The Central Mass. High School Sports Awards is proud to announce the player of the year nominees for baseball. The winners were announced during the live show that took place June 26 at the Hanover Theatre.
The Central Mass. High School Sports Awards show is part of the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards, the largest high school sports recognition program in the country.
The award is sponsored by the Worcester Red Sox.
Player of the Year
Brady Shea
St. John’s High
Senior, Pitcher
The Pioneers had an ace in hand every time Shea took the mound, one they successfully played on a weekly basis while earning a share of the Catholic Conference championship and advancing to the Division 1 state final before finishing 20-4. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound left-hander displayed power, purpose and poise while posting a 6-1 record and a 1.52 earned run average over 59⅔ innings that were packed with 94 strikeouts. The many memorable moments of the season for the Catholic Conference MVP included the time spent with teammates on the bus during road trips, racking up 18 strikeouts in a complete-game shutout of top-ranked BC High and the wild and wonderful postseason run the Pioneers embarked on, one that included consecutive extra-inning, walk-off victories. Shea will major in business administration and continue his baseball career at Salve Regina University. The Worcester resident is the son of Jill Shea and Kevin Shea.
Caleb Allen
Oakmont Regional
Senior, Pitcher/Shortstop
Allen came back from an early-season injury to post his typically healthy numbers while leading the Spartans to a 22-3 record and their second consecutive Division 3 state title. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound right-hander went 7-2 with a 0.50 earned run average and 75 strikeouts against 12 walks and four earned runs in 56 innings. This two-year captain and two-time T&G Super Team selection finished his career with a school-record 317 strikeouts. The Spartans went 76-13 and won four Mid-Wach C titles over his four-year varsity career, but repeating as state champs with a group of teammates he had played with since they were kids was Allen’s most memorable moment of the season. Allen, who aspires to play major league baseball, will attend Deerfield Academy for a postgraduate year. He is the son of Christy and Dan Allen of Ashburnham.
Angel Baez
Leominster High
Senior, Pitcher/Second Base
Baez again made his prolific presence felt on the mound, in the field and at the plate as the Blue Devils went 19-3 and won Mid-Wach A and Central Mass. Class A championships while advancing to the Division 1 state semifinals. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound right-hander posted a 6-3 record with a 1.13 earned run average and a .881 WHIP over 59 innings. Baez, a two-time T&G Super Team selection, batted .455 with a .554 on-base percentage and played flawless defense. His most memorable moment of the season came when teammate A.J. Wozniak hit a game-tying, eighth-inning homer in an eventual win over St. Paul in the state tournament. Baez will major in business and continue his baseball career at Southern New Hampshire University. He is the son of Dolores Mercado of Leominster.
Miles Blake
Tantasqua Regional
Junior, Pitcher
This lefty was right on as the Warriors finished 18-5 after reaching the Division 3 state semifinals. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Blake went 8-1 with an 0.69 earned run average and a .660 WHIP while recording 90 strikeouts in 60⅔ innings. He pitched 15 shutout innings and recorded his 200th career strikeout in a pair of victorious postseason starts. This is the second T&G Super Team selection for Blake, who participated in the MBCA junior select all-star game. His most memorable moments of the season were conducting bullpen reviews with teammate and fellow “Ramblin’ Boy” Jack Alexander. Blake is a Northeastern University commit who plans to major in criminal justice and aspires to play major league baseball. The Brookfield resident is the son of Jessica Garfield-Blake and Erik Blake.
Charlie Criscola
Uxbridge High
Junior, Pitcher/Shortstop
Whether he was throwing strikes or smashing balls, Criscola was dynamic as the Spartans went 17-5 and advanced to the second round of the Division 4 state tournament. The 5-foot-11, 165-pound right-hander was 4-0 with a 1.02 earned run average and 27 strikeouts in 27⅔ innings. He batted .453, drove in 22 runs and scored 25 times. A two-time T&G Super Teamer and two-year captain, Criscola was selected to represent Team Massachusetts in the Geico high school national championship series. His most memorable moments of the season were getting to play with his senior teammates. Criscola is committed to continuing his academic and baseball careers at Northeastern University and aspires to one day work in the sporting industry. He is the son of Shannon and Bob Criscola of Uxbridge.
