THE NRHS baseball team is off to a 2-0 start this season. The Hornets beat Essex Tech 6-1 on April 6 (pictured) and shut out Lynn Tech 17-0 in five innings at home on Tuesday. North Reading hosts Bedford on Thursday at 4:15 p.m. (Eric Evans Photo)
By DAN ZIMMERMAN
NORTH READING — With the prevailing weather rapidly trending toward baseball-friendly spring, North Reading took full advantage of the conditions, claiming a pair of wins to start the 2023 campaign.
In the season opener, staged last Thursday afternoon at nearby Essex Tech, the Hornets scratched out a five-spot in the third inning on the way to a 6-1 defeat of their host. And on Tuesday afternoon, North Reading formally christened their newly-rehabilitated home baseball diamond by pounding the Lynn Tech Tigers, 17-0, in an abbreviated five innings.
Coach Eric Archambault, in his ninth-year at the helm of the Hornets, is enthusiastic about the program and its prospects for the months ahead, with good reason. The returning senior group, to a player, illustrates the epitome of leadership and the drive to finish in the winner’s circle. Shortstop Alex Carucci, for instance, is a proven three-sport athlete who, last fall, led North Reading Hornets football to its first-ever Super Bowl title.
“He’s a Field General out there and brings the energy when we need it,” said Archambault, who looks to improve on last year’s 11-10 season, which wrapped up with a 4-2 loss to Nipmuc in the second round of MIAA Division 3 tournament. “Alex is such a good leader out there.”
“I’m just trying to be a good influence on some of the younger guys on this team,” said Carucci, who was named a Division 3 ‘Player to Watch’ in a recent Boston Herald poll. “As seniors, we try to preach the right message and I feel it is definitely rubbing off on them. We have freshmen and sophomores putting the bat on the ball. Potential is the word with some of our younger guys – we’re just scratching the surface.”
Senior Ryan McGuire returned to the baseball ranks after a hiatus. At centerfield, his leg speed will prove to be a strong suit.
“We count on Ryan to patrol the outfield,” said Archambault. “With his awesome gap-to-gap range, he’s getting it done. But while his speed is an asset in the field, he can also motor around the basepads. Ryan is a great all-around athlete.
“I didn’t play baseball last year, competing in spring track instead,” said McGuire, who took part in the 55-meter dash, the long jump, and the 4×200 relay in 2022. “I decided to end it where it began and play baseball for my last high school sport. This year, I just want to bring energy and be a good leader for the younger players.”
Facing the Essex Tech Hawks in the opener, senior leftfielder Zach Rosatone provided the season’s first RBI with a third inning one-out double, driving in Carucci who had led off with a basehit. Rosatone later scored what proved to be the game-winner, reaching on a Robbie Daley sac-fly.
“Zach Rosatone is in our cleanup spot and has become a great contact hitter,” said Archambault. “In the outfield, he has improved measurably over the years.”
In the midst of a five-run third frame, the Hornets also stole a pair and scored on a passed ball, exhibiting their trademark quickness on the basepads. Facing Lynn Tech, North Reading stole a half-dozen before Archambault respectfully put an end to base-taking in the midst of a rout.
“Honestly, we take great pride in our baserunning,” said the coach. “It’s something we work on every day. We have that aggressive mindset, to get on and get around the bases as quickly as we can. From a hitting standpoint, we try to be good contact hitters and put the ball in play. If we’re successful, good things will happen.”
Good things were happening for Ryan Labb in his season debut against Essex Tech. The sophomore hurler scattered six hits while fanning eight. Labb, who went the distance, was at his best with runners aboard, stranding five including a trio in scoring position. He also added a key hit and a run in the pivotal third.
“Labb works year-round at his baseball and he takes great care of his arm,” said Archambault. “We need him to be the best version of himself and throw for contact. It’s cliché, but our pitchers will throw strikes, we’ll field the ball, and that will hopefully lead to success this year.”
The coach went on to say that he has a young pitching staff and he plans to send a lot of different players to the hill as the season unfolds. Facing Lynn Tech, Archambault not only emptied his bench in the later innings, he used four pitchers, including Daley, Dylan Matthews, Steven Carreiro, and Zach Demetri.
“There will be a little internal battle to see who ends up as our two, three, and so on,” he explained. “We’re excited to see them grow as a group.”
Archambault also gave the nod to senior John Paolucci for his leadership qualities, as well as Aldo Vittozzi, who recently came back from an injury that sidelined him for the football season.
“It was a tough decision,” said Vittozzi, who stole a base in the last inning against Essex Tech and later scored on a fielding error. “Either I was going to sit it out or I was going to play one last season. I finally decided to go all in. It was tough at the start but I’d say I’m back to normal and everything is feeling great. I’ll try to be whatever this team needs and step up for them.”
Archambault, who has Ed Blum and Matt Cooney as assistants, held out his highest praise for senior Craig Rubino, who is on the comeback trail from an ACL injury sustained in the football playoffs.
“We met with Craig before the season got underway about what his role would be and the difference he could make,” shared the coach. “We told him he was going to be a coach for us, coaching first base, helping out with the infielders, and helping to define our offensive approach. He notices things that the rest of the coaching staff does not. Against Essex Tech, he saw something, shared it with his teammates and sure enough his advice led to a big inning. He’s one of the smartest kids I’ve ever coached in any sport.”
“We’re a young team, we have a lot of new starters and developing players, and I’m hoping to be one of the guys who can help them get to the next step and get acclimated to varsity baseball,” said Rubino. “I have a player’s view of the game and I’m more aware of what they’re going through.”
“So far, from what I’ve seen, there is emphasis on selflessness,” said Archambault, when asked if there were any surprises at this early stage. “They’re here for the same common goal, to help our team win any way they can. There is that familiar energy and coming together as a group – as a united front.”