McDonough heats up as Wheaton captures another baseball title

Weymouth's Chris McDonough has earned the reputation as a big-game pitcher for the Wheaton College's baseball team, which won the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference tournament last weekend and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

The 6-foot-3-inch, lanky junior left hander pitched a two-hit shutout against Worcester Polytechnic Institute to help Wheaton clinch the conference's regular-season championship two weeks ago. Last weekend, he got the host Lyons off to a great start in the double-elimination NEWMAC tournament with a five-hit shutout victory against Babson College.

"Chris has a feel for pitching, plus he's a real competitor," said Wheaton coach Eric Podbelski. "He's come back full circle from some arm problems he had as a freshman, so he's healthy and he's learned how to get college hitters out. He's become more of a complete pitcher and he's a pleasure to coach."

McDonough -- who played football and baseball at Weymouth High -- is closing in on a couple of Wheaton career marks: As of the middle of last week, he was fifth in victories (16), and his 166 strikeouts were just 14 shy of the school record. McDonough was named the conference's co-pitcher of the week after the victory over WPI, and again last week, after his performance in the 2-0 win over Babson. He notched four strikeouts and didn't walk a batter, improving his 2007 record to 5-1. McDonough's '07 statistics are impressive, with just 34 hits allowed in 54 innings, 50 strikeouts compared to 8 walks, and an opposing batters' average of just .176.

McDonough cracked the starting rotation last season and responded with an 8-2 record and a school-record 76 strikeouts. He was the pitcher who, with just three days' rest, took the mound for Wheaton in the Division 3 College World Series last year against Marietta College of Ohio. McDonough threw four shutout innings before Marietta eventually clinched the victory.

"At first I was disappointed," recalled McDonough, "but looking back now, it was a great experience, pretty awesome. And it's been an incentive to get back to the post season this year."

Wheaton was ranked first in New England and seventh nationally with a 27-10 record after winning its eighth NEWMAC championship in nine years this spring.

NCAA Tournament selections will be announced May 14, and the New England Regionals will take place in Harwich May 16-20. The Division 3 World Series will be held May 25-29, once again in Appleton, Wisc.

McDonough is one of five players from the suburbs south of Boston on the Wheaton varsity, joining co captain Brandon Leonard of Brockton, catcher Jeff Lieneck of Foxborough, pitcher Pat Martin of Rockland, and outfielder Robert Foote of Walpole. Foote was named conference player of the week for the second time last week.

Leonard, a four-year starting shortstop, was leading the Lyons in runs, triples, and stolen bases. Rightfielder Foote, after a freshman season in which he was used mainly as a pinch hitter, was leading the team with a .402 batting average and 54 hits through 37 games. Lieneck had seen time as a backup catcher, while Martin had appeared in six games with one start as a member of Wheaton's 12-man pitching staff and had held hitters to a .158 average.

McDonough was a baseball captain at Weymouth High and helped the team get to the South Sectional semifinals his senior year. He played in the Eastern Massachusetts All-Star game at Lynn's Fraser Field that year. McDonough also played three seasons of varsity football, winning a starting job at safety his senior season when Weymouth advanced to the first round of the Eastern Mass. playoffs.

"Making the playoffs in both sports, getting as far as we did, was a great way to cap off my senior year," said McDonough, whose brother, Pat, is a senior starting shortstop and captain on the Weymouth varsity this spring.

McDonough began at Wheaton in 2004, took a year off to attend Massasoit Community College, then returned to Wheaton for the 2006 season, which turned out to be a breakthrough year.

"I was pretty excited to get back to Wheaton and to the team," he said. "I just go out there and try to get the most out of what I have. I've worked hard on my mechanics and pitch location and I think I have more movement on my pitches now. And to be put into the rotation as a starter was extra incentive to do well."

McDonough appreciates his own good fortune at the Norton school.

"Wheaton has a record of success," said McDonough. "There aren't that many schools around here where you can get a chance to play for a championship every year."