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04/07/2018 12:00 AMThe Guilford baseball team came just two wins shy of playing for a state title in 2017. Fortunately for the Indians, they return many key players from last year’s run who are hungry to take it all the way this season.
Last spring, Head Coach Brian Hayden’s squad finished with a record of 13-7 for the regular season on its way to qualifying for both the SCC and the Class L State tournaments. In the SCC tourney, Guilford took a 4-3 loss to Fairfield Prep in its opening contest. Then as the No. 9 seed in states, the Indians defeated E.O. Smith (6-3) and Bristol Central (7-1) in the first two rounds, after which they took a 10-8 loss to all-time Cinderella story and eventual Class L champion Foran in the quarterfinals.
Guilford enters the 2018 campaign as one of the highly touted teams in both its conference and the state after returning a dozen seniors from last season. Still, the Indians know that they have to stay grounded and find a way to win every day, before they can get too ahead of themselves.
“After last year, the expectations are high for us, but we are just focusing on every day and having a good practice and bringing good energy, because each year is a grind,” said Coach Hayden. “As far as off the field, we preach being good in the community and in the classroom and just doing the right things. The guys have done a great job of that so far with doing things like volunteering with Little League.”
Guilford features a tremendous trio of senior captains in top starting pitcher Noah Rubino, a 2017 All-SCC Oronoque Division Team selection; along with fellow 2017 All-Division honoree and catcher Matt Donlan; and catcher/pitcher John Luke Cianciolo. Coach Hayden praised all three captains for their ability to ignite the Indians’ fire both on the field and in the dugout.
“Noah has been the ace of our pitching staff since his freshman year. He’s had a great career and expects to win. He’s a confident leader and, when he takes the ball, we expect to be in the game and win,” Hayden said. “Matt is also a four-year starter. He’s a field general. He sees it all and has a high baseball IQ. He’s our No. 3 hitter and, defensively, I put him up against anyone in the state. John Luke is our emotional leader and provides a presence in our lineup.”
Guilford’s senior class also includes and No. 2 batter Kam Miles at first base/designated hitter, along with Logan Driscoll in left field and Evan Song in center field. Juniors Jack Strand and Zach Samson are pitchers for the Indians, while fellow junior Ben Panagoulias is an outfielder on the squad. Senior David Meade and sophomore Ethan Vashel are slated to platoon at second base, and seniors Gray Stephens and Kevin Cargos also are infielders for Guilford. The Indians’ pitching staff will additionally include seniors Tom Cattaneo, Matt McGrath, and Casey Johnson.
In its first game of the 2018 season, Guilford posted a 5-0 shutout of Lyman Hall as Rubino struck out eight and combined with Cattaneo to throw a no-hitter. Cargos, Song, and Miles each had two hits for the Indians, who saw Stephens add a key RBI single, as well.
“Our pitching was outstanding today. Obviously, throwing a no-hitter is a great achievement, but what I was impressed with was Noah and Tommy putting up zeroes and allowing our offense to get going,” said Coach Hayden. “On defense, Kevin Cargos made some great plays…to help our pitchers out. It was a good team win and a nice way to start the year.”
While the Indians will have to deal with their typically difficult SCC schedule this year, the club will also face some tough non-conference adversaries with a pair of contests against 2017 Class S semifinalist Morgan, in addition to East Lyme and Darien.
“We play East Lyme, who was the No. 1 seed in Class L last year, so they are a good team, and Morgan made a deep states run,” said Hayden, whose team took a 2-0 loss to Darien on April 7 to move to 1-1. “Every game in the SCC will be a dogfight. We have a big rivalry with Hand, and Branford had a monster season last year. We play Fairfield Prep twice, and they are always ranked high in Class LL.”
While the Indians have aspirations to reign atop the state, Coach Hayden wants his players to take the journey one step at a time, while relying on the fundamentals and what it means to be a team.
“We have to work hard as a team. As a team with expectations, we are a squad that other teams are looking at,” said Hayden. “If we do the little things, and I think we will, we will win. We are going to work hard, and we believe that good things will happen.”
From the Sidelines
This will be Brian Hayden’s seventh season as the Guilford baseball team’s head coach.
Hayden’s coaching staff for 2018 features varsity assistant coaches Jeff Bonetti and John Foti, JV coach Adam Nuzzo, and freshman coach Ralph Russo.
Guilford will again play in the SCC Oronoque Division in 2018 with Fairfield Prep, Shelton, Foran, and Cross.