West Roxbury will play underdog role in D4 North baseball final Sunday morning
Having already made school history on Thursday afternoon, the West Roxbury baseball team knows that anything it does in Sunday morning’s Division 4 North final will be gravy.
“This is special,” West Roxbury coach Clifton Wilson said after the No. 5-seeded Raiders advanced to the Division 4 North championship for the first time in program history by beating No. 1 seed Boston International 6-2 at Bentley University. “To be the only team from the city left in the tournament and to represent the city like this is great for city baseball.”
In fact, West Roxbury is the only team from a Boston public school left in the postseason this spring, across all sports.
West Roxbury (12-8) doesn’t even mind that it is playing No. 2 Lowell Catholic (17-5) in the final at LeLacheur Park, the home of the Lowell Spinners.
“They are a very good, strong, disciplined team,” Wilson said. “It will be a like a home game for them. They will probably have a lot of fans.”
Another issue for West Roxbury will be pitching.
West Roxbury beat Boston International without starting pitcher Sean Haugh and center fielder Raymond Tejada, who were suspended for disciplinary reasons. But while Tejada only received a one game suspension and will be back to play on Sunday, Haugh is done for the year.
“I only have two or three pitchers left,” Wilson said.
But Wilson said he will try to use the fact they are the underdogs to motivate his players.
“We’ve used it all year because we’re the lowest seed left so we know that we’re not going to be the top seed or the home team,” he said. “So we’ve come in realizing we have something to prove. Given that, I’m excited where we are at. The kids are excited and I told them we will do our best.”
They are also excited to play in a minor league ballpark.
“If you could have seen the look on these kids when we walked into Bentley here they were in absolute awe,” Wilson said. “Their mouths were dropped. They said ‘Coach we’re playing here?’ And Lowell will probably be even better. It will be a better facility probably.
"They are soaking this all in. It’s a dream come true.”
Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.
About Boston Public Schools Sports Blog
More »- Justin A. Rice -- A metro Detroit native, Rice is a Michigan State University (Go Spartans!) and Northeastern University graduate. Rice lives in the South End with his dog and wife, who unfortunately attended the University of Michigan ... his wife, that is. He curates the BPS Sports Blog and is always looking to write about city athletes with great stories. Have an idea? He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.
- Zolan Kanno-Youngs -- A former captain of the Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School football team and a current second-year Ujima Scholar at Northeastern University, Kanno-Youngs is the color commentator of the mens basketball team and a writer for Northeastern's campus newspaper, the Huntington News. He joins Boston.com as a correspondent for the site's BPS coverage. Have a story idea? Contact him at KannoYoungs.Globe@gmail.com. Follow him on his Twitter @KannoYoungs.
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