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Kings of the Hills: Marshall twins leading the way on the mound

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Twins Tommy and Bobby Marshall are leading the way on the mound for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High baseball team.

Twins brothers, Tommy and Bobby Marshall have a lot in common.

That list includes tossing complete games.

Tommy opened the Whitman-Hanson Regional High baseball team’s season with a complete-game shutout against Duxbury, striking out nine.

“Tommy came to me before the season even started and put that bug in my ear and said, ‘Coach I’m going to distance in the first game,’” said W-H skipper Pat Cronin.

Bobby had the best seat in the park for his brother’s gem because he caught it.

“I just congratulated him and wanted to match it,” said Bobby, who also plays outfield, third base, and pitcher.

He didn’t have to wait long. Bobby was on the hill the following game against Hingham. And he matched in, tossing a full seven innings, surrendering zero earned runs while punching out five in the 7-2 win.

Bobby Marshall tossed a complete game against Hingham this season. / Photo by: Sue Moss

“Once [Tommy] did it, you’re talking like refrigerator material in the Marshall house,” Cronin said with a laugh. “Bobby, of course, came right to me the next day and said, ‘Coach, I’m going the distance, too.’”

Tommy didn’t seem too surprised by his brother’s follow-up act.

“We’re very competitive,” said Tommy, who is coming off a 15-strike out, complete-game shutout against Duxbury last Tuesday. “Everything is a competition.”

Tommy Marshall is 3-0 with 30 strikeouts in 19.0 innings this season. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The two have combined to fire 31 innings and post a 4-0 record for the Panthers, who are off to a 6-1 start.

“They kind of energized the team,” Cronin said. “Everyone loves playing behind them. They love baseball, it’s all they want to do is play baseball. They’re very positive, I don’t think I’ve ever seen them negative — and then you add the skill factor. They can both bring it. They can both throw very well for high school kids. They have good skills defensively and they’re aggressive at the plate.”

Tommy is in his third season on varsity, while Bobby is in his first after getting called up during the 2019 MIAA tournament.

“We have a lot of fun together because we get to play together, ” said Tommy, who is also hitting a team-high .478 with seven RBI’s. “There’s nothing better than that.”

That fun will continue next year. They’ll both attend Curry College, where they plan to play baseball.

Schwede back on bump after bout with cancer

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Rian Schwede pitches last season. / Photo by: Chris Lyons

After beating cancer, Whitman-Hanson Regional High alum Rian Schwede is back on the mound at Endicott College.

Rian Schwede isn’t too used to getting hit hard.

But just about a year ago to the day he was — not on the baseball field but off it.

He received a cancer diagnosis.

“It all started when I got home,” said Schwede, a sophomore at Endicott College. “We got sent home in March, and I found out in April. I was shocked. It was kind of crazy going home and finding out about all that stuff — the season getting canceled and having to finish school, which was another element I had to deal with.”

Then a couple of weeks later, it got worse.

“They said it was Stage 3 at first,” Schwede recalled. “Then I got a call one afternoon saying, ‘Hey Rian, we got some bad news. The blood work came back, and you’ve been upgraded to Stage 4.’ I took that phone call by myself in my room.”

Fortunately for Schwede, it was a pretty curable form of testicular cancer with chemotherapy and then a final surgery.

“I started chemo in early June to mid-August,” he said. “Every three weeks, I’d have to go in for one week, and then I’d come out and have a three-week break and go in for another week.”

Baseball helped take his mind off the process, beginning with his team at Endicott.

“Every single week I was in the hospital I’d get a text from the whole team,” Schwede said. “Everyone would be saying, ‘Yo, good luck. You got it.’ And I get some calls from my close friends on the team.”

Schwede, a three-time Patriot League All-Star on the diamond at Whitman-Hanson Regional High, also played in the local Ted Williams League in between treatments.

“I was like, ‘I’ll go there, I’ll throw and take my mind off things,’” Schwede said. “It was a really good time. I would do it with my friends from home, too.”

In October, Schwede was officially cancer free. And while one battle was down, there was still another to go. He’d lost about 10 to 15 pounds during chemotherapy and knew he had to build himself up before the college baseball season. After a few months, he was even bigger than he was before – weighing in at 215 pounds.

