Young guns keep Brockton in hunt
Twelve games into the American Legion baseball season and Brockton Post 35 was a respectable 7-5. The record is better than expected, considering just three starters returned from last summer's state championship squad.
The record is even more pleasing to coach Dave Seropian, who thinks defending a state title is enough to amp up opponents, no matter who is on the team.
"Unfortunately, everybody thinks they're playing against the state champs," Seropian said. "The state champs are gone."
Newcomers are jumping aboard a train of recent success. In 2006, Brockton reached the state final before losing to Milton. Last season, Brockton won its second straight District 10 title, captured its first state title since 1954, and advanced to the Northeast Regional.
Seropian said the new players, 12 in all, understand they are representing the defending state champions, but "they don't feel any attachment to it because they weren't there." He described the bunch as "very young, but very competitive."
Seropian can point to at least two games in which he witnessed his team's desire to win. Against Kingston, Brockton erased a 5-0 deficit for a 12-7 victory. Earlier this season, Brockton defeated Plymouth, 9-1, a squad that includes a few players from the Plymouth North team that captured the Division 2 state title last month.
Catcher David Dole and first baseman Jeff Puopolo, both entering their sophomore years at Bridgewater State College, represent Brockton's only returning position starters.
Pitcher Bryan Galligan also returns, but after starting the season 3-0, the Franklin Pierce sophomore has been sidelined with a strained shoulder.
Seropian said he will look to a young pitching staff to fill in, which includes a few with only high school junior varsity experience.
"They're doing a better job than could be expected of them," Seropian said. "They're keeping us in games."
Holbrook started 0-6 before earning an 8-4 win against Jamaica Plain last week. But a year ago, Holbrook lost its first 17 games before finishing 1-19.
While Holbrook struggled last season, Merrigan said the team has kept games close this year under the direction of first-year coach Randy Beatrice. Merrigan coached the team last season, but gave up those duties for the administrative side.
Among the standouts for Holbrook is pitcher Chris Doherty, a fourth-year player. He tossed a complete game against Jamaica Plain, allowing two earned runs and six hits and striking out three.
John Micciche cracked a bases-loaded double to contribute to the four-run inning that helped Holbrook bust the game open. Tyler Richardson was 3 for 4 with three runs scored.
Aside from Doherty, who will be a sophomore at Bridgewater State, the team is mostly made up of high schoolers, including Anthony Santo (Blue Hills), Micciche (Boston College High), and Richardson (Holbrook).
"We're a small town with a limited number of players to draw from, but out of the seven games we've played so far, we've been pretty competitive," Merrigan said.
