PORTSMOUTH, RI (WPRI) — This week’s Cardi’s Furniture & Mattresses Hometown Sports Hero is John Mass.

A reigning 1 ^st Team All-Stater, the Senior sports a 0.68 ERA with 46 Strikeouts in 20.1 innings on the mound while hitting .529 at the plate for Portsmouth.

“In terms of the stats, they speak for themselves,” said Patriot Head Coach Ryan Long. “He puts himself in the category of Ryan Westmoreland, and other Portsmouth legends in the amount of hits he’s had. He’s also a presence on the mound but what impresses me the most about John is his leadership qualities over the years. He’s taken on that role of being the voice of the team, the heart and soul of the team.”

Success in baseball was always constant but another sport once was its equal.

“I played basketball up to my Sophomore year and in Middle School, I liked basketball and baseball pretty much the same,” Mass said. “But once I got to high school, baseball was my main sport and kind of my golden ticket to get to college and I fell in love with it as time went on.”

John decided his future early, committing to play at Boston College in his Sophomore year. But his success this season has also attracted the attention of Major League scouts ahead of July’s Draft. Whatever happens this Summer, his future on the diamond looks bright.

“It’s been pretty exciting getting some looks and it’s been an honor knowing it’s possible for me,” Mass said. “And I’m really fortunate and I worked really hard to get there and I’m going to continue to do so when I get to Boston College.”

“I think he can only get better and that’s a testament to how hard he works,” Long said. “Every time I see him go out on the diamond; I feel like he’s getting better now so I’m really excited to see where he goes in the next few years, and I’ll definitely be following him as he progresses in his career.”

If you have a Hometown Sports Hero you’d like to nominate, email sports@wpri.com.

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