High school baseball: Here are 5 Central Mass. hitters to watch this spring
With the high school baseball season getting underway this week, Rich Garven takes a look at five hitters who should make an impact this year in Central Mass.
Ben Domineck
Wachusett Regional, Senior
The Mountaineers will field a young squad this fall with Domineck, one of four seniors, the only player with extensive experience.
So they’ll look to the three-year starter to continue being a spark-the-offense hitter and defensive cornerstone at third base while also taking on a bigger role as a leader. It’s one for which Domineck is well equipped.
“People really need to watch how he operates and does business,” coach Jeff Kodys said. “He’s super professional in what he does. He’s got a quiet confidence … Definitely a lead-by-example type who backs it up on the diamond.”
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Domineck hit .300 with four extra-base hits, 9 runs batted in, 3 stolen bases and 7 walks as the Mountaineers went 13-8 and advanced to the Division 1 state tournament. The expectation is he again will bat second.
“He’s just been solid,” Kodys said. “He’s pretty good on the bases, a lefty, a good leader. He was also a pretty good football player for us.”
Domineck, who will continue his baseball career at Worcester State University, was a three-phase contributor, helping the football team close the fall with a three-game winning streak.
And he brings a football-style mentality to defense on the diamond at the hot corner, where quick reflexes are imperative.
“The ball is coming at him,” Kodys said. “I would say so, his jersey is dirty at the end of the day.”
In addition to Domineck, the Mountaineers will be captained by right-handed pitchers Will McGrail and Nick St. Cyr and catcher Lucas Gamache, all of whom are seniors.
Jack King
Burncoat, Senior
King settled in behind the plate as a freshman during the pandemic-shortened season of 2021.
He has been the Patriots’ starting catcher since, framing strikes, blocking balls, throwing out would-be base stealers, offering words of reassurance to his pitchers, and guidance to his fielders.
“He’s a very good catcher,” first-year coach Benji Borrero said. “He has a very strong arm; blocks the ball pretty well.”
The 5-foot-9, 165-pound King showcased his arm strength last fall as quarterback of the football team, completing 68% of his passes for nearly 1,300 yards and 18 touchdowns, and displayed his athleticism, averaging 8.2 yards a carry and rushing for five TDs.
Catchers and quarterbacks are typically positions occupied by leaders.
King, who will captain the Patriots along with senior center fielder Declan Hughes, fits the mold.
“He has really taken leadership of the team,” said Borrero, who coached North the last two seasons. “He does a lot for me. Texts the whole team. He does what a captain must do.”
King consistently made solid contact at the plate as a junior while hitting .350.
“He puts the ball in play all the time,” Borrero said. “He has some pop in the bat. The ball jumps off his bat.“He’s a strong kid who moves pretty good and is pretty fast.
King will be working with a staff that includes a trio of right-handers in sophomore ace Noah Koza, a transfer from St. John’s, junior Brady Fenner and freshman Cam Fenner.
Colm McGrath
Tantasqua Regional, Senior
If there’s a season, there’s a sport for McGrath.
The 5-foot-9, 160-pounder helped the golf team win the Southern Worcester County League championship and the basketball team capture its first Clark Tournament title.
Now it’s on to baseball where McGrath is one of seven returning starters from a squad that went 20-4 and lost to eventual Division 3 state champion Oakmont in the quarterfinals.
“He’s just one of those freak athletes that you don’t see anymore.,” coach Jon Leroux said. “Plays multiple sports. He can just pick up a bat and get three hits for you on any given day. … And he going to go out of his way to make sure he wins at everything he does.”
McGrath, a third baseman with position versatility, made his first start as a freshman in a playoff loss to St. John’s and lashed a double to deliver the Warriors’ only two runs.
He’s been starting and producing since, posting a .412 average and .500 on-base percentage to go with a pair of homers, 19 runs batted in, 13 walks and 16 stolen bases in 17 attempts as a junior.
“Colm is the ultimate leadoff hitter in high school baseball,” Leroux said. “He finds a way on every time. He’s also a great leader, a smart kid, does all the little things right.
“One of the main reasons we were even in the game against Oakmont in the Elite Eight is because he made two unbelievable diving catches. It’s not just him at the plate, he also plays the field really, really well.”
Joe McKeown
Northbridge, Senior
Coach Keith Verra described the 5-foot-10, 165-pound McKeown as a “typical” high school athlete based on his physical measurables.
However, his third baseman and middle-of-the-order hitter falls into the exceptional category when it comes to plate production and fielding prowess.
“He definitely has power,” Verra said. “He hits the ball hard. The sound coming off his bat is very different than everyone else, either in the gym or on the field for batting practice.”
McKeown checked in with a .405 average, six extra-base hits — including a triple and a homer — and 23 runs batted in last spring as the Rams caught fire in the postseason and advanced to the Division 4 state semifinals before finishing 14-10.
“He is tremendous defensively,” Verra added. “He catches every ground ball that comes at him, makes spectacular plays and his arm across the diamond is top notch.”
Speaking of that arm, McKeown will anchor the rotation after nagging issues limited him to two appearances — both in the playoffs in June — over the previous two seasons.
But, boy, did the right-hander flash, throwing seven scoreless innings while earning a save.
“He was light’s out,” Verra said. “In those seven innings, he struck out 11 and only walked two. He throws hard and obviously has off-speed pitches as well.
“But I think (the key) is going to be getting out there on a regular basis and staying healthy, keeping that arm healthy.”
A three-year starter, McKeown will captain the Rams along with fellow infielders Brady Hubert, a senior, and Jake Costello, a junior.
Anthony Ruggiero
Nipmuc Regional, Senior
Ruggiero is undoubtedly talented and, equally impressive and important, undeniably committed to ensure he fully maximizes all five tools at his disposal on the diamond.
“He’s that sweet spot, too,” coach Anthony Leonelli said. “You don’t always get where your best player is your hardest worker. You can usually count those guys on one hand.
“So that’s really nice. He puts in extra work, staying after practice helping younger guys.”
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Northeastern University commit knows all about the sweet spot on a bat.
Ruggiero hit. 394 with a .511 on-base percentage and slugged at a .747 clip as the Warriors went 14-10 and advanced to the Division 3 state tournament.
He belted five home runs — and saw a half dozen or so balls travel nearly 400 feet before being caught — to go with eight doubles and a triple while driving in 21 runs and crossing the plate 22 times.
Want more? How about 20 walks, seven of them intentional, and eight stolen bases in as many attempts.
“He’s an absolute monster; super talented,” Leonelli said. “When he gets pitches to hit, he hits them a long, long way.
“We’re hoping we have enough protection in our order to allow him the opportunity to allow him to hit the ball this year.”
Ruggiero, who represented Massachusetts in the ESPN-televised Geico high school national championship series in Dallas in June, will hit at the top of the order — he was slotted in the 2-hole last spring — to give him as many plate appearances as possible.
A swift, surehanded and spectacular center fielder, Ruggiero is a four-year starter who will captain the Warriors with seniors Dan Heisler, the staff ace who’ll continue his baseball career at Johnson & Wales University, and Cody Jameson, a multi-position, team-first player.
“He’s as good as advertised,” Leonelli said. “He’s our guy.”
—Contact Rich Garven at rgarven@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @RichGarvenTG.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: High school baseball: Keep an eye on these sensational five hitters set for big seasons