“I kind of just flipped the switch to get back to normal,” he said. “I had a set routine of going to the gym and going to my trainers. It was a really good, productive offseason going from absolutely nothing in the fall to just work my butt off to get back to where I am now.”

He spent part of that offseason working with Diamondbacks pitching prospect Matt Tabor.

“He really helped me pitching-wise,” Schwede said.

Schwede’s commitment this offseason paid off. He took the ball for Endicott in its conference opener against Wentworth on Saturday, March 27. Schwede struck out four over 3 2/3 innings in a 4-3 win.

“It was great to get back out there,” said Schwede. “It’s been a grind the last month or two.”

Said Endicott skipper Bryan Haley: “The fact that he’s gone through what he’s gone through and he gets the ball in a big game for us is definitely special.”

Haley said Schwede’s journey gives the team a different perspective on life.

“We get caught up a lot in our day-to-day, the wins and losses and these little things that we make much bigger than they are,” Haley said. “Then Rian gets cancer and it kind of just hits the breaks on everybody and says, ‘Hey, listen. What are we really worried about here?’ We’re pretty lucky to be out here competing.”

Dealing with a delayed spring sports season at Whitman-Hanson

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The spring sports season is delayed until at least May 4.

For the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ tennis team, optimism was high — and rightfully so — as it looked toward this spring.

The Panthers are set to return all 18 players from last year’s team that won its first tournament game in program history.

Now, the girls’ tennis team, like the rest of the clubs, is grappling with a delayed start to the spring due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

“We were looking forward to our best season thus far,” said girls’ tennis head coach Sue Sookiasian. “Coach (Sue) Moss and I are keeping the faith that we will be able to have some sort of an abbreviated season.”

This spring is also key for the boys’ lacrosse team, but for the opposite  reason. The Panthers are tasked with making up for the loss of 10 seniors. Five of those seniors combined for 112 goals, one was its Patriot League All-Star starting goaltender and another was a captain on defense.

“It’s definitely tough because I would have liked to get a full season in to develop the younger guys because the majority of starters last year were seniors,”  said boys’ lacrosse head coach Tyler Sabens. “I’m hopeful that we’ll have a spring season even if it’s short.”

If all goes as planned and there are no further setbacks, that short spring season will get underway on May 4 with tryouts. Games will get underway about a week later, according to athletic director Bob Rodgers. 

Baseball skipper Pat Cronin, who started coaching 47 years ago, has never seen anything like this, but he understands the delay is necessary. 

“[I] Feel for the kids, of course,” Cronin said. “The seniors are in their final year and will be unable to ever get back the time missed. While virtually my entire life has been centered about the classroom and athletic fields, missing a season or part of a season is a small price to pay if we can help to save lives.”

Head girls’ lacrosse coach AC Decker, who was hired last offseason, is possibly facing his first spring without picking up a stick since he was introduced to the sport back in 1975. 

“The girls are devastated, especially the seniors,” Decker said. “I can tell that there were many players who were very prepared and ready for the season. The captains, Marissa Connell and Riley Bina (sitting at 92 career goals), organized teams for indoor leagues and kept the players motivated.

“Going into my second year, I felt much better prepared. We were hosting a small preseason jamboree, and I was able to set my schedule this year.”

Josh Lopes is set to enter his first spring at the helm of the boys’ tennis team. He doesn’t think the season will actually happen — and if it does — he won’t have a good feeling going in. 

“I don’t know much about the team at all, especially what the experience levels are,” Lopes said. “Quite a few are first-year players. I had met with anyone interested in playing but it does feel like we are going into the season essentially blind. I don’t really know what to expect in terms of ability and players. It was actually part of the excitement for me, thinking about what the possibilities could be.”

Steve George, the girls’ outdoor track head coach, noted it’s frustrating not being able to communicate with his athletes about potential practices and workouts because of a strict MIAA policy that states, “A coach may not directly or indirectly require an athlete to participate in a sport or a training program outside of the MIAA defined sport season.”

“This pandemic has created an immensely frustrating time for me as a coach,” George said. “I’m literally isolated from the athletes, but in addition there are rules placing limitations on what we can discuss or suggest out of season.”

With that said, he is immensely concerned about his athletes getting hurt if the season ends up getting underway.

