THE MELROSE Red Raider baseball team will travel to Reading this Friday and host their next home game this coming Monday afternoon. (file photo)
Red Raiders return after playoff season
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—There is a lot to look forward to for the Melrose Red Raider baseball team, who returns to 2022 carrying a large group of seniors who helped Melrose earn a post season spot last year in the MIAA Div. 2 North playoffs. They opened at home on Monday.
Those seniors returning include captains Trevor Botto, Rowan Smith and catcher Mike Richards. They are among the twelve senior Red Raiders who will help lead a team that’s ripe for opportunity for both starters and newcomers. Pitching will be Melrose’s most unique area, notes head coach Scott Searles. “We will not have what most people consider a ‘top guy’ but we will be deeper than most teams. We have three or four guys that most teams would consider to be a very reliable number two.”
Both Rowan Smith and Trevor Botto helped pitch for Melrose in their playoff-qualifying season last year, so expect big contributions from them. As they iron out their top three starters, expect pitchers such as Josh Madden, Dom Drago, Malcolm Whitfield, Drew Harrington and Ben Cassavoy to be in the mix. “It is a competitive situation for those roles,” notes Searles. “Other guys that will provide help from the bullpen will be Andrew Izzi, Dom Lamentea and Ryan Dolan.” There is definitely a sense of catch up when it comes to work on the mound, coming off an abbreviated spring season last year that saw them playing half a schedule and only two games a week, thus limiting the amount of hours for up-and-coming pitchers to make their mark.
It was returning starter Trevor Botto who took the mound on Monday when Melrose opened at home and fell to Woburn, 6-0, despite holding the Tanners to 2-0 after five innings. Coach Searles would like to see the bats come around. “We only had one or two hits. On the positive side, Trevor [Botto] pitched fantastic and really gave us a chance. We just missed some plays behind him and didn’t execute on the offensive side to help him out. It is a tough schedule out of the gate and I’m not terribly worried about our offense. We are going to figure it out and we have some talent on that side of the ball. We will do some things and look to make an improvement for the next time out.”
That said, he wants to see clean defense now. “We at times lose focus on the defensive side of the ball and we’ll clean that up,” says Searles. “I stress to our guys that baseball is a slow methodical game. We have to maintain our focus and cannot let up for a single pitch. The baseball gods know when you lose focus and that ball will find you.”
Two dependable positional players include Matt Whelan in center field and Rob Colozzo in left field. “Both of those guys were with the varsity last year and should be very reliable,” notes Searles, who expects right field to be dependent on who’s pitching, but could include players such as Tom Foley, Zach Federico, Jack Morrissey or Ryan Dolan. Look for players such as Malcolm Whitfield and Dom Lamentea to also see starting time across the horn.
As these Raiders carve out their roles, one thing the team is showing is chemistry. “With this many seniors, they have all grown up and played together and the cohesion of this group has been pretty seamless,” says the coach. “Our chemistry has been great right out of the gate and these guys really seem to enjoy playing together.”
The Middlesex League is sure to be a challenge, but like last year, expect Melrose to be in the thick of things. “The league is truly one of the most competitive in the state,” he says, noting the particular strength of the Middlesex Large division. “Arlington won last year and they brought everyone back. Reading is not void of talent may have a kid throwing in the 90’s.” He also notes Lexington Winchester, Belmont and Woburn will be in the hunt. And here in the Freedom, Melrose will have to go through Wakefield, who simply had a year last season. “I’m sure Wakefield will be there. They bring back the MVP of the small and a very good ace.” Stoneham is also expecting to be hot this year and are off to a 2-0 start.
It’s a long season of 20 games, and Melrose’s schedule is tough out of the gate. But expect this team to soon hit their stride. “You don’t want your guys to get discouraged if they don’t come out the way they want. It’s a long season and we want to peak at the right time. I like the makeup of this team and if we can play our brand and manage to stay away from mistakes that beat ourselves, I think it’s going to be a very exciting season.”
Melrose is on the road this Friday in Reading but fans can catch Melrose in action at home on Monday when they host Cambridge Rindge and Latin at 4:15 p.m. at Morelli Field and on Tuesday at the same time when they host Watertown.
Play ball.
