Can Exeter trio of Keaveney, Piwnicki, Schimoler pitch Blue Hawks to state baseball title?

EXETER — Before every game, Exeter High School junior Hayden Schimoler said the team tries to figure out the identity of the opposing starting pitcher.

And who's pitching for Exeter? Schimoler said it really doesn't matter.

"(Whoever it is) they're going to be trouble for the opposing lineup," Schimoler said.

Schimoler, a junior, was referring to Exeter's Big 3 of himself, senior southpaw Cam Keaveney, and junior righty Cam Piwnicki. The Exeter starting trio is arguably the best in New Hampshire Division I baseball.

Keaveney is heading to Division I Northeastern University in the fall, while Piwnicki has verbally committed to Division I Brown University, and Schimoler is being heavily recruited as well.

"Having a three-man punch is really good," Piwnicki said. "To have one of us go out any day of the week and be able to shut down the other team is just really, really good for our ability to win."

How do these Blue Hawks stack up?

Facing the top competition in Division I, Keaveney, Piwnicki and Schimoler all have ERA's under 1.75 — Schimoler has a team-best 0.94, while Keaveney is at 1.16 and Piwnicki is at 1.69.

"I think anyone would tell you the same thing," Exeter head coach Bruce Joyce said. "If you've got any one of these three guys on the mound, we have a pretty good chance to win, or at least compete."

Keaveney has thrown 24 innings across five starts and is 3-0, with 36 strikeouts. Schimoler, in a team-high seven appearances, and three starts, is 3-0 with two saves. He has allowed 15 hits and struck out 28 over 21 1/3 innings, with a WHIP of 1.36 and batting average against of .188.

And Piwnicki has thrown a team-high 29 innings across five starts, posting a 2-1 record with 33 strikeouts, a WHIP of 1.10 and a batting average against of .202.

Winnacunnet has seen Piwnicki win the rivalry matchup the last two years.

"(Piwnicki) is certainly one of the top-five guys in the state," Winnacunnet head coach Aaron Abood said. "I've never faced (Keaveney or Schimoler) but I've heard similar stories about them. They are definitely one of the top 1-2-3 combos in the state, for sure. If you look at their scores, their record, that would indicate that, right? They haven't given up a lot of runs all year."

Schimoler said Piwnicki said a "fiery aspect" to the mound.

"He's always fired up and has his celebrations that he does off the mound," Schimoler said. "Him and Keaveney kind of build off each other. Keaveney tells Piwnicki things, (Piwnicki) tells Keaveney a lot of things, and they kind of help each other; they're always talking about mechanics."

Pitching and giving your team a chance to win

Going into Tuesday's home game against Concord (5-10), Exeter, in 13 games, has allowed three or more runs on just three occasions — an 11-1 loss to Goffstown, a 4-3 win at Portsmouth, and an 8-5 win at Bedford.

In the other 10 games — all Exeter wins — the Blue Hawks have allowed a total of 14 runs, including shutouts of Alvirne (10-0) and Spaulding (8-0). They also have wins over Trinity (3-2), Londonderry (3-2), Keene (3-1), Timberlane (12-2), Bishop Guertin (2-1), Nashua South (6-2), Dover (5-1), Winnacunnet (3-1) and Windham (12-2).

In total, the Blue Hawks hold a sub-2.00 ERA.

"Once we got rolling, even in the preseason, when we saw all these guys throwing, we knew we'd have a pretty good shot everyday these guys took the mound," Joyce said. "On any given day with any of these three guys out there, they give us a hell of a chance to win."

Blue Hawks soaring as regular season winds down

With five games left in the regular season, the Blue Hawks are on a nine-game winning streak, allowing just 12 runs in that span.

"(Schimoler) throws hard, and (Piwnicki) throws hard, so I think our high fastball velocity really gets a lot of swings and misses," Keaveney described. "I think that's what really sets us apart from other pitcher (groups)."

Keaveney said Schimoler's slider is "deadly."

"It starts in the middle and just drops out of the zone, it's really good," Keaveney said. "And then obviously his fastball; he throws sidearm, so (the fastball) has so much run. And then (Piwnicki), his slider just bites so much ... he's taught me so much with pitching."

"So far the season has been going really good," Piwnicki said of Exeter's pitching staff. "We've been doing really good just doing our thing, letting the (opponents) hit the ball, and getting a lot of strikeouts too. So really good all around."

Highlight games for the three

All three have highlight games under their belts this season.

Keaveney allowed one run on four hits, walked two and struck out seven over five innings in a 5-1 win over Dover. He also struck six out and allowed three hits over five innings in a 3-1 win over Keene, and fanned six over five innings in a 2-1 win over Guertin.

Piwnicki was at his finest against rival Winnacunnet, striking out seven and allowing just two infield hits in Exeter's 3-1 win in Hampton. He also struck out 10 and allowed two hits over seven innings, leading Exeter to a 7-1 win over Nashua South; this performance earned him Seacoast boys Athlete of the Week.

"(Piwnicki) commands the strike zone," Abood said. "He can put the ball where he wants, and he has pretty confident presence on the mound. He manages the game well; and he's able to throw his secondary pitches for strikes in any count. He's not just a thrower, he's a pitcher."

In the season opener against Trinity, Schimoler, in relief of Keaveney, pitched the final two innings and struck out four, earning the win. Keaveney allowed two hits and struck out 11 over five innings.

Recently in an 8-0 win over Spaulding, Schimoler struck out nine and allowed three hits over 5 2/3 innings.

How far can starting pitching take the Blue Hawks?

Exeter last won state championships in 2017 and 2018. Could this be the year to bring home another title?

Currently sitting at the top of the 22-team Division I standings, Exeter is setting itself up nicely for the upcoming tournament. But the question is just how high does the ceiling raise with an expected tournament rotation of Keaveney, Schimoler and Piwnikci?

Schimoler said the playoffs is where he thinks the team's pitching is going to set them apart from the other contenders.

Joyce concurs.

"I'd like to think it could take us all the way," Joyce said. "There's a lot of things that have to happen, it just all has to fall into place. The tournament, I think this year, is as dangerous as it'll ever be and has ever been. There's a lot of teams out there that have two (starters) for sure and other guys coming out of the bullpen who throw well. We're absolutely confident, but we also know the tournament can be landmine, and with the one-and-done format, anybody can get anybody."

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Can Exeter baseball trio pitch Blue Hawks to a state championship?