“I have a growing concern about injury, if and when we do return,” he said. “Accelerating training would increase that likelihood, and the MIAA will proceed with caution to ensure adequate practices take place prior to competition. But many of the athletes will not want to hold back, despite a lengthy period of inactivity and that could be disastrous. My job is to keep them healthy and safe and that is how I intend to proceed.”

Boys’ outdoor track head coach Stephen Schlicting tries to post a tweet each day to keep in touch with his athletes, but he knows it’s not the same as seeing their faces. 

“It seems like a long time since I’ve seen the team,” said Schlicting, who also coaches the boy’s indoor track team. “I’m hoping we have this thing beat by May 4. We had a very good group this past winter, and I’m looking forward to the others who will join and start next month.”

Softball head coach Jordan McDermott has been doing her best to keep her players’ spirits up. 

“I did do a challenge for a week with the girls where I gave them a challenge and they had the option to do something,” McDermott explained. “I loved how I made it not only for the softball girls but for all those who follow my account; it was pretty cool to see other girls from other schools and towns get involved. I go live here and there on my account and try to check in on the student-athletes. My goal is to keep the girls engaged, active and optimistic.”

One thing is certain: each coach is devastated for their senior(s). 

‘I’m going to miss the heck out of them’: W-H baseball senior captains leave legacy

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The W-H baseball senior captains. / Photo by: Sue Moss

W-H’s baseball senior captains helped lead the program to two Patriot League Keenan Division crowns, a pair of playoff wins and a 61-25 record.

When Pat Cronin returned to his alma matter, Whitman-Hanson Regional High, four years ago to coach the baseball team after spending the previous 35 springs as East Bridgewater’s skipper, he had a lot of work to do.

That included several decisions, such as: finding out what had and hadn’t worked, deciding who could and should play where and assessing who could be a contributor.

Three then-freshmen —Mike Cook, Ethan Phelps and Rian Schwede — made his life a little easier. They only required a few minutes of observation before making a decision.

“I saw their love for the game — they love baseball — and I saw they were natural athletes,” Cronin said. “They could play at the varsity level.”

So Cronin, who made a four-year commitment to W-H when he was hired in 2016, decided he wanted to take them on the ride with him.

Four years later, the program appeared in the tournament each season — which ended an eight-year playoff drought — captured two Patriot League Keenan Division crowns, won a pair of playoff games and racked up a 61-25 record.

“They’re my three,” Cronin said. “They’re my guys that have been with me since Day 1. They’re legacy is very much tied to those championships.”

A three-time all-star, Cook, who is headed to play college baseball at Babson, was a constant at second base and in the middle of the order for the past three years. He never hit below .300.

“He can run, he can make things happen, so he’s solid,” Cronin said of Cook. “Mike is even going to be better in the next four years when he gets to Babson and starts to really compete against some really good players. You’re going to see him get much better.

Mike Cook never batted below .300. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Cook said the groundwork for the Panthers’ success during his tenure was laid by the seniors when he was just a freshman.

“They set the tone,” Cook said. “Nick Haley, Nate Perkins, Jared Pendrak, the three captains, they were unbelievable for us. They we had year after year guys that came through and did what they needed to do.”

Schwede agreed.

“We really turned it around my first year with Nick Haley, Brenndan Rogers and Nate Perkins and it was cool to play with them the first year and understand what it’s like to be a part of a really winning program,” Schwede said.

But without Schwede’s arm, that success may not have continued. W-H’s ace for the past two seasons and a league all-star since he was a sophomore, the Endicott College baseball-bound righty pitched to the tune of a 1.47 ERA over 146 2/3 innings. Cronin didn’t mince words when talking about Schwede’s impact.

Rian Schwede was W-H’s ace for the past two seasons. / Photo by: Sue Moss

“He was the guy,” Cronin said. “He was as good as there is in this league. He learned what pitching is all about. He has the big pitchers’ body. He has the big right arm and he understands exactly how I want it done.”

Phelps — Schwede’s partner in the outfield when he wasn’t on the mound — turned in a solid career bouncing between the mound and centerfield.

Ethan Phelps was a league all-star as a junior. / Photo by: Sue Moss

“He grew a lot,” Cronin said of Phelps. “Our seniors are the guys who hit above .300 and he was one of them.”

Phelps said he felt the culture shift when Cronin took the helm.

“It’s a great program, a lot of history in the past few years,” Phelps said. “When Cronin started, he pretty much changed around the whole program.”

