MIAA Baseball: Final Top 25 Poll of 2018

By Matt Feld (@Mattyfeld612)

To cap off our content for the 2018 MIAA Baseball season, SuiteSports is ready to release its final Top 25 Poll.

There is little drama when it comes to number one, while North Attleboro, Austin Prep, Archbishop Williams, and Needham all finish in the top 15 behind their state championship runs.

Here is our final top 25 poll for the 2018 MIAA Baseball Season as chosen by our panel of writers, correspondents, and editors.

1. Franklin (21-5): Franklin went from being the last team voted into Super Eight to taking home the tournament's title as a seven seed. Staff aces Jake Noviello and Bryan Woelfel graduate, but with Alex Haba and Jake Macchi back in the fold the Panthers should compete once again in 2019.

Vasil Does One Better, Throws Complete Game to Lead BC High to Super Eight Semifinal

Sean O'Connell (pictured) scampers home on a Dave Driscoll RBI single 

Photo by Eamon Convey (@ConveyWEEI)

By Matt Feld (@Mattyfeld612)

Brockton, Mass. – One week after throwing seven shutout innings, Mike Vasil managed to be better.

On Thursday afternoon, Vasil fired a complete game shutout, striking out 13 and throwing 30 of 33 first pitch strikes as No. 1 BC High defeated eight-seeded Walpole, 9-0, to advance to the Super Eight Semifinal at Campanelli Stadium.

BC High (18-6) will face Central Catholic on Saturday at 1 p.m. for the right to play Franklin in the Super Eight Final.

In all, Vasil threw 109 pitches featuring predominantly a two-seam fastball that hovered between 91 and 92 miles per hour and a sharp breaking ball. Vasil has struck out 26 hitters and fallen behind in the count 2-0 twice over his last 17 innings.

Vasil Finishes the Job to Keep BC High Alive in Super Eight Play

By Matt Feld (@Mattyfeld612)

Brockton, Mass. – BC High coach Norm Walsh had no plans of using Mike Vasil, but once into the game the Eagles' ace ended it in a hurry.

With BC High seeing a 6-0 lead dwindle to a mere run with two outs in the top of the eighth, Walsh turned to his star right-hander to close the door. Vasil came on and did just that striking out four consecutive hitters on 14 pitches as No. 1 BC High defeated No. 2 Wachusett, 6-5, to advance to the Super Eight Quarterfinals on Tuesday night at Campanelli Stadium.

BC High will face Walpole on Wedensday afternoon at 4pm with a trip to the semifinals on the line. Wachusett, meanwhile, finishes the season with a 21-4 record.

Vasil Super Again as BC High Blanks Walpole in Super Eight Opener

By Matt Feld (@Mattyfeld612)

Dorchester, Mass. – Pitching in a familiar setting, Mike Vasil refused to be phased. 

In the sixth Super Eight start of his career, Vasil threw seven scoreless innings allowing six hits while striking out nine as top-seeded BC High defeated No. 8 Walpole, 4-0, in the opening round of the Division 1A Tournament on Wednesday afternoon at Monan Park in Dorchester.

The win moves BC High into the winners bracket where they will take on Central Catholic on Saturday afternoon. Walpole moves to the one-loss bracket where they will face-off versus Mansfield on Friday.

MIAA Baseball: Super Eight Opening Round Preview and Picks

St. John's Prep right-hander Jake Sanderson is expected to get the ball in game on.

Photo by Eamon Convey (@ConveyWEEI)

By Matt Feld (@Mattyfeld612)

Wednesday afternoon marks the opening round of this year's Division 1A "Super Eight" tournament. A number of intriguing matchups are on the table as No. 8 Walpole travels to No. 1 BC High, the only team with 20 wins in the tournament in Wachsuett hosts No. 7 Franklin, No. 6 Lexington heads up to No. 3 St. John's Prep, and Mansfield on a 15-game winning streak takes a trip to No. 4 Central Catholic.

