Canterbury Varsity Baseball begins their season determined to take home their first ever Western New England Championship. They head into the season with their eyes on the prize with an extremely talented group ready for the challenges that lie ahead.
The team is lead by Coach Todd Mathewson, assisted by Coach James Cramphin and Coach Sean Milano. Coach Mathewson entered as Head Coach in 2013 and since then has produced some of the most successful seasons at Canterbury. He attributes his success to “creating a culture” and by “bringing in recruits that have played a lot of baseball in the past and have a love and passion for the game”.
He adds that it’s essential to “really develop those types of players on individual and team skills over the course of the time they have here”.
Also leading the team this year are Senior Captains Chaz Powell (Franklin Pierce ‘23), Trey Fesperman (Xavier University ‘23), and Max Cotier (University of Virginia ‘23). They are three of the many college committed baseball athletes to come out of Canterbury’s program.
Looking forward to the season the team is determined to continue competing at a high level along with some big goals in mind.
“I think the biggest challenge we face this year from a big picture standpoint is to win a championship,” said Coach Mathewson. “But just saying we want to win a championship isn’t going to get us there.
“Our biggest goal is to continue to stay focused and get better every single day in practice and during all of our games,” he added.
With a very competitive group of teams in the Western New England Prep Baseball league, Coach Mathewson’s focus will be on working hard as individuals, and as a team, paying attention to detail.
Their biggest competitors this season are located not too far from our hilltop.
“I think Salisbury is going to be very good, one of the top five teams in New England. So will Gunnery, Millbrook, Berkshire. Our division is going to be very strong,” Coach Mathewson said.
But, with the team continuing to get better every day, they are extremely capable of competing with the strong teams in the league.
“This year, more than any, is up for grabs,” said the Coach. “I think we’re right up there with everyone else. But it’s probably the strongest our side of the league has ever been.”
It’s obviously shaping up to be an incredibly strong season for Saints baseball and everyone is excited to go out and support them on their journey to the top.
“We’re very excited,” says Coach Mathewson. “ If we do what we are capable of, it could be a very special season for us.”
The Saints first baseball games will be during their Florida trip over March break; their first home game is March 28th at 4:30 against Hamden Hall.
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