Cronin said his senior captains helped establish the baseball program as a team that’s serious about winning.

“They’re the leaders who talk the game and walk the game in school too, and now the kids in school look at the game differently,” Cronin said of his captains. “It’s manifested in who they are as people. So when they see Schwede or they see Cook or they see Phelps and they know they’re baseball players and they respect them, then they respect the game. I think we’re in a good place.”

Each captain said the biggest thing Cronin taught them was how to stay level headed.

“I think just being a leader,” Cook said. “I’ve always been a hot head growing up. I used to always be the kid crying on the field and throwing a tantrum, but coach and everyone else has always stayed on me and helped me be more composed and that’s definitely helped me a lot.”

Said Phelps: “He taught me to keep my temper at ease because a lot of the times it gets out of hands.”

Said Schwede: “Freshman year I was a little bit antsy, I didn’t really know how to control a lot of things, but I think over the last four years, he’s kind of really kept it pretty strong on me.”

Cronin said there’s really only one way to term these past four seasons. That’s exciting.

“They knew what I thought and knew what they thought and it made it a nice smooth ride,” said the skipper. “We had a lot of great wins here. They’ve helped a lot. I will miss them. It’s been great having them, and I’m going to miss the heck out of them.”

Schwede pitches W-H baseball past Duxbury, into postseason

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DUXBURY — Make it four.

For the fourth consecutive season, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High baseball team is headed to the playoffs.

Powered by 6 2/3 frames of shutout ball from senior captain Rian Schwede and a timely run in the top of the seventh inning, the Panthers bested Duxbury, 1-0, clinching their spot in the Div. 2 South tournament.

“This was a big win,” said W-H skipper Pat Cronin. “Schwede does not throw a bad game. He’s as tough as nails.”

Schwede was locked in a pitchers’ duel with his former AAU teammate, Duxbury southpaw Charlie Coon all afternoon.

Scoreless with no outs seventh inning, Coon got sophomore Danny Kent to strike out swinging. However, Kent reached first on a wild pitch. Classmate Thomas Marshall then bunted a single over the third baseman’s head, making it two on with no outs. Senior Aidan Cafferty joined the wild inning with his own bunt single, loading the bases with no outs. Four balls later, senior captain Ethan Phelps pushed across the one and only run.

After getting the first two outs, one which came on a diving stab by Kent at short stop in the bottom of the seventh, Schwede was lifted with the tying run on third. Marshall took care of the rest, inducing a fly ball to right.

“I went out there and he was honest with me and said, ‘I’m toast,’” Cronin said of pulling Schwede. “I knew we were going to go with Tommy Marshall — he’s money. What a great game.”

The Panthers (10-1) had their chances to strike early, with two runners on in each the first, third and sixth inning. But they were unable to capitalize against Coon, who stuck out 12.

“We were out hit away,” Cronin said. “But good pitching will stop good hitting, just like Schwede stopped them.”

Schwede, who entered with a 3-1 record and 0.82 ERA, didn’t allow a runner on base until the fourth.

Phelps provided a spark on offense with two hits and two steals.

W-H travels to North Quincy tomorrow for a league tilt at 4 p.m.

Season Preview: Baseball team led on the bump

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Photo by: Sue Moss

The Panthers return their top two pitchers as they aim for a third straight Patriot League Keenan Division title.

It’s no secret. The Whitman-Hanson Regional High baseball is propelled by its arms.

In senior captains Ethan Phelps and Rian Schwede, the Panthers, winners of back-to-back Patriot League Keenan Division titles, return their top arms from last spring.

“I’m optimistic,” said head coach Pat Cronin, who enters the season with 467 career wins. “You’re always happy when you have your No. 1 and No. 2 pitchers returning.”

Schwede, a four-year varsity player, is the ace. The Endicott-bound right hander pitched to the tune of a 1.64 ERA over 51 1/3 innings last season.

“He’s the main guy,” Cronin said. “He’s as good as anybody in the league. It’s extremely impressive what he does. I have a lot of confidence in him.”

Phelps is one of the best No. 2s around. He posted a 1.36 ERA over 36 innings last spring.

“I’ve watched him grow a lot,” Cronin said. “He just loves the game of baseball. I’ve seen him mature mentally and physically since he was a freshman.”

Cronin said senior Sean Mackay, junior Devin Coulstring and sophomore Thomas Marshall will all likely log some innings on the bump as well.

