Three of a kind: Aces will lead Holliston baseball on and off the mound

FRANKLIN - Albert Savino fist bumped one of Holliston's younger players after a captain's practice early this spring.

The underclassmen's eyes widened, surprised to be noticed, much less acknowledged.

"Hey, I was really scared of you the first time I saw you," he told Savino. "But now I'm fine."

His apprehension makes sense given how the Holliston senior approaches hitters. Savino is a crafty lefty with a slight sidearm delivery. He threw a no-hitter when he was 11 and gravitated toward the rubber every since.

"I love that feeling when you get on the mound. I love all the eyes on me, everything is in the palm of my hands if I throw this ball for a strike and get that adrenaline boost," Savino said. " I love to attack, attack, attack, and I love that high-pressure situation coming in with like bases loaded. It's my favorite."

Savino is one of three college-bound senior pitchers at the top of Holliston's rotation this spring. He committed to UConn Avery Point in January. Teddy Peters is bound for Brandeis, and Jake Schoenberg will pitch at Saint Anselm in 2025.

"They get into a zone. They're the friendliest kids, and when they get on that rubber, it's like they're fighting in the ring," Holliston coach Joe Santos said. "They just want to compete and do what's best for the team, try and get a W."

Three of a kind

Schoenberg started as a catcher. Then as his velocity increased, the mound called. He discovered the joy of a strikeout around age 12.

"It made me excited," he said. "After that, I just wanted to be as good at that as I could. I think I got lucky because I knew how to move my body to throw hard when I was young, but when I got older it was figuring out how to do that better."

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As a freshman on varsity, Schoenberg could only throw hard. He admits he wasn't great at locating or mixing in breaking balls. His frame stayed the same size as he aged, as did his velocity. That meant learning sliders and changeups.

"I've had to figure out how to actually pitch and work around a guy, not just pumping my fastball," Schoenberg said.

Peters, conversely, could always locate. He didn't overpower anyone with his fastball when he arrived at Holliston and knew how to locate every pitch.

"Now it's trying to build velo (velocity) and make that stuff even more overpowering in the spots where I want it," Peters said.

They all achieve those goals together. All three throw bullpen sessions at the MetroWest Sports Center in the fall and winter to prepare.

"With the same intent, too. We're all looking to get better. We're all backing each other up," Savino said. "We're all backing each other up. It's not like we're really competing with each other, we all have each other's backs in any situation."

"I was the young guy who really cared"

That's born of wanting to leave the program better than when they joined. The Panthers went 2-15 that freshman season. Holliston is small enough that the junior varsity and varsity practice together, but the gaps showed.

"I would sort of just sit in the dugout and not really talk to anyone," Schoenberg said. "No one really tried to include me or any of that just because I was the young guy who really cared."

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He still cares, they all do. The three seniors ensure that the environment they create contrasts from the one they had as freshmen.

"I remember how I felt when I was a freshman," Schoenberg said. "I don't really want other people to feel like sort of lost and just by themselves."

Even Holliston's youngest players aren't intimidated by the three seniors. Their quietest freshman knows he can ask a question if he doesn't understand.

"When I was younger, like if an older guy would show me a drill, or just show me an adjustment to make, it made me feel like I was on top of the world," Schoenberg said. "The younger guys now feel the same way."

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The program has improved under their leadership, as its become theirs. Holliston made the Division 2 Round of 16 last season after qualifying for the Round of 32 in 2022 following an opening round win. Schoenberg has pitched in a playoff game every year of his high school career (the Panthers opted in to the 2021 postseason after the pandemic-shortened regular season).

Holliston will need to rely on him and his rotation mates to win games after graduating a bulk of their hitters last year.

"It's definitely a luxury to have three," Santos said. "We've been blessed."

Three aces always beats a pair.

Contact Kyle Grabowski at kgrabowski@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @kylegrbwsk. 

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Three future college pitchers key to Holliston baseball in 2024