that mindset, we know we will be competitive.”
The 2023 H-K baseball team roster is comprised of seniors Giaccone, Powers, Pray, Coon, Gordon; juniors of Erskine, Riley Gordon, Alexander Blade, Kamoen, Luke Mauri, Dyson Fawcett; sophomores in Evan Aubin, Colton Merola, Butler, Maxwell Selmer, Shea, Sawyer DiMatteo, Liam Christopher, Brody Mitchill, Roman Nappi, Soren Tassmer; and freshmen of Chase Bruno, Michael Bredefeld, Andrew Chadwick, Kyle Czarkowski, Owen Miner, Owen Mitchell, Garrett Mitchill, Nathan Mulhall, and Jake Wolfradt.
Brookes is assisted this spring by Varsity Assistant Coach Josh Cofield and JV Coach Andrew Mead.
2023 Haddam-Killingworth Baseball Team
Results and Schedule
April 3: H-K 3, Cromwell 0
April 5: H-K 10, North Branford 5
April 7: H-K 7, Morgan 1
April 10: H-K 3, Valley Regional 2
April 12: H-K 7, East Hampton 1
April 14: H-K 1, Old Saybrook 0
Tuesday, April 18: at Portland at 4 p.m.
Thursday, April 20: vs. Coginchaug at 4 p.m.
Monday, April 24: at Old Lyme at 4 p.m.
Wednesday, April 26: vs. Hale-Ray at 3:45 p.m.
Friday, April 28: at Westbrook at 4 p.m.
Monday, May 1: at Cromwell at 4 p.m.
Wednesday, May 3: vs. North Branford at 3:45 p.m.
Friday, May 5: vs. Morgan at 3:45 p.m.
Monday, May 8: at Valley Regional at 3:45 p.m.
Wednesday, May 10: at East Hampton at 4 p.m.
Friday, May 12: vs. SMSA at 4 p.m.
Monday, May 15: vs. Middletown at 3:45 p.m.
Wednesday, May 17: vs. Ellington at 3:45 p.m.