By Zac Vierra, Globe Correspondent

The Xaverian baseball team finishes the season right where it started, No. 1 in the Globe baseball Top 20. Thanks to a starting rotation of Tim Duggan, Nick Ahearn and Alex Person, the Hawks rode this powerful pitching trio to the Division 1 state title.

It was an up and down season for the Hawks. After starting the season first in the Top 20, Xaverian was knocked out of the list completely after a 5-7 start which included a five game losing streak from April 23rd to May 2nd. But the Hawks showed signs of life in a three game stretch May 15th to the 21st defeating BC High, Peabody and St. John’s Prep, all teams which were in the Top 10 at one point in the season.

As the 15 seed in the South, Xaverian opened the postseason with a 9-3 win over Walpole, the team that finished the regular season as the number one team in the Top 20.
Coach Gerry Lambert said before the season that he likes to start the pitchers off slow, even if it means sacrificing wins early, so they will not burn out come tournament time. The strategy paid off as Lambert didn’t need to make a mound visit, yet alone a pitching change, as the Hawks starters pitched four straight complete games to begin the tournament.

Lambert finally had to go to the bullpen against North champion Lowell, but Chris Hoyt’s two RBI single was the difference as the Hawks advanced to the state final against Algonquin. In that game Hoyt was the star again going 2 for 5 with four RBIs as the Hawks beat the Tomahawks 7-1 for the title.

Throughout six tournament games the pitching (11 runs allowed), hitting (35 runs scored), and coaching by Lambert proved that Xaverian’s mix of strategy and talent was the best in the state.

See the full Globe Top 20 here.