By CHRISTOPHER TREMBLAY, Staff Sports Writer

Last spring the Uxbridge baseball team finished the regular season with a 14-4 record and unfortunately found itself on the wrong end of the Central Mass Athletic Directors Tournament Championship game. The Spartans then made a run through the Division 4 State Tournament, where they saw their season end in the Round of Eight to Seekonk. 

Despite having lost three key positions, the number one and three pitchers and their centerfielder, the Spartans knew that they might not be as good as they were a year ago, but still had the talent to make another run.

“Coming into the season we knew that we had some quality young athletes,” Uxbridge Coach Peter Rice said. “Our starters include two seniors and seven underclassmen. Of our six losses this year, three were in the seventh inning by one run.”

Following their regular season finish of 12-6, in which they captured the Southern Worcester County League (SWCL) Championship, the Spartans were able to run the table this spring in the Central Mass AD Tournament taking home the title they were denied last year. Uxbridge will now be heading to the Division 4 State Tournament hoping to surpass last year’s visit to the Round of Eight.

On the mound Uxbridge was led by sophomore tri-captain Charlie Criscola, who played shortstop when not throwing for the Spartans. Criscola was the team’s number two hurler last season but was elevated to the top pitcher this year.

“Charlie definitely improved from last year,” Rice said. “He got stronger and whenever he was slated to pitch I was originally worried that by taking him out of the shortstop position would hurt us, but Grady (Walsh) stepped up.”

Walsh was supposed to be just a back filler when Criscola was pitching, but the freshman stepped into play phenomenal baseball so that the Uxbridge skipper couldn’t keep him out of the lineup. Walsh found himself playing a variety of positions, third base, outfield and even saw some action pitching (where he went 5-0). The freshman was the team’s fourth best hitter batting .308 at the plate. 

Pitching in between Criscola and Walsh was Jack Nummela, who actually began the season pitching in relief for the Spartans. Nummela would come out of the bullpen for four games before Rice transitioned him to the starting rotation.

“Jack’s a hard thrower, but was inconsistent at first,” said the coach. “I wanted to build his confidence up and just let him throw strikes, so we started him in relief, eventually he got things settled down and moved into the starting rotation.”

When Nummela didn’t find himself pitching he was stationed at the hot corner for the Spartans. Tri-captain Aidan Blood played second base, the only other senior Dylan Donahue held down first and Talen Rosborough was situated behind the plate. The outfield was comprised of left fielder Branden Cammuso, center fielder Liam Kaferein and in right field was tri-captain Tanner Gauthier. 

Not only was he the Spartans number one hurler, but Criscola also led the team at the plate hitting third in the lineup where he batted .441 with 26 hits and 26 RBI. Following Criscola was Rosborough, the team’s number two hitter, who batted .409 with 27 hits, 12 RBI and 16 runs scored; Kaferein, the Spartans lead off hitter, batted .364 with 24 hits and 20 runs scored and batting clean-up was Walsh, who hit .308 with 16 hits, 12 RBI and 11 runs scored.

Uxbridge’s top four hitters this spring include three sophomores and a freshman, which bides very well for the future of Spartan baseball. Having already captured the SWCL and the Central Mass Titles the Spartans are looking to make it a trifecta as they enter the Division 4 State Tournament, where anything can happen on any given day.

“We have already shown that we can win in a lot of different ways. We’ve had wins this year using our big bats, pitching, and having one big inning,” said the coach. “Our defense is solid, and we have proven that we have some talented athletes with experience and playing with confidence.”

Having won the Central Mass Tournament and giving them some big wins under their belts, Rice is confident that his team has what it takes to be the last team standing.

“There are a lot of tough teams in Division 4,” the Spartan skipper said. “If we go out and play the way that we are capable of playing, getting those timely hits we’ll definitely be able to compete for the championship.

Having only two seniors who will be graduating after the current campaign, Uxbridge will be once again primed to make a strong run through the SWCL, the Central Mass Tournament and the Division 4 State Tournament next spring. 

“We will have a strong team coming back next year, six players will be returning for their third season,” Rice said. “We will only be saying goodbye to two seniors, both who have done the small things for this team that usually go unnoticed.”