STEVEN WOISH – MVP
Woish earns Freedom Division MVP
WAKEFIELD — The Middlesex League’s baseball coaches met recently to vote on All-Stars for the 2024 season. Wakefield High had five players earn the honor: senior captain Jack Stromski, senior captain Steven Woish, junior Jayvith Chea, junior Marc Gagne and sophomore Jack Pennacchia.
Woish earned the Freedom Division’s Most Valuable Player Award. He was one of nine players named to the All-Conference team. The centerfielder combined elite defense with a strong bat that allowed him to get on base consistently. He led the Warriors with 27 hits and 22 runs scored. Woish batted .409 with a .521 on-base percentage.
“He did everything you want from a senior captain,” said head coach Kevin Canty. “Defensively, he is one of the best outfielders I have coached in 12 years as a varsity coach. He has a great arm that nobody ran on after he threw out four guys at third or home in the first nine games of the season.”
Gagne also earned All-Conference honors. The lefty racked up 8 wins on the mound with a 1.77 earned run average in 44.1 innings pitched. He had complete game victories over Woburn and Peabody and led the team with 47 strikeouts.
“He was a true ace for us in his first year with the program,” said Canty.
Stromski had another strong season as Wakefield’s top reliever. He had a 3.20 ERA in 41 innings and was second on the team in strikeouts with 43.
“He was key to our young pitching staff,” said Canty. “He relieved for us in every close game when available. He had a stint where he pitched in 7 out of 9 games over a 3-week span.”
Chea, a versatile infielder for the Warriors, led the team in batting average with a .417 and on-base percentage at .533. He had 24 hits, 17 runs scored and 13 steals.
“He did a great job transitioning from catcher to playing all over the infield throughout the season,” said Canty.
Pennacchia was just as impressive on the mound as he was at the plate. He had a team-leading ERA of 1.55 in 33 innings, earning 5 wins. At the dish, he hit .367 with an on-base percentage of .523. He led the team in walks and was second in slugging.
“He was our No. 2 starter on the mound plus a key, middle-of-the-lineup bat,” said Canty.
Wakefield’s phenomenal season included an overall record of 16-5 and a second consecutive Middlesex League Freedom Division title. The Warriors had an eight-game winning streak from April 19 to May 7. They fell to Tewksbury 9-1 in the first round of the Div. 3 state tournament.
