Printer Friendly Version - Hand Baseball Rallies Past ND-WH for First Ever SCC Title

The Hand baseball team captured an historic win when it claimed its first-ever SCC title after an 8-5 win over Notre Dame-West Haven in the league’s tournament final on May 23. Photo courtesy of Travis LaPointe

It has been a season of many new heights and several triumphs on and off the diamond for the Hand baseball team. The Tigers have now etched a new benchmark moment for the program in the form of its first-ever league championship.

Hand entered the SCC Tournament as the top seed in the draw after a tremendous 18-2 regular-season campaign. After dispatching eighth-seeded Lyman Hall 1-0 in 10 innings and No. 5 North Haven by a 5-1 count in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, respectively, the Tigers found themselves locked into a matchup in the finals against No. 6 Notre Dame-West Haven (ND-WH) on May 23 at West Haven High School.

Head Coach Travis LaPointe, who was named SCC Conference Coach of the Year, and the Tigers showed a resolve worthy of a champion by prevailing 8-5 to yield the program its first-ever SCC crown. The Green Knights plated across a run apiece for the first three innings to go ahead 3-0, prior to the Tigers mounting a comeback with a four-run rally in the third inning. They then added another four tallies in the following frame to give themselves a lead they would not relinquish.

“It was so rewarding to watch this group of players win our first SCC championship. The high character that exists within this team allows them to handle pressure and perform at a high level under duress,” said LaPointe. “Even when their backs are up against the wall, they just seem to find ways to win. These players have made a commitment to doing all of the little things well, and I am just so proud of them. They have created so many great memories for their families, for themselves, and for our coaches. Their legacy is cemented in Hand history.”

Offensively on the night, senior Vinny Benevento notched two hits and three RBIs, plus senior captain Ben Kuja had two hits, scored two runs, and drove in one. Kuja proclaimed that while the Tigers are playing with a sort of house money after matching the mark for most single-season wins in program history, they are certainly still throwing all their chips towards the table.

“It means so much to the team, the coaches, and the program to finally bring home an SCC title for the first time ever,” said Kuja. “We knew at the start of the season this was a special group, and now we've officially left our mark in Hand history. That being said, we are full steam ahead going into the state tournament. The team is determined to be the first team to bring home both a conference and state championship in the same season. As Coach LaPointe noted to us, each win from here on out will set a new season win record.”

Meanwhile, junior Paul Calandrelli (named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament) was 2-for-2 with two walks, but on the base paths, he scored a run while driving in another. He also flashed the leather defensively behind home plate by tagging down a runner attempting to steal and picking off another.

“There is no better feeling than completing something that's never been done before. The work that we have put in as a team to win the first ever SCC championship for Daniel Hand means so much to the program,” said Calandrelli. “The job isn't finished yet; we still have the state tournament to compete in. No one on our team feels satisfied unless we finish the state tournament with a win.”

The Green Knights tried to mount a comeback attempt with a pair of runs in the sixth inning, but then Calandrelli moved to the mound and put out a bases-loaded fire in the frame. Himself and the defense behind him capped off the crown with a double play to end the game in the seventh.

In the process, the Tigers also avenged one of their lone pair of defeats in the regular season, as ND-WH defeated Hand 8-6 back on April 26.

First Team All-SCC honors went to seniors Nick Antonetti (.372 batting average with 29 hits, 21 runs, nine stolen bases) and Payton Powell (52 innings pitched, 7-0 record with two saves, 48 strikeouts, 1.61 earned-run average). Second Team distinction was awarded to sophomore Nick Maynard (.356 average with 22 RBI and 21 hits) and Calandrelli (.324 average with 24 hits, 17 RBI, 18 runs, nine stolen bases). Seniors Brandon SanMarco (7-1 mark, 1.9 ERA, 34 strikeouts in 47.2 frames of work) and Owen Scarice (28.2 innings pitched, 4-0 mark, 0.98 ERA) notched Honorable Mentions.

Against Lyman Hall in the quarterfinals, Hand made zero errors, and Lyman Hall only made one. Powell pitched 7.1 innings, and senior Johnny Reh pitched 2.2 innings to earn the win. They combined for 11 strikeouts and only allowed two hits. Calandrelli broke through with an opposite-field double to lead off the bottom of the 10th. He eventually came around to score on a wild pitch.

In the 5-1 semifinal win over North Haven, Benevento was the offensive star; he had three hits and two RBI. Maynard and senior Tai Nuzzi also had RBI singles. SanMarco was excellent on the mound, pitching a complete game while allowing just four hits and no earned runs. Trailing to the Tigers 4-1, North Haven had the bases loaded, and Nuzzi tracked down a ball deep in the center field gap to prevent a trio of runs from scoring.

Hand then began the Class L State Tournament as the No. 2 seed overall and first hosted 31st-seeded Grasso Tech in the opening round on May 28. The Tigers prevailed 3-0 to set the program single-season record for wins with 22. In the contest, Scarice pitched six innings and allowed zero runs on one hit. He struck out six batters to improve to 5-0. Calandrelli hit a two-run home run, Kuja had a single and an RBI, and Nuzzi had a double and a run scored. Benevento also added a double.

At home on May 29 in the second round vs. Lyman Hall, the Tigers beat the Trojans again with a 7-1 triumph. Powell pitched a complete game, allowing a run on four hits to improve his record to 8-0. Senior Derek Piascik had a two-RBI double. Junior Sam Markovitz had two hits and scored twice, and Maynard and Benevento had RBI singles.

On June 1, the Tigers again met the Green Knights in a quarterfinal and won 8-1. SanMarco pitched a complete game and allowed just one run to improve his record to 8-1. Piascik was 2-for-3 with a two-RBI double. Benevento was 3-for-3 with an RBI. Maynard and Kuja each had two hits and an RBI.

Hand (now 24-2 overall) now faces No. 3 RHAM in a semifinal on Tuesday, June 4 at Dunkin Donuts Park. The winner moves onto the final on either Friday, June 7 or Saturday, June 8 at Palmer Field.

“This team has done something that I didn't know would be possible: to put themselves in the conversation as being the best baseball team in program history,” said LaPointe after the SCC final. “Our 2021 team was 21-2 and won the first state title in school history. They finished that season as the No. 2 ranked team in Connecticut. Well, this 2024 team is officially in the conversation. It has been such an impressive team effort. In our first 23 games, we have scored 133 runs while only allowing 52. As a team, we have committed just 22 errors in 23 games. And perhaps the most impressive stat of all is that we have stolen 78 bases compared to our opponents’ 11 stolen bases. We are 8-0 in one-run games this season. No matter what happens in the state tournament, we are as prepared as any team could be.”

The Hand baseball team’s 2024 roster is comprised of seniors Braden Simmons, David Quoka, Nicholas Earl, Kuja, Reh, Piascik, Nuzzi, Scarice, Antonetti, SanMarco, Powell, Benevento, Will Patla; juniors Calandrelli, Rocco Zagami, Markovitz, Alex Modica, Griffin Byrne, Cooper Burke, Rob Marchese, Shailen Pathy; sophomores Maynard, Clay Cosgriff, Ayden Brennan, Drew Catala, Drew Horn, Alex Khacherian, Jonas Markovitz, Colin Menard, Robert Reh, Brendan Riordan, Gavin Scarice, Finn Strabley, Jack Tanner; plus freshmen Lucca Boyce, Vladimir Coric III, Brayden Dempsey, William Emerson, Thomas Fahy, Connor Francisco, Brendan Keating, Luke Medeiros, Luciano Pesce, Tyler Steinhardt, and Hayden Whitcher.