But for the Panthers, who have been bounced in the first round of the tournament the past two years, to take the next step, their hitting must take it to the next level. Cronin said he’s already seen an improved approach.

“They’re swinging the bats how some of my really good teams have swung the bats,” Cronin said. “I’m optimistic.”

At the end of last season, Cronin challenged then-freshman starting shortstop Danny Kent to become a better hitter. Cronin said he has.

“When we went into the batting cages at the end of the year, I said, ‘Look, this is what you have to do. You got to develop a big swing, you got to turn around the head of the bat, you got to stay behind the ball and you got to catch the ball in front,’” said the coach. “He’s now swinging the bat like a veteran. What a difference.”

Two-time Patriot League All-Star, senior captain Mike Cook, is the centerpiece of the lineup. The Babson-bound second baseman knocked in a team-high 22 runs and hit .394 last season. He also stole 19 bases, which tied for the team lead.

“He’s another key guy for us,” Cronin said. “He can slide, is good defensively and a leader. We will present some problems if we get on.”

Phelps (.300 and 19 steals last season) and senior Derek Frank (.291 and 10 RBIs) will set the table for Cook. Frank moves from the right field, where he starred, to catcher. Schewde will hit fourth with Kent in the five hole.

“We have a good nucleus coming back,” Cronin said. “They were all on varsity last season. I’m confident in that group.”

Junior lefty Chris Zalewski with probably hit sixth and play third base, Coulstring is likely to hit seventh and play in right field, senior Will Newell will play in left an probably hit eighth with junior Robbie Nicholson rounding out the lineup and playing first base.

The Panthers do have their share of key losses from last season, including league all-star and catcher Ryan Sawtelle (hit team-high .400), Jimmy Dolan (hit .317) and Korey Howard (3-0 with 1.84 over 19 IP).

W-H will also set out for its third straight Patriot League Keenan Division title this season.

“If you’re not playing for the championship from Day 1, you’re never going to understand what it’s going to mean to be a program,” Cronin said. “These guys have come off three out of the past two years winning back to back championships, so they’re already way out there.”

The Panthers begin the season with a home game against league foe Scituate Monday, April 8 at 4 p.m.

“I’m looking for us to hopefully we can hit the baseball,” Cronin said. “That’s going to give us the opportunity to grow. I’m looking for them to come out and swing the bats. I pretty much can guarantee you that we’re going to play good defense and with Schwede and Phelps, we’re always in the game.”

Season Review: Baseball team turns focus to next spring

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The Panthers during their tournament game against Nauset. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Panthers have already turned their focus toward next year.

While the 2018 season came to an abrupt ending for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High baseball team, veteran skipper Pat Cronin is not shocked it concluded the way did, and is already thinking ahead.

Seeded third in the Division 2 South Sectional tournament, W-H hosted No. 14 Nauset. Unfortunately for the Panthers, they ran into Warriors ace Stephen Kalinick, who was sidelined for most of the spring, which played in to the Warriors’ then 6-12 record. However, the southpaw didn’t skip a beat, shutting the Panthers out 3-0.

“People saw Nauset’s low seed and had no knowledge of their pitcher, who had had a sore arm during most of the season,” Cronin explained. “He was the reason they had one some big games early in the season, and his injury was the reason they lost their last six in a row.

“I had scouted them and knew he was a possibility. Pitching dominates at all levels; he was a dominating pitcher. He beat us and we beat ourselves on defense and at the plate. Disappointing, yes, but once I saw him, not surprised.”

Cronin added, “Whitman-Hanson is already looking forward to next season.”

So, why the optimism out of Cronin after the Panthers’ second straight campaign in which they finished 15-6, which included a first-round exit in the postseason? That would be because despite the disappointing ending, just to get to 15 wins — 13 of which came in the Patriot League as the Panthers grabbed a share of the Keenan Division title for the second consecutive season — was a success in itself.

On the mound, W-H was without its ace — senior captain James Dolan — for all but 1.2 innings due to tendonitis. Dolan was coming off a season in which he won six games and pitched to the tune of a 0.35 ERA over 40.1 innings en route to Keenan Division MVP honors.

