 Coming into this season, Brebeuf had one big question mark: how to compensate for the loss of its top starter, and its top reliever. Through 12 games, that concern hasn’t been much of an issue for Brebeuf, who sit atop the 3A class. Its pitching staff has only allowed 41 runs—an impressive number. What’s more impressive is Brebeuf’s high-powered offense. Thus far, the Braves have tallied 131 runs, good for an astounding 90+ run differential. And what’s more, Brebeuf is scoring at will with any number of players. “Seventeen guys have had at-bats,” coach John Zangrilli said. “We’ve seen production out of everyone up and down the lineup.” What’s helped the Braves has been the influx of sophomores and juniors who are coming off successful pre-varsity seasons. Last year, Brebeuf’s freshman and junior varsity squads combined for a 34-4 record. But even with Brebuef focusing on team baseball, there have been some standouts. Senior Nathan Koontz is batting .526 with three homeruns and 18 RBIs. Senior Radley Haddad is hitting .457 with a .568 OBP (his OPS is .1282); sophomore phenom Tres Eberhart is batting .483 with a .643 OBP; junior Jack Dillon leads the team with 20 RBIs. On the mound, junior Kevin Simms has been lights-out. Over 13 innings of work, Simms has a 1.05 ERA and has struck out 19. He leads a staff sports only two seniors. Eberhart has struck out 31 in 15 innings; junior Jamie Hebenstreit has two wins and a 2.88 ERA. According to Zangrilli, getting to this level of success hasn’t been easy. The Braves have won 20 games in each of the past five seasons and are well on their way to year number six. “It’s been a process. One step at a time,” Zangrilli said. “We’re building a program that centers on playing the game the right way and playing hard. We’ve stuck to that philosophy for five years now. Everyone enjoys is and takes pride in what they do.” In the coming weeks, Brebeuf will have their mettle tested: This weekend they host a tournament that will feature Norwell, Providence, and Andrean. After that, it’s off to the Marion County tournament on May 2. |