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TWIN BROTHERS Tristan and Cal Lucier and Mason DeVall already have many fond baseball memories together, with one that clearly stands above the rest.
Mason DeVall
Mason DeVall
The Lucier twins and DeVall, who all play for the Trinity High School baseball team, first met while playing for North Manchester Hooksett Little League.
The three sophomores were part of the 2021 North Manchester Hooksett All-Star team that reached the Little League World Series, becoming the fifth New Hampshire team to make it to Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
(Last summer, Salem Youth Baseball became the sixth New Hampshire team and first since the 2021 North Manchester Hooksett squad to reach the World Series.)
DeVall’s dad, Tim, was the North Manchester Hooksett manager and the Lucier brothers’ dad, Mike, was an assistant coach that summer.
“It’s definitely a top moment, especially with my dad, too,” Cal Lucier said after Trinity’s 10-7 NHIAA Division I win over Timberlane on Wednesday. “He still talks about it to this day. He watches the videos sometimes.”
DeVall, a Hooksett resident, added, “That’s one of the top experiences of my life.”
The team had a nearly-even split of Manchester and Hooksett kids who built a strong bond.
The Lucier brothers, who live in Manchester, and DeVall are the only players from the team that now play for Trinity. Most of the rest attend either Londonderry High or Pinkerton Academy, they said.
DeVall and the Luciers are still best friends and the three keep in touch with their other former Little League teammates.
“It was definitely a tight group,” Tristan Lucier said of that North Manchester Hooksett team. “We were all friends outside of baseball, too, and hung out a lot. I think that carried onto the field.”
Through all their memorable Little League experiences together, DeVall and the Luciers learned a valuable lesson that they still use as high school ballplayers: confidence is key.
DeVall, a utility player for the Pioneers, started the season 1-for-16 at the plate but didn’t get down on himself. He’s now up to around a .140 batting average with a few RBIs, he said.
The Lucier twins are left-handed pull hitters, so both have seen a good deal of outside pitches this season. While those pitches proved challenging at first, Tristan Lucier said that he and his brother have improved their approaches.
The brothers both hit home runs — Cal’s was to the opposite field — in Trinity’s 14-5 win at Portsmouth on Monday. They combined for three opposite-field hits against Timberlane.
“Early on, it was a struggle,” Trinity coach Matt Bouchard said, “but I think probably now that we’re settling in here, it’s good to see them go the other way and become even more dangerous because there’s no way to get them out that way.”
Tristan Lucier plays in the outfield and his brother is the Pioneers’ first baseman. While he made headlines for his no-hitter against Bedford in the 2021 Little League state championship series, Tristan Lucier pitches sparingly these days for Trinity.
DeVall pitches, plays center field or in the middle infield depending on what Bouchard needs.
The three have taken leadership roles on a Trinity team that has two seniors on its 16-man varsity roster. The Lucier twins are quiet around their teammates but try to lead by example. DeVall helps keep the noise up and his teammates engaged in the dugout.
The trio helped Trinity take a 10-3 record into its game at Merrimack on Friday – the Pioneers’ fourth of four games this week.
The Pioneers have not won a D-I title since 1992 and have not played in a D-I final since 2007.
“I feel like we’ve been a roll lately,” DeVall said. “We’re doing our jobs at the plate better and in the field and I just feel like from now until the end of the season, I don’t see us losing.”
Goffstown also aided by former star Little Leaguers
The Goffstown baseball team also boasts some former star Little Leaguers on its roster.
The Division I Grizzlies, who were 12-0 entering Friday, have four former Goffstown Junior Baseball All-Stars that reached the 2019 Little League Baseball New England Regional final: Ryan Dutton, Noah Durham, Maddox Turck and Dillon Gaudet.
Goffstown Junior Baseball won three straight state championships from 2017-19.
Pinkerton’s Burwell more than a backup
Before an injury put him into the starting role, Gavin Burwell was a backup in name only for the Pinkerton boys lacrosse team.
Burwell, a junior who played junior varsity last year, split time with starter Owen Perkins, a sophomore, in each of the Astros’ first six Division I games — all victories.
“I feel like he’s really good,” first-year Pinkerton coach Marty Auger said of Burwell. “It’s 1A (Perkins) and 1B (Burwell). He’s pretty close.”
Burwell became the Astros’ sole netminder after Perkins suffered a broken finger in a 16-8 loss at Hingham (Mass.) on May 3.
Against four-time defending D-I champion Bishop Guertin on Tuesday, Burwell had a stellar 20-save performance.
He held the Cardinals, who have won 72 straight games against New Hampshire competition, scoreless until the final 1:25 of the first quarter. In the third quarter, Burwell made six saves and allowed three goals as BG took a 9-6 lead into the final frame.
“This kid’s good and we knew he’s good,” Auger said. “He kept us in it (against BG). He had some really nice saves.”
Londonderry’s Kearney, by the numbers
To any softball player who has gotten a hit off Londonderry ace pitcher Elisabeth Kearney, I say congratulations. You are one of the few.