Ryan Dillon
Marlborough High
Senior, Catcher
When it came to players behind the plate, Dillon was at the front of the catching class in Central Mass. while captaining the Panthers for a third straight season. The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder slashed .475/.529/.797 with 11 of his 28 hits going for extra bases. He filled the box score by driving in 19 runs, scoring 16 times, drawing 11 walks, and stealing 10 bases. Defensively, Dillon was a wall and displayed a strong arm and quick release while thwarting would-be base stealers. The most memorable moments for the Mid-Wach B MVP were simply spending time practicing and playing with his “hometown boys” for one final season. Dillon will major in business hospitality and continue his baseball career at Cornell University. He is the son of Kimberly and Jeffrey Dillon of Marlborough.
Ben Forbes
Oakmont Regional
Senior, Pitcher/Infielder
Forbes was all business on the field as the Spartans went 22-3 and repeated as Division 3 state champions. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound right-hander was 6-0, including a pair of tournament wins in which he allowed one run over 13⅓ inning, with a save, 39 strikeouts, and a 1.50 earned run average. Forbes, who was deployed at third or first base when not pitching, batted .280 and drove in 14 runs while being named Mid-Wach C MVP. This two-year captain’s most memorable moment of the season came when the Spartans defeated St. Mary’s, 3-1, to successfully defend their state title. Forbes will major in psychological science and continue his baseball career at Fitchburg State University with the career goal of becoming a sports psychologist. He is the son of Kristine and Michael Forbes of Ashburnham.
Jack Forgues
St. John’s High
Junior, Pitcher/First Base
No matter the situation, the Pioneers could count on Forgues to come through in the clutch during a season in which they claimed a share of the Catholic Conference championship, advanced to the Division 1 state final and finished 20-4. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound right-handed reliever earned a pair of wins in postseason play. Forgues hit .544, drove in 28 runs, scored 38 times, and drew 16 walks while striking out five times in 114 plate appearances. This MBCA junior select all-star’s most memorable moment of the season came when the Pioneers defeated Xaverian, 2-1, to advance to the state final for the first time in seven years. Forgues aspires to major in business management and continue his baseball career in college. He is the son of Vikki and Jared Forgues of Leominster.
Jake LeFrancois
St. Paul High
Senior, Pitcher/Infielder
This is the second T&G Super Team selection for LeFrancois, who made the transition to becoming a full-time member of the pitching rotation last season. The 6-foot, 190-pound right-hander went 5-1 while yielding seven earned runs and recording 78 strikeouts in 46 innings as the Knights advanced to the first round of the Division 1 state tournament. Offensively, he batted .396. LeFrancois, who is also a standout in basketball, was named St. Paul’s male athlete of the year. His most memorable moments of the season were the camaraderie he and his teammates shared on bus rides to away games, and going into extra innings in a tournament loss to Leominster. LeFrancois will major in engineering and continue his baseball career at the UMass-Lowell. He is the son of Heidi and Eric LeFrancois of Worcester.
Nick Massa
Leominster High
Senior, Shortstop
Massa started as a freshman when the Blue Devils reached the Division 1 state final, and three years later the lineup linchpin captained them to the D1 state semifinals and a 19-3 record. All told, the Blue Devils went 70-15, finished first in the Mid-Wach A three times and claimed three Central Mass. Class A championships during his four-year varsity career. The 5-foot-8, 175-pound shortstop was surehanded and spectacular in the field and slashed .350/.500/.955. His most memorable moment of the season was a 2-1, walk-off win in the ninth inning over St. Paul in a first-round tournament thriller at Doyle Field. Massa will major in business administration and continue his baseball career at Worcester State University. He is the son of Lisa and Ray Massa of Leominster.