The injury thrust junior captain Rian Schwede into the ace role, granted he pitched like one the year prior, and he collected five wins, held hitters to a .172 average and posted a 1.64 ERA. But, Schwede was going to get his innings regardless, but classmate Ethan Phelps likely wouldn’t have. However, Phelps (also hit .300) did, and hurled 36 of them, going 3-0 with a 1.36 ERA.

“Both are now seasoned veterans,” Cronin said.

Both are also captain-elects, were tabbed league all-stars and are part of seven starters set to return next season.

Along with his 1-2 in the rotation, Cronin will return junior second baseman Mike Cook and freshman short stop Danny Kent up the middle.

Cook ranked second on the team with a .394 average and knocked in a team-high 22 runs; he was also named a league all-star for the second consecutive season and is a captain-elect as well.

“He made some incredible plays at second base, and he hit for average and for power,” Cronin said of Cook. “He was almost impossible to throw out on the bases as well.”

Kent was a diamond in the rough type of find as W-H was in need of a short stop, and he was the one to answer the bell.

“We took a chance when we thought Cook would be better at second instead of short, as we had planned to move him there,” Cronin explained. “Once we saw that Kent was mature enough to handle it, we decided it was worth it to start him this year and then have them both next season together in the middle of the infield. We just let Danny play, encouraged him constantly, and tried to keep the pressure off of him. He was amazing all season. Next season he will be a year older and stronger and should be able to handle varsity pitching a little more. I think he eventually will be a very good hitter.”

Junior Derek Frank is another key returnee next season, but not to his right field post, but rather behind the plate, where he’ll have big shoes to fill. Frank, who hit .291 this season, will take over for Ryan Sawtelle. Sawtelle led the team with a .400 average and was named a league all-star.

“He [leaves a big hole] in many ways,” Cronin said of Sawtelle. “His handling of pitchers was impressive and constantly getting even better as the season went on. Most obvious was his hitting; he became a force this year by shortening his swing and being aggressive from the first pitch.

“He will be tough to replace, but we think Derek Frank will be an excellent replacement next season. Derek is an outstanding receiver himself, but did a great job in right field for us this season.”

Junior Will Newell (four RBIs) and freshman Chris Kenney (five RBIs) are the other two starters back in the fold next season.

As for departures, in addition to Sawtelle and Dolan, Caleb Burke (.294 this season) — who manned the hot corner for the last two springs — and starters Korey Howard (3-0, 1.84 ERA, 19 IP) and Jason Green (3-0, 2.30, 24.1) will be missed.

“To accomplish what they had was really quite remarkable given they did it without their ace,” Cronin said. “They have already changed the way W-H baseball is now thought of. Be proud and enjoy it.”

On quiet leadership: Taking a Jason Varitek approach, Sawtelle provides a dependable presence

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Sawtelle’s leadership has been felt both at bat and behind the plate for W-H baseball. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Whitman-Hanson Regional High baseball senior Ryan Sawtelle is making his presence felt this season.

When asked of senior catcher Ryan Sawtelle’s impact on his team this season, Whitman-Hanson Regional High baseball skipper Pat Cronin didn’t hesitate one bit. 

“I can’t say enough about Ryan Sawtelle,” Cronin said. “He’s an assistant coach on the field. He knows what I’m trying to do. He understands the signals. He’s a Steady Eddie.” 

Cronin even compared Sawtelle, who is in his first year starting, to a former Boston Red Sox legend. 

“He leads quietly,” Cronin said. “He’s kind of like a Jason Varitek kind of guy honestly. He’s that kind of a guy.

“I kid him sometimes when I see his teeth and I can actually make him smile. He’s just a very low-grade, easy-going guy who doesn’t speak very much, but he’s very dependable.” 

While Sawtelle may be a quiet leader, he’s quietly putting together an all-star season. Sawtelle entered the week leading the Panthers, who are in second place in the Patriot League Keenan Division, with a .407 average and .514 on-base percentage. 

“I wasn’t aware of that, but I feel pretty confident up there,” Sawtelle said when told his stat line. “I’m not really thinking about the numbers or anything. I’m just trying to do it for the team and drive some runs in.”

Last week, Sawtelle, who is committed to play baseball at Vermont’s Castleton University, tallied four hits and recorded three RBIs. He notched three hits and knocked in two runs in an 11-2 victory over Silver Lake Wednesday, May 9. 