Here are our previews and picks for the four opening round games. You can click here for our full Super Eight primer and tournament picks from yesterday.

MIAA Baseball: Super Eight Primer and Predictions

Franklin ace Jake Noviello hopes to lead Franklin on a deep Super Eight run.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Lanigan (@R_Lanigan)/HockomockSports.com)

By Matt Feld (@Mattyfeld612)

This year’s Super Eight certainly is not lacking in star power.

Lexington’s entrance into the tournament brings with it arguably the top player in the Bay State in Sal Frelick. Frelick, the Co-MVP of the Middlesex League, is hitting over .500 with five home runs and 22 RBIs. Along with the future Boston College infielder, the Minutemen pitching staff is led by UMass Amherst bound left-hander Jack Pawlowski. Madison Dina follows Pawlowski in the rotation.

Lexington’s candidacy was bolstered by a non-conference win over BC High and will now look to knock off their second Catholic Conference team in St. John’s Prep in the opening round. 

MIAA Baseball: Super Eight Seeding and Matchups

Photo by Eamon Convey (@ConveyWEEI)

By Matt Feld (@Mattyfeld612)

Here is your 2018 Division 1A “Super Eight” as selected by the tournament committee just moments ago in Frankin

1. BC High 

2. Wachusett

3. St. John's Prep

4. Central Catholic

5. Mansfield

6. Lexington

7. Franklin

8. Walpole 

In line with the seeding, here are the four round one matchups that will take place on Wednesday, June 6^th. As of now, all games are scheduled to begin at 4pm.

No. 8 Walpole @ No. 1 BC High

No. 5 Mansfield @ No. 4 Central Catholic 

No. 7 Franklin @ No. 2 Wachusett

No. 6 Lexington @ No. 3 St. John's Prep 

MIAA Baseball: Super Eight Projection 3.0

St. John's Prep and BC High currently hold two of the top three spots in our latest projection.

Photo by Eamon Convey (@ConveyWEEI)

By Matt Feld (@Mattyfeld612)

The arrival of Sunday of Memorial Day weekend means there is exactly one week until the Division 1A "Super Eight" committee convenes in Franklin to decide the eight teams that will compete in this year's Super Eight tournament.

As it stands now, this very well could be the most unpredictable field yet. Mansfield’s play over the last three weeks has put them in competition not just for a spot in the field but a potential home game, while Andover has made its way into the conversation. 

Xaverian and Catholic Memorial’s chances each took a bit of a hit with losses over the weekend while Austin Prep continues to prove that is deserving of serious consideration. Any of St. John's Prep, Wachusett, and BC High could compete for the top spot over the season’s final week, but after that it seems to be anyone’s guess as to who lands a berth in the 2018 Super Eight field.

With one week to go, here is SuiteSports’ MIAA Super Eight Projection 3.0. We will release our fourth projection on Thursday, May 31^st before releasing our final projection one week from today. 

Vasil Shines in First Start Back As BC High Edges St. John's

By Matt Feld (@Mattyfeld612)

The weather may have been grim, but what transpired on the field was picture perfect for BC High.

Making his first start in over a month on Tuesday, Eagles’ ace Mike Vasil fired four shutout innings allowing just one hit and striking out six while Sean O’Connell went 2-for-3 with an RBI as BC High defeated St. John’s Shrewsbury at BC High’s Monan Park.

Vasil, a potential first round pick in this year’s MLB Draft, finished with 50 pitches, a limit that was decided pregame. Out of those 50 pitches, 36 were strikes. In all Vasil threw 40 fastballs, 31 of which found the zone.

MIAA Baseball Top 25 Poll: Week 6

Mansfield's pitching highlighted by Kevin Dow (Pictured) has the Hornets back in our top 25 poll.

Photo by Eamon Convey (@ConveyWEEI)

By SuiteSports' Staff

Teams began to ramp up their schedules this week with most playing four or even as many as five games over the last seven calendar days.

