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06/25/2018 12:00 AMThe Westbrook baseball team made some nice strides in 2018 by posting a five-win improvement from last season, while returning to the Class S State Tournament. The Knights finished with an overall record of 10-12 this spring, including a 6-5 victory against defending Shoreline Conference champion Cromwell in the first round of the state tourney. Also, this season saw Head Coach Derek Hanssen earn his 100th victory with Westbrook in a 13-3 win versus Creed on May 2.
Coach Hanssen was impressed by what his team achieved this year and appreciates the attitude that his athletes brought to the field, as well as their love of the game. Hanssen feels that Westbrook had an us-against-the-world mentality that really brought the squad together. The Knights also had a knack for winning close contests as they went 7-3 in one-run games.
“I think that one important thing about this team is that they love baseball...They are always ready to learn more and want to be out there for a long practice,” Coach Hanssen said. “They have that a small-school attitude and a chip on their shoulder. They want to overcome anything that’s in front of them. They don’t look at themselves as a team with a disadvantage. They look at themselves as a team that could beat anyone at any time.”
Westbrook relied on contributions from up and down its roster, but the team’s seniors were a major steadying presence. Senior captains, center fielder Jack Hayes and shortstop Jason Cordon, led the Knights with aplomb, according to Coach Hanssen. Hayes earned the team’s Most Valuable Player Award, while posting a .438 batting average, one home run, 20 RBI, and eight stolen bases. Cordon hit .287 and had 12 RBI on the season.
“They both worked together and complemented each other well. They’re not super vocal leaders, but Jack is a bit more vocal. He’s a leader in his play, and he’s an out front, inspirational type of captain,” said Hanssen. “In a lot of ways, Jason was below the radar as a leader. He does a lot of good things around the school. Compassion is his thing. He did a lot with Unified Sports, and he won a special Michael’s Cup Award with Steven Farrell.”
The Knights’ pitching staff proved a point of strength, too, this season. Westbrook displayed a marked improvement in its rotation, and much of that had to do with all the experience that this year’s juniors gained last year.
“I’m really happy with how the team improved from last year. We had a lot of sophomores that became juniors this year, and that was the core of our team,” said Hanssen. “They got a lot of experience last year, and that paid off this season. Our pitching staff was mostly juniors.”
The three starters who pitched the bulk of the innings this year for Westbrook were juniors Connor Cruz, Cameron Marshall, and Kyle Robison. Cruz threw the most innings on the staff and finished the year with a 1.51 ERA, two wins, and 31 strikeouts over 37 innings pitched. Marshall displayed some great stuff with a live fastball that helped him lead the team with 35 strikeouts to go with two wins and a 3.63 ERA in 34.2 innings. Robison struck out 25 in 30.2 innings and also played sure-handed defense at first base when he wasn’t on the mound. Hanssen liked that his primary pitchers all had different styles and gave opposing teams various looks.
“They each brought their own approach, and they got a lot of experience this year,” Hanssen said. “Connor Cruz was a cerebral guy who attacked hitters with a plan and approach. Cam throws the best fastball and has a power slider. He’s a hard thrower, especially for high school. Kyle’s a prototypical lefty in that he relies on movement and deception. They’ll be the core next year going forward.”
Another major contributor for Westbrook was junior David McCain, who occupied the No. 2 spot in the batting order for the bulk of the season. McCain produced at the plate to the tune of a .407 average to go with 19 runs scored, 11 RBI, and 11 steals.
“He had a great year at the plate. He was chasing Jack in the offensive stats the whole year. They were 1-2 all season,” Hanssen said of McCain. “He had an important year. He helped us solidify the top of the order when we put him in at No. 2.”
The peak of the Westbrook’s season came when they scored a 6-5 win against No. 9 seed Cromwell in a first-round matchup in the Class S State Tournament. The game was nip and tuck, and the 24th-seeded Knights were able to get the victory against the conference champion Panthers, who had defeated them earlier in the year.
“Cromwell’s a team that we definitely have had more losses than wins against in our history. They had just won the Shoreline Championship the week before. We had to go to their place and play them,” said Coach Hanssen. “It was a classic back-and-forth struggle with exciting plays all the way around. Connor threw the ball great that day. We got timely hitting. The biggest hit was Jack Farrell. We were down a run in the sixth, and he came up behind in the count and hit a ball over the left fielder’s head, got a triple, and then scored. We were able to hold on in the seventh, when Cam Marshall came in and got the save.”
Farrell came up big throughout the season for the Knights. He was Westbrook’s utility player and played all over the field to help fill any gaps. Coach Hanssen felt that Farrell’s versatility was incredibly valuable and presented him with the Coach’s Award.
“He filled in so many different positions. He’s our go-to utility guy. Those guys are so important on the roster,” Hanssen said. “He isn’t bothered by not having one spot every day. One day he’s on the bench, the next he’s behind the plate, then he’s in the outfield. That was important to the team.”
Senior Jake Marciniec helped out the Knights by providing 11 RBI on the season. Junior second baseman Quinn Ernst earned the Most Improved Award for Westbrook.
The future looks bright for the Knights. Coach Hanssen said that filling the void left by the graduation of Westbrook’s three seniors will be a tall task, although he’s encouraged by the cast of Knights who will be taking the field in 2019.
“First, it will be hard to replace the seniors. They were our up-the-middle guys. But the four guys that threw the most innings for us will be coming back. They will be set up for even more success,” said Hanssen. “You can never discount pitching in high school. If we get that in line, then it will give us a good jump. We’re excited for next year. We think we can build on the success this season and, hopefully, have more next year.”
From the Sidelines
• The Westbrook baseball team’s roster included senior captains Jason Cordon and Jack Hayes, as well as senior Jake Marciniec; juniors Connor Cruz, Quinn Ernst, Tavish Ernst, Cameron Marshall, David McCain, Daniel Perreault, and Kyle Robison; and sophomores Jack Farrell and Brandon Jacques.
• Head Coach Derek Hanssen’s coaching staff includes assistant coach Patrick Hanssen and JV Head Coach Angelo Saba.
• The Knights’ regular-season wins this season came against Griswold (9-8), Coginchaug (2-1), Portland (6-5), East Hampton (6-5), Creed (15-5 and 13-3), Valley Regional (9-8), Hale-Ray (13-0), and Stafford (4-3). They also took losses Cromwell (8-3), North Branford (1-0), Old Saybrook (14-3 and 10-1), Hale-Ray (3-2), Haddam-Killingworth (4-2), Morgan (10-8), Portland (3-2), East Hampton (4-3), Old Lyme (17-4 and 6-3).
• In the Class S State Tournament, 24th-seeded Westbrook defeated No. 9 seed Cromwell by a 6-5 final in the first round. In the second round, the Knights took a 17-9 loss against No. 25 seed Somers.