The boys’ baseball team had a season to remember with many standout players, memorable games and walk off home runs. 

The team ended the regular season 15-5, giving them the 12th seed in the postseason. They started off the campaign red hot with a five-game winning streak to open up their season. This was a whole team effort, but notable key players were seniors Preston Cote and Owen Ellsworth, along with juniors Walter Rogers, Cam Citro and Ethan Chan.

Head coach Ken MacDonald and assistant coach Jon Cahill both really loved how the whole team bought into the season and were fully invested in the game, with seniors who were also fully committed to the team.

“They did a really great job of leading by example and just really buying into the team mentality and doing whatever it takes to win,” MacDonald said.

During practices, Cahill prioritized working on fundamentals like baserunning, hitting and defensive fundamentals, with a focus on being a defensive-first team.

“We want to use the formula all year, which is pitching and defense and come through with some timely hitting,” MacDonald said.

The team finished the season with a team Earned Run Average (ERA) of 1.5, which they mostly relied on their committed college pitchers and Rogers. Ellsworth had an ERA of 1.11 and is committed to playing for University of Massachusetts (UMass) Boston. With a 0.68 ERA, Cote is committed to playing college ball at Saint Anselm. Rogers also had an impact on the pitching staff with an ERA of .86.

“I pitched against Westborough, that was my first pitching start of the year, and I carried a no-hitter into the 7th inning,” Rogers said. “That was definitely the highlight of my season.” 

Rogers is a four-year varsity player going into his senior year. Having experience as a four-year veteran, Rogers is ready for the challenge of leading the team next year.

“I want to step up as a leader on the team,” Rogers said. “We want to build our team for next year and also the years to come.” 

The team had a lot of one-run games and blowouts throughout the season, but the team’s mindset stayed consistent throughout the year.  

“Like coach has been saying, it’s a one game season,” Citro said. “We got to be all in for that one game, we can’t take any team lightly because it’s one and done.” 

A phrase to describe this season was “battle test,” according to MacDonald. One notable game this season was against Wachusett. It was a 0-0 game going into extra innings, but then senior Nick Klein hit a deep shot to center field and won the game.

“That was a huge walk off win right at the beginning of the season and I think that is one we will never forget,” Cahill said. “Anyone that was there knows how exciting that was; it was emotional and just exciting overall.”

The team found momentum during the middle of the season against Wesley, which is a top-six team in the state. They ended up winning the game 2-1 in the eighth inning, when senior Thomas Boudreau hit a walk-off double.

“We always seem to have a rivalry with them, so it’s fun to beat a division team,” Citro said.

Citro has been the team’s starting catcher since his sophomore year, and going into his senior year, he looks to make more of an impact both on and off the field. Teammates like juniors Chris Cacciatore, Ben Klein and both coaches see him as a leader behind the plate.

“Both Walter and Cam are really good kids, good leaders that we’re excited to have back,” Cahill said. 

Throughout the season, the team played lots of challenging teams like Milford, which has been a top team in States in previous years. Some players like Chan expected to be battle tested in that game, and they ended up dominating Milford 12-2. Chan is the number two hitter on the team with a .324 batting average, who, according to MacDonald, works hard, does whatever it takes to win and looks to take a bigger role next year himself.

“I want to still perform the best I can, but I want to be much more of a leader and role model on the team,” Chan said.

The team’s play was great all season, but what stood out to most players and coaches was how tight the group was. One tradition the team does after every win is give the Topps player of the game to the best player of that game, which helps to represent over time how everyone contributes to the team.

“We had a bunch of key players come in at different parts of the season because everyone was able to contribute to the team in different ways which really helped us grow as a team,” Citro said. 

The team entered the postseason as the 12th seed in Division II and had high hopes of making it all the way to Polar Park for the championship. Their first round matchup was against a tough Woburn team that went to the Elite Eight last year.

“We were playing really well going into the seventh inning and our pitcher Preston Cote was playing really well,” Rogers said.

They held a one run lead much of the game until the 7th inning when it took a turn for the Titans. As the bats slowed down late in the game, Woburn eventually took the lead and Algonquin lost 3-1.

“That’s baseball; a few hits go their way, a few hits don’t go our way, that’s built into the game,” Cahill said.  

Going into the offseason, players reflected on the loss and the season overall.

“The whole season is bigger than just that one game and I would rather be grateful for all the memories I’ve made this season rather than dwell on that one loss,” Chan said.

Other seniors included Jameson Logan, Kelvin Crispo, Will Mahoney, Michael Chiocco, Nick Gallivan, Jacob Lipkin, Gil Sustache and Jacob Snell. Despite losing much of the roster, the future looks bright with many key returning players like juniors Henry Rogers, Derek Pryor and Cooper Veron, along with sophomore Jake O’Connell as potential stars in the making. As younger players step up, older players have left a lasting impact on the team.

“It was a really special group; we had 12 seniors and we’re really excited to see them go into college whether playing baseball or just succeeding in the real world,” MacDonald said. “They did a great job leaving an impact on Algonquin and leaving it better than they found it.”