This week brings a new team in North Andover into the top five while Beverly and Danvers climb into the top 15. Masconomet enters the poll for the first time this season.

Courtesy of our panel of writers, correspondents, and editors, here is this week's updated MIAA Baseball Top 25 Poll. 

1. Boston College High (7-2; Last Week: 3) BC High retains the top spot after dethroning previously unbeaten and No. 1 Wachusett. The Eagles have scored 53 runs over their last four games behind sophomore Pat Roche and outfielder Matt Sullivan.

Roche Breaks out to Lead BC High's Offensive Outburst

By Matt Feld (@Mattyfeld612)

Dorchester, Mass. – The transition to summer-like conditions certainly seemed to rub off on BC High's offense.

On a sunny Saturday morning, Eagles’ sophomore Pat Roche went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and five RBI as part of an 11-hit barrage by BC High as they defeated Newton North, 13-6, at Boston College High’s Monan Park.

BC High has scored 13 runs in back-to-back games.

“I had a bad batting practice, and I so went up there just focused on simplifying everything,” said Roche. “I got off to a little slow start, but I thought my approach was good today and it showed.” 

MIAA Baseball Top 25 Poll: Week 4

BC High's Mike Vasil has the Eagles' ascending to number one in our top 25 poll.

Photo By Eamon Convey (@ConveyWEEI)

By SuiteSports' Staff

After a couple of weeks of poor weather and bad field conditions, the baseball season got into the swing of things last week.

With the season now well underway, here is SuiteSports' first updated MIAA Baseball Top 25 Poll as selected by our panel of writers, correspondents, and editors.

1. Boston College High (3-1; Preseason Poll: 4) Led by Mike Vasil and Sean O'Connell the Eagles have already picked up quality wins over St. John's Prep, St. John's Shrewsbury, and Braintree. As a whole, BC High's pitching staff has surrendered just two earned runs in four games.

McCormack's Clutch Knock, Vasil's Heat Gets BC High past Braintree

By Matt Feld (@MattyFeld612)

Braintree, Mass. – The final moments mirrored a Super Eight classic.

Down 2-1 to BC High in the bottom half of the seventh, Braintree loaded the bases with two outs off Eagles’ ace Mike Vasil. 

Vasil, however, bore down and fired four straight fastballs, the last one generating a strikeout to give BC High a 2-1 win over the host Wamps on Saturday afternoon at Braintree High School. 

PHOTO GALLERY: BC High edges St. John's Prep behind Mike Vasil

Dorchester, Mass. -- Yesterday afternoon, BC High squeaked past St. John's Prep, 1-0, behind a complete game one-hitter from ace Mike Vasil.

You can read up on Vasil's pitching performance and BC High's win here, but continue below for a photo gallery from our own Eamon Convey (@ConveyWEEI). Note that you can click any photo to enlarge and launch a slideshow.

Vasil Proves Nearly Perfect In Catholic Conference Gem

Photo by Eamon Convey (@ConveyWEEI)

By Matt Feld (@MattyFeld612)

Dorchester, Mass. – For Mike Vasil, the day could not have been much more perfect.

In front of nearly 70 MLB scouts, Vasil threw a complete game one-hitter, striking out 13 and walking none as BC High defeated Catholic Conference rival St. John’s Prep, 1-0, on Wednesday afternoon at Monan Park.

MIAA Baseball Top 25 Poll: 2018 Preseason

St. John's Prep is hoping 2018 is finally its year to bring home the Super Eight title.

By SuiteSports Staff 

Our Preseason MIAA Baseball Rankings, as selected by our team of editors and correspondents. 

1. Central Catholic (Last Year: 20-4) Coming off their first Super Eight appearance, the Raiders return all the components of a team primed for a deep June run.  