“We just took them like any other team — take them serious and see what they bring us and we’ll bring our hardest out there,” Sawtelle said of Silver Lake. 

Sawtelle’s numbers at the dish may be impressive, but so is his work behind it as he directs a staff with one of the lowest ERAs in the Patriot League. 

“Ryan is a great catcher, I love him back there,” senior captain James Dolan, who has been playing with Sawtelle since the two were 7 years old, said. “Coach lets him take the reins sometimes [and] call the pitches because he’s just very smart back there. He’s just a great catcher, I love it.”

Cronin described Sawtelle, who threw out a runner in the fourth inning of a 3-0 win against Hingham last Thursday, as another piece of the puzzle that’s waited its turn to fill in. 

“He’s another guy that’s been there for three years with us and he’s worked his way through,” Cronin said. “We knew he had a good arm [and] he had a swing that was bigger than it should have been, so he just needed reps and he needed to play.”

Dolan said Sawtelle has been immense to the success of the Panthers, who entered the week with a seven-game winning streak and 9-1 record before a 4-2 league loss to Plymouth North on Monday, a game in which Sawtelle had an RBI double. 

“He really took control of this team,” Dolan said. “You can see him back there, he’s always calling the outs [and] keeping everybody motivated. [He’s a] great teammate [and] great hitter. He’s going off this year.”

Although Sawtelle may not be outspoken, he does have the utmost respect from his coaches and teammates. 

“You don’t hear a lot of out him, but when you do – you listen,” Cronin said. 

Whitman-Hanson baseball streaking as it enters key matchup

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Photo by: Sue Moss

First place in the Patriot League Keenan Division is up for grabs tomorrow as the Whitman-Hanson Regional High baseball team kicks off a four-game week with a home contest against Plymouth North.

Three weeks ago, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High baseball team took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning against Plymouth North, only to have the Blue Eagles put up five runs — three of which were unearned — as they handed the Panthers their first loss of the season, 8-3.

“We kicked a couple of balls on the turf that we haven’t kicked since,” W-H head coach Pat Cronin said. 

The setback occurred after an 11-day layoff due to the weather, which came off the heels of W-H opening the season 2-0. Since then, the Panthers have not lost and sit with a record of 9-1 overall and in the Patriot League as they prepare for a rematch with Keenan Division foe Plymouth North (11-2, 9-1) tomorrow. 

Set to toe the rubber for the Panthers tomorrow is junior captain Rian Schwede, who sports a 3-1 record and 1.84 ERA. Schwede excited the earlier game against Plymouth North with a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth. 

“He’s clearly established himself as the ace, and that game got away from us down there in Plymouth,” Cronin said. 

Schwede’s emergence as the ace came after 2017 Patriot League Keenan Division MVP James Dolan exited W-H’s second game of the season — against Plymouth South — with tendentious. Dolan, who boasted a 6-1 mark and 0.35 ERA over 40 1-3 innings last spring, hasn’t thrown since, which makes the Panthers’ 9-1 start even more of a surprise to Cronin. 

“Given that we lose the MVP, one of the best pitchers in the league to start, anyone who evaluates it and access it has to say this is really remarkable,” Cronin said of his team’s record. “So, I am thrilled but also I live with these guys now.” 

Also logging some significant innings for the Panthers have been seniors Korey Howard (1-0, 1.97 ERA, 10 2-3 IP), Jason Green (2-0, 1.50, 14), and junior Ethan Phelps (2-0, 0.44, 16). 

“I know what they’re capable of and having coached a long time you can project into the future what is their possibilities — what is possible if they work hard, so on the other side they never really surprise me either,” Cronin said. 

At the plate, senior Ryan Sawtelle is hitting at a .407 clip to pace the Panthers. 

“He’s another guy that’s been there for three years with us and he’s worked his way through” Cronin said. 

The Panthers’ most recent victory (3-0 over Hingham last Thursday) marked their seventh victory in an eight-day span. Other victories came over Quincy (13-1 on May 2), Pembroke (6-0 on May 3), Hanover (3-2 on May 4), Duxbury (5-2 on May 5), North Quincy (7-5 on May 7) and Silver Lake (11-2 on May 9).

“What I did this week is when I got to Friday and I got up in the morning and I was tired Friday morning,” Cronin explained. “Seven games in nine days and I was tired and I’m saying — If I’m tired and I’m coaching, these kids are taking AP exams last week, they have National Honor Society, I said, ’It’s a beautiful day, give them Friday off, give them Saturday off, let all the arms recover.’”

