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07/16/2016 12:00 AMLast year, Gary Marineau took over as head coach of the Valley Regional baseball team and helped the club double its win total from the previous season as the Warriors posted 16 victories. This spring, Valley increased that total by one more win, while making a stirring run to the Shoreline Conference Tournament final. Although the Warriors weren’t able to capture the conference crown, their season was another successful one in Coach Marineau’s eyes.
“We climbed another rung from last year and won a couple Shoreline Conference Tournament games, got to the Shoreline final, but it was disheartening losing to a team [Cromwell] we beat twice in the regular season,” said Marineau. “Overall, we didn’t hit our goals, but it was a successful season when you look at the numbers.”
Valley was led by its phenomenal starting pitching as senior captain co-aces Nash Eppard and Arik Sypher were both named to the All-Shoreline Conference First Team and the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Class M All-State Team. Sypher, who also made the New Haven Register’s All-State Third team, finished the year with a record of 4-2 and an earned-run average of 1.27. Eppard, who made Honorable Mention for the Register’s All-State squad, was 4-2 with an ERA of 1.73. In the batter’s box, Eppard hit .391 and Sypher contributed with 18 RBI and an average of .410. Junior captain Fletcher Suedmeier was another key component of Valley’s pitching staff, posting an ERA of 3.00 with mark of 3-2. Suedmeier also started at first base and hit .310 with an on-base percentage of .434. Fellow junior captain Matt Robida, the Warriors’ shortstop, batted .419, scored 18 runs, drove in 21, and had an on-base percentage more than .500. Valley’s other top performers were sophomore second baseman Chase Morris who had a .317 average; senior center fielder Michael Martorelli, who hit .285 and scored 13 runs; senior Jacob Meketa, who hit .278 and went 1-0 on the mound; junior Ryan Kelly, who finished with a .376 average and 14 steals; and sophomore Colin Sparaco, who posted a 2.78 ERA.
“We knew before the season our pitching would be strong and the guys all put in the work in the offseason,” Marineau said. “Colin Sparaco was a welcome addition to the staff, doing a great job in relief. We rolled the dice with a freshman catcher in Josh Ross, who did an excellent job behind the plate, handling the pitchers. He has a high baseball IQ. He needs to grow, get physically bigger and stronger. I felt like we got better every day, whether that was in practice or during the games.”
The Warriors reeled off a pair of four-game winning streaks and had a run of six-straight victories toward the end of the season on their way to finishing 17-8. The highlight of the campaign came when Valley competed in the Shoreline Conference Tournament, where Marineau’s squad dispatched Old Lyme 3-0 in the quarterfinals and then prevailed at eventual Class S runner-up Morgan 2-1 in the semis. That sent the Warriors to a showdown versus Cromwell in the Shoreline final, where they lost 3-0 to the Panthers. After that, Valley’s season ended with a 5-3 defeat to Stonington in the first round of the Class M State Tournament.
“Winning any Shoreline game is great,” Marineau said. “Winning the tourney was the goal, but we left it all out there beating Morgan, which got us to the final, and we just came up short.”
Following the season, the Warriors handed out their team awards. Valley named Sypher as its Most Valuable Player, Eppard was the club’s the Pitcher of the Year, Ross took the Rookie of the Year honors, and Meketa won the Sportsmanship Award. Valley will say good-bye to four graduating seniors in Eppard, Sypher, Meketa, and Martorelli.
“Any coach would loves those two Division I players. They can throw hard, breaking stuff and I was impressed with their leadership, which will be missed,” Marineau said of Eppard and Sypher. “Martorelli barely played his junior year, but was a solid senior addition and played his heart out every day. Meketa was sick his junior season—my first with the team—so I never got to see him. Jacob had some big hits for us, played first base, left, right, DH. He even got a win in relief as a pitcher for us. They were not only talented players, but good kids and that’s not coach-speak. They are people you would want to watch your kids or come over to the house.”
Sypher and Eppard combined for XXX victories the past two years and, with them moving on, the Warriors will have to fill some huge holes in the rotation for 2017. However, Coach Marineau believes he has the horses in place to make up for those losses.
“Sparaco has that killer instinct you want and hits 86 on the [radar] gun. He [will be] only a junior and will play a big role for us,” Marineau said. “Then there’s Fletcher, of course, and he is as talented a pitcher as anyone and we are expecting big things from him next season.”
Sparaco will be one of Valley’s captains next year, joining Suedmeier and Robida, who will both once again hold that leadership role and try to help the Warriors build off the success they saw the last two seasons.
“A lot of guys are playing Legion and AAU this summer. Brett Camilleri can hit and plays solid in the outfield; Chase [Morris] can hit and is playing tournaments all summer; Ryan Kelly is fast and had more infield hits than anyone I’ve ever coached, turning routine ground-outs into base hits; Josh [Ross] will be better,” Coach Marineau said. “So I’m looking forward to next year. The kids know the system, play as a family, and we will play for 21 outs. Anything you do is everything you do and these are good kids who want to get better, listen, and want to do it.”
From the Sidelines
The Warriors’ baseball team’s regular season wins this season came versus Hale-Ray (9-1), Old Saybrook (12-0), Cromwell (9-3), Coginchaug (10-8), Old Lyme (3-1), North Branford (11-3), Westbrook (20-6), Goodwin Tech (7-0), Hillhouse (14-5), Morgan (1-0), Cromwell (7-6 in 10 innings), North Branford (12-3), Coginchaug (6-2), and Wilcox Tech (6-0).
Valley’s regular season losses were against Portland (2-0), Law (3-2), Haddam-Killingworth (4-2), East Hampton (16-8), Haddam-Killingworth (9-4), and Morgan (3-2).