2. St. John’s Shrewsbury (Last Year: 22-4): The defending Division 1A Super Eight champions certainly lost a large part of last year's success to graduation, but Sean Burke and Nick McDonald are at the center of a strong returning core.

SuiteSports' 2017 MIAA Baseball Player of the Year

By SuiteSports Staff

SuiteSports.com and its panel of high school sports correspondents are pleased to announce today that Mike Vasil, a junior right-handed pitcher out of Boston College High School, is the recipient of the first ever “SuiteSports MIAA Baseball Player of the Year” award, given to the top high school baseball player in Massachusetts.

Vasil was selected among a number of candidates for the award who showcased their talents both during the regular season and in the state tournament.

The Eagle ace joins Cambridge center Dimon Carrigan (basketball) and Duxbury quarterback Bobby Maimaron (football) as other SuiteSports Player of the Year award winners during this high school sports year. As our Player of the Year, Vasil is the first member of our 2017 MIAA Baseball All-State team, which will be released later today in its entirety.

BC High Hangs on to Eliminate Braintree from Super 8

By Matt Feld (@mattyfeld612)

BROCKTON - For the first time in the Division 1A Super Eight tournament's history, a Bay State Conference team will not take home the trophy.

Trailing No. 4 BC High 11-10 in the top half of the ninth, Braintree sent three-hitter Alex Kennedy to the plate with two on and two outs in hopes of coming away with another one of their notorious comeback victories.

Eagles’ reliever Gavin Reily, however, induced a pop up to third base that landed in the glove of freshman Pat Roche to seal the win as BC High (15-9) defeated the two-time defending champion Wamps, 11-10, in the Super Eight quarterfinals at Campanelli Stadium in Brockton.

With the win BC High advances to the Super Eight semifinals, while Braintree’s season comes to an end.

Preview of BC High Braintree Super 8 Baseball

By Matt Feld (@mattyfeld612)

Yesterday’s two Division 1A Super Eight games signaled the exit of one team from the field while another clinched a spot in the title game.

BC High knocked out 13 hits en route to an 8-1 win over No. 6 Xaverian to advance to the Super Eight quarterfinals in the first game of the morning. 

In the second of the two games, meanwhile, No. 1 St. John’s Shrewsbury scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth capped off by a walk off single from Jack Fields to defeat No. 3 St. John’s Prep, 4-3. 

The loss means St. John’s Prep falls to the one-loss bracket and will await the winner of Sunday night’s quarterfinal matchup between BC High and Braintree.

The Eagles and Wamps have played twice so far this season, both at BC High’s Monan Park. In the first contest between the two teams BC High held a 2-0 lead going into the top of the seventh but the Wamps rallied to score seven runs to grab a 7-2 win.

BC High got revenge on the Wamps in the first round of the Super Eight as behind a complete game from ace Mike Vasil the Eagles came away with a 3-2 win.

Now, with both team’s season on the line on Sunday night, here is how we expect the rubber match between these two teams to unfold.

No. 5 Braintree vs. No. 4 BC High

Probable Starting Pitchers: TBA – Braintree; Brendan Mignone, RHP – BC High

Date/Time/Location: June 11^th, 6pm, Campanelli Stadium

Super 8 Semifinals Preview

By Matt Feld (@mattyfeld612)

On Thursday evening, Braintree joined St. John’s Prep and St. John’s Shrewsbury as three of the four teams who will be a member of this year’s Division 1A Super Eight “final four”.

The Wamps, who won consecutive games against eight seeded Belmont and three seeded Central Catholic facing elimination, now await the winner of BC High and Xaverian to see who they will play on Sunday.

The Eagles and Hawks are set to faceoff Saturday morning at Campanelli Stadium with each looking to make their second trip in three years to the Super Eight quarterfinals.

In the afternoon, meanwhile, the two remaining undefeated teams in the field will go head-to-head with top seeded St. John’s Shrewsbury taking on familiar foe St. John’s Prep.

Here is how we expect the two games to unfold.