Angel Paulino
Shepherd Hill Regional
Sophomore, Pitcher/IF/OF
What a sensational season it was for this skilled sophomore, who set the pace as the Rams went 12-7 and qualified for the Division 2 state tournament one year after winning five games. The 5-foot-8, 173-pound left-hander was 5-1 with a save, 83 strikeouts and a 0.80 earned run average in 44 innings. Paulino, who played first base or the outfield when not on the mound, hit .367 with 16 runs batted in, 9 runs scored and 13 stolen bases. The Mid-Wach B MVP and MBCA sophomore select all-star’s most memorable moment of the season came when he pitched a no-hitter at Polar Park following a solar eclipse in early April. Paulino aspires to major in business and finance and continue his baseball career at a Division 1 university. He is the son of Yesenia and Enger Paulino of Dudley.
Anthony Ruggiero
Nipmuc Regional
Senior, Outfield
Ruggiero is the rare five-tool player, one who showcased his power and speed on a daily basis while leading the Warriors to the Division 3 state tournament. The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder slashed .429/.605/.946, with 16 of his 24 hits going for extra bases. Ruggiero belted five home runs, drove in 17 runs, scored 21 runs, walked an astounding 24 times, and, whew, stole nine bases. His most memorable moments of the season were the Warriors’ extra-innings win over Northbridge, their 1-0 victory over rival Blackstone Valley Tech and the entertaining time he and his teammates had on the bus ride to Jamaica Plain to face eventual Division 5 state champion Boston English. Ruggiero will major in criminal justice and continue his baseball career at Northeastern University. He is the son of Lisa and Michael Ruggiero of Mendon.
Honorable Mention
Division 1
Noah Basgaard, St. John's
Zack Casey, Leominster
Ben Domineck, Wachusett
Jack Kamin, Shrewsbury
Travis Laidlaw, Wachusett
Reece Lora, Leominster
Will McGrail, Wachusett
Jack McGrath, St. Paul
Conor Secrist, St. John's
Evan Waden, St. Paul
Division 2
Chase Barrett, Nashoba
Tyler Cass, Grafton
Sam Conrad, Doherty
Logan Daniels, Shepherd Hill
Yedan Diaz, Doherty
Justin Either, Nashoba
Tom Hennessey, Shepherd Hill
Chris Kiesner, Grafton
Nolan Libby, Bay Path
Zach Meehl, Algonquin
Dale Nussey, Bay Path
Jackson Redfern, Algonquin
Division 3
Ryan Arsenault, North Middlesex
Zach Braconnier, Worcester Tech
Sam Curtis, Oakmont
Ty Curtis, Oakmont
Bryce Everson, Auburn
Chace Fredette, Tantasqua
D.J. Garabedian, Valley Tech
Josh Giancola, Nipmuc
Dan Heisler, Nipmuc
Levi Hessel, Oakmont
Kyle Lewis, North Middlesex
Johnny Losordo, Oakmont
Jack Marino, Valley Tech
Kyle McLaughlin, Auburn
Anthony Moura, Hudson
Hunter Normandin, Tantasqua
Jack Rapose, Tantasqua
Andrew Raymond, Groton-Dunstable
Dylan Roman, Marlborough
Isaac Swedberg, Auburn
Alex Vosburgh, Valley Tech
Division 4
Andrew Beauregard, Gardner
Connor Fantasia, Oxford
Austin Gibbons, St. Bernard's
Aiden Green, Clinton
Brady Hubert, Northbridge
Liam Kaferlein, Uxbridge
Joey McKeown, Northbridge
Matt Ramsdell, Millbury
Jack Redmond, Littleton
Mikey Shufrin, Littleton
Brian Silvester, Clinton
Mike Vanasse, Clinton
Ryan Wall, Tyngsborough
Division 5
Will Adamski, Hopedale
Jake Arcand, Tahanto
James Churchill, Ayer-Shirley
Tyler Crawford, Ayer-Shirley
Josh Farrell, Douglas
Steven Gauthier, Murdock
Tommy Kursonis, West Boylston
Troy Leighton, Ayer-Shirley
Brayden Lewis, Hopedale
Jamie McNamara, Tahanto
Will Molloy, Maynard
Junior Ovalle, Southbridge
Dan Palmer, Sutton
Joseph Pineyro, Narragansett
Brady Quirion, Bromfield
Connor Rice, Tahanto
Mike Rutkowski, Hopedale
Brady Wajda, Hopedale
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