Xaverian showed it was able to bounce back from adversity time and time again to win the Catholic Conference title for the third straight year.
The Hawks open with a familiar foe in Catholic Memorial, then a possible second-round tilt with Franklin or Durfee. Three other Catholic Conference teams (BC High, St. John’s Prep and St. John’s of Shrewsbury) are in the same bracket, making for some juicy early-round contests.
Bishop Feehan and Andover are two talented teams capable of winning some games in the postseason.
Plymouth North rolled to the Div. 2 state title last year and has to be considered one of the favorites again. Their side of the draw is littered with teams from the Patriot League (Hingham, Duxbury and Plymouth South) so they won’t need a scouting report.
Walpole relied on pitching and defense as usual to land the fourth seed and looks to have a good draw. Reading emerged as the top dog in the Middlesex Liberty with 17 wins, while Somerset Berkley and North Attleboro should not be overlooked.
In Div. 3, St. Mary’s is loaded with pitching depth and has the postseason experience to get the job done. Weston and North Reading had really good seasons and could be squaring off in the second round.
Norwell hasn’t received a lot of fanfare but the Clippers are the No. 2 seed and won 16 games so they have to be considered a team to watch. Gloucester went 19-1 and could be looking at a second-round road contest against Sandwich.
The Cape Ann League could have a say in the Div. 4 tournament as Lynnfield is a very talented team, as is Hamilton-Wenham. Unfortunately, they are on the same side of the draw and would be slated to meet in the semifinals.
Top-seeded Pittsfield went 16-4 and should go a long way in the tournament. Two-time state champion Seekonk will bank on the past tourney success to make a long run.
English made history by becoming the first Boston City League school in decades to win a state title. Head coach Christian Ortiz pushed the envelope with an aggressive nonleague schedule and was rewarded with 17 wins and the second seed in Div. 5.
Any time you have a baseball team undefeated this late in the season, that is impressive. Pioneer Valley enters the tournament with a perfect 20-0 record and could have an interesting second-round game if Georgetown advances.
Predictions
Div. 1
State champion: Xaverian
State runnerup: BC High
Sleeper: St. John’s Prep
Best first-round matchup: North Andover at Lawrence
Possible upset: Durfee at Franklin
Div. 2
State champion: Plymouth North
State runnerup: Somerset Berkley
Sleeper: Hopkinton
Best first-round matchup: Billerica at Hingham
Possible upset: Woburn at Algonquin
Div. 3
State champion: St. Mary’s
State runnerup: Norwell
Sleeper: Arlington Catholic
Best first-round matchup: Gloucester at Sandwich
Possible upset: Latin Academy over Dighton-Rehoboth
Div. 4
State champion: Lynnfield
State runnerup: Hamilton-Wenham
Sleeper: Salem
Best first-round matchup: Manchester-Essex at Salem
Possible upset: Cohasset over Case
Div. 5
State champion: English
State runnerup: Pioneer Valley
Sleeper: Bromfield
Best first-round matchup: Lenox at Georgetown
Possible upset: Mystic Valley over Carver