The Lancers’ junior righty owns an 11-0 record with a 0.296 ERA, four no-hitters and seven shutouts through 12 starts this spring.
Kearney has surrendered three earned runs on 11 hits and 23 walks alongside a staggering 166 strikeouts over 71 innings for defending Division I champion Londonderry (13-0).
And she’s helping her cause in the circle while at the plate. Kearney is batting .511 with two home runs, 20 RBIs, eight runs scored and eight doubles.
Perhaps the best pitchers’ duel in the state should take place in Londonderry on Tuesday. I’m no expert manager but I’m guessing the Lancers will turn to Kearney and their rival, Pinkerton, will start sophomore standout Julia Caruso in the circle that afternoon.
Kearney won the last matchup between the two last June, when Londonderry defeated the Astros, 2-1, in the Division I semifinals. Kearney twirled a two-hitter, allowing one walk and striking out 16 in that game. Caruso allowed two hits and four walks and struck out 13 batters.
Mantegari uses smarts, speed for Londonderry baseball
Londonderry senior Zach Mantegari has the speed one would expect a leadoff batter to have.
He backs that up with an elite knowledge of the game, Lancers baseball coach Brent Demas said.
Mantegari owned a .419 batting average with 14 runs scored, four RBIs and a team-high 18 steals — on 18 attempts — over Londonderry’s 11-2 start.
Mantegari had two infield hits, including a bunt single, on Londonderry’s 8-1 win over Exeter on Monday.
A left-handed hitter, he shows bunt at the last possible second. And his speed out of the batter’s box puts a lot of pressure on a high school infielder, Demas said.
“Zach Mantegari is one of the smartest baseball IQ kids I’ve ever coached and I’m not just saying that,” Demas said. “Kids that understand the game like that understand how to make it deceptive and he knows exactly what he wants to do, where he wants to go and what his game plan is. You see it routinely.”
Milestones and accolades
• Hollis-Brookline boys volleyball senior Ethan Norris notched his 500th career kill in the Cavaliers’ 3-1 victory over Keene on Wednesday. Norris had 31 kills, 13 digs, 12 service points and three aces in the win. The captain logged his 500th career dig in H-B’s 3-0 triumph at Pinkerton on May 7.
• St. Thomas Aquinas junior Charlotte De Tolla recently recorded her 200th career point for the girls lacrosse team.
• Lily Carballeira powered the Windham softball team to its 8-2 Division I win over Portsmouth on Tuesday. The freshman hit her first career grand slam in the third inning as the Jaguars improved to 10-0.
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Mason DeVall
Mason DeVall
The Lucier twins and DeVall, who all play for the Trinity High School baseball team, first met while playing for North Manchester Hooksett Little League.
The three sophomores were part of the 2021 North Manchester Hooksett All-Star team that reached the Little League World Series, becoming the fifth New Hampshire team to make it to Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
(Last summer, Salem Youth Baseball became the sixth New Hampshire team and first since the 2021 North Manchester Hooksett squad to reach the World Series.)
DeVall’s dad, Tim, was the North Manchester Hooksett manager and the Lucier brothers’ dad, Mike, was an assistant coach that summer.
“It’s definitely a top moment, especially with my dad, too,” Cal Lucier said after Trinity’s 10-7 NHIAA Division I win over Timberlane on Wednesday. “He still talks about it to this day. He watches the videos sometimes.”
DeVall, a Hooksett resident, added, “That’s one of the top experiences of my life.”
The team had a nearly-even split of Manchester and Hooksett kids who built a strong bond.
The Lucier brothers, who live in Manchester, and DeVall are the only players from the team that now play for Trinity. Most of the rest attend either Londonderry High or Pinkerton Academy, they said.
DeVall and the Luciers are still best friends and the three keep in touch with their other former Little League teammates.
“It was definitely a tight group,” Tristan Lucier said of that North Manchester Hooksett team. “We were all friends outside of baseball, too, and hung out a lot. I think that carried onto the field.”
Through all their memorable Little League experiences together, DeVall and the Luciers learned a valuable lesson that they still use as high school ballplayers: confidence is key.
DeVall, a utility player for the Pioneers, started the season 1-for-16 at the plate but didn’t get down on himself. He’s now up to around a .140 batting average with a few RBIs, he said.
The Lucier twins are left-handed pull hitters, so both have seen a good deal of outside pitches this season. While those pitches proved challenging at first, Tristan Lucier said that he and his brother have improved their approaches.
The brothers both hit home runs — Cal’s was to the opposite field — in Trinity’s 14-5 win at Portsmouth on Monday. They combined for three opposite-field hits against Timberlane.
“Early on, it was a struggle,” Trinity coach Matt Bouchard said, “but I think probably now that we’re settling in here, it’s good to see them go the other way and become even more dangerous because there’s no way to get them out that way.”
Tristan Lucier plays in the outfield and his brother is the Pioneers’ first baseman. While he made headlines for his no-hitter against Bedford in the 2021 Little League state championship series, Tristan Lucier pitches sparingly these days for Trinity.