Cronin said keeping his players fresh and not overworked is a constant battle for him. 

“You have to find ways and I get torn because old school says work ‘em, work ‘em, work ‘em,” Cronin said. “These kids are so busy that if they’re playing well — I learned that from my old football coach here at Whitman-Hanson, Bob Tan — I mean we hardly ran any conditioning because we were undefeated, and if you’re successful, keep them fresh and keep them enjoying the game so I don’t know if I’m always right, but I’m always trying anyway.”

Cronin said he tries to keep his practices in the range of an hour and a half to at most two hours during the heart of the season.

“One day I could see we were a little tense, I brought in 20 pizzas into the dugout and I called them in and I had them go to my car and get the pizzas and they go crazy for food,” Cronin said. “You have to do things like that. We bring them in and had some pizza and then they did a little 10 minutes of work and I sent them home. We’ll play a little bunting game out here, we try to compete and have fun in games when we can.”

After tomorrow’s tilt with Plymouth North (4 p.m.), W-H will travel to Brockton to play the Boxers (9-3) on Tuesday, before returning to league play as it visits Duxbury (5-4, 4-4) on Wednesday and hosts Quincy (2-9, 0-8) on Thursday.

“It’s four games and we’ve set up the pitching pretty much the same way that we did it the first time, fortunately we’ve been through a four-game week,” Cronin said. “As I told the kids, ‘We’re going out there and just do it the same way.’” 

Life’s ‘a little crazy,’ but Ethan Phelps thrives on it

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Ethan Phelps delivers to the plate in a May 4 3-2 win over Hanover. / Photo by: Sue Moss

It’s been a hectic few months for Ethan Phelps, a junior two-sport athlete at Whitman-Hanson Regional High.

It was directly after the conclusion of the Whitman-Hanson Regional High baseball team’s 7-5 victory over North Quincy on Monday, Ethan Phelps — still in uniform after knocking in the game-winning run — hurried up to the high school to write teacher appreciation notes as part of his National Honor Society duties. That is just a glimpse into what has been a jam-packed few months for the junior.

On Saturday, it was much of the same for Phelps, who roams center field for the Panthers. After taking the SATs in the morning, it was straight to the baseball field for an afternoon tilt against Duxbury.

“It’s been hectic,” Phelps said. “I mean, I’m absorbing all of it and taking all of it in, I’m really enjoying it, but yeah it’s been a little crazy.”

For Phelps, it’s a good busy that stems from his dedication on and off the field as a multi-sport athlete.

It was at the outset of his sophomore year when Phelps was in a quarterback battle to assume the reins under center for the W-H football team. Since then, he has accounted for 56 touchdowns and helped guide the Panthers to back-to-back playoff berths.

“Ethan is an incredible dedicated student-athlete,” W-H football head coach Mike Driscoll said. “What everyone sees on the field is also what you get in the classroom, a student who gives it his all and is not satisfied with anything but the best possible result.”

His talent on the gridiron — which has been assisted by hours of work in the weight room — along with his 4.2 GPA, are two traits that landed Phelps the MIAA Student-Athlete of the Month Award in November. They’ve also earned him some high-level college football visits.

All within a two-month span, Phelps toured Williams College and Bryant University, along with Ivy League schools Dartmouth and Harvard.

“I’m leaning towards academics,” Phelps said of what he’s looking for in a school. “I’d rather use football to get into an even better academic school.”

On the diamond, Phelps and the Panthers are in the midst of the heart of their season, fresh off a five-game week that began April 30.

Phelps took the ball last Friday for his first career start and hurled eight innings of two-run ball as W-H knocked off Hanover, 3-2. Phelps tossed 83 pitches — 67 for strikes — in the extra-innings win.

“He throws gas,” W-H baseball head coach Pat Cronin said. “He’s got untapped speed and easy power. He’s such a gamer, he wants it badly. I’m glad he’s on our side.”

The next week doesn’t get any less chaotic for Phelps, with three advanced placement exams, a college visit to Middlebury and four baseball game on his docket.

“In the classroom, I obviously want to maintain my grades,” Phelps said. “Then, on the baseball field I think all of us will come together and maybe make a state championship run.”