DeVall pitches, plays center field or in the middle infield depending on what Bouchard needs.
The three have taken leadership roles on a Trinity team that has two seniors on its 16-man varsity roster. The Lucier twins are quiet around their teammates but try to lead by example. DeVall helps keep the noise up and his teammates engaged in the dugout.
The trio helped Trinity take a 10-3 record into its game at Merrimack on Friday – the Pioneers’ fourth of four games this week.
The Pioneers have not won a D-I title since 1992 and have not played in a D-I final since 2007.
“I feel like we’ve been a roll lately,” DeVall said. “We’re doing our jobs at the plate better and in the field and I just feel like from now until the end of the season, I don’t see us losing.”
Goffstown also aided by former star Little Leaguers
The Goffstown baseball team also boasts some former star Little Leaguers on its roster.
The Division I Grizzlies, who were 12-0 entering Friday, have four former Goffstown Junior Baseball All-Stars that reached the 2019 Little League Baseball New England Regional final: Ryan Dutton, Noah Durham, Maddox Turck and Dillon Gaudet.
Goffstown Junior Baseball won three straight state championships from 2017-19.
Pinkerton’s Burwell more than a backup
Before an injury put him into the starting role, Gavin Burwell was a backup in name only for the Pinkerton boys lacrosse team.
Burwell, a junior who played junior varsity last year, split time with starter Owen Perkins, a sophomore, in each of the Astros’ first six Division I games — all victories.
“I feel like he’s really good,” first-year Pinkerton coach Marty Auger said of Burwell. “It’s 1A (Perkins) and 1B (Burwell). He’s pretty close.”
Burwell became the Astros’ sole netminder after Perkins suffered a broken finger in a 16-8 loss at Hingham (Mass.) on May 3.
Against four-time defending D-I champion Bishop Guertin on Tuesday, Burwell had a stellar 20-save performance.
He held the Cardinals, who have won 72 straight games against New Hampshire competition, scoreless until the final 1:25 of the first quarter. In the third quarter, Burwell made six saves and allowed three goals as BG took a 9-6 lead into the final frame.
“This kid’s good and we knew he’s good,” Auger said. “He kept us in it (against BG). He had some really nice saves.”
Londonderry’s Kearney, by the numbers
To any softball player who has gotten a hit off Londonderry ace pitcher Elisabeth Kearney, I say congratulations. You are one of the few.
The Lancers’ junior righty owns an 11-0 record with a 0.296 ERA, four no-hitters and seven shutouts through 12 starts this spring.
Kearney has surrendered three earned runs on 11 hits and 23 walks alongside a staggering 166 strikeouts over 71 innings for defending Division I champion Londonderry (13-0).
And she’s helping her cause in the circle while at the plate. Kearney is batting .511 with two home runs, 20 RBIs, eight runs scored and eight doubles.
Perhaps the best pitchers’ duel in the state should take place in Londonderry on Tuesday. I’m no expert manager but I’m guessing the Lancers will turn to Kearney and their rival, Pinkerton, will start sophomore standout Julia Caruso in the circle that afternoon.
Kearney won the last matchup between the two last June, when Londonderry defeated the Astros, 2-1, in the Division I semifinals. Kearney twirled a two-hitter, allowing one walk and striking out 16 in that game. Caruso allowed two hits and four walks and struck out 13 batters.
Mantegari uses smarts, speed for Londonderry baseball
Londonderry senior Zach Mantegari has the speed one would expect a leadoff batter to have.
He backs that up with an elite knowledge of the game, Lancers baseball coach Brent Demas said.
Mantegari owned a .419 batting average with 14 runs scored, four RBIs and a team-high 18 steals — on 18 attempts — over Londonderry’s 11-2 start.
Mantegari had two infield hits, including a bunt single, on Londonderry’s 8-1 win over Exeter on Monday.
A left-handed hitter, he shows bunt at the last possible second. And his speed out of the batter’s box puts a lot of pressure on a high school infielder, Demas said.
“Zach Mantegari is one of the smartest baseball IQ kids I’ve ever coached and I’m not just saying that,” Demas said. “Kids that understand the game like that understand how to make it deceptive and he knows exactly what he wants to do, where he wants to go and what his game plan is. You see it routinely.”
Milestones and accolades
• Hollis-Brookline boys volleyball senior Ethan Norris notched his 500th career kill in the Cavaliers’ 3-1 victory over Keene on Wednesday. Norris had 31 kills, 13 digs, 12 service points and three aces in the win. The captain logged his 500th career dig in H-B’s 3-0 triumph at Pinkerton on May 7.
• St. Thomas Aquinas junior Charlotte De Tolla recently recorded her 200th career point for the girls lacrosse team.
• Lily Carballeira powered the Windham softball team to its 8-2 Division I win over Portsmouth on Tuesday. The freshman hit her first career grand slam in the third inning as the Jaguars improved to 10-0.
.
Continue reading...
