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Westbrook Baseball Made States with a Surge Down the Stretch

The Westbrook baseball team finished their regular season on a tear after a long rocky stretch and qualified for the Class S State Tournament. After going 3-11 through the first 14 games of the season, the Knights finished on a six-game win streak to reach nine wins. Head Coach Derek Hanssen’s squad showed tremendous heart when the campaign’s early struggles could have ultimately defined its season, but Westbrook relied on a plenty of steady vets with a sprinkling of young blood to right the ship.

Coach Hanssen saw his squad turn a disastrous mid-season stretch on its head and reel off six-straight victories to not only make states, but also avoid a qualifying-round contest. Hanssen believed that streak gave his athletes an opportunity to show who they really were.

“It was an interesting season for us. We started out with some big wins, but then went on a severe losing streak. We went on a 1-11 stretch in the middle of the season. That was disheartening,” Hanssen said. “We had to win five of our last remaining games to get to the tournament, and we won all six. That allowed us to get into the tournament without playing a play-in game. The winning streak at the end showed the team’s heart.”

Unfortunately, the Knights’ first-round contest came against Portland, who was fresh off winning the Shoreline Conference Tournament the week prior. Westbrook lost that first round matchup by a score of 5-0.

At the forefront of the Knights’ comeback this season were their senior captains Connor Cruz and David McCain. Both of them proved to be effective leaders on the field and in the dugout. McCain primarily played third base and pitched, while Cruz was a pitcher and catcher. The senior tandem had a big impact according to Hanssen.

“David played a really good third base, and he batted second for us. A lot of teams pitched around him. He’s a three-sport captain, and he showed great leadership and maturity. He’s a person who leads by example. He doesn’t just stand in front of people and tell them what to do,” said Hanssen, whose squad finished with a 9-12 overall record. “Connor’s an interesting player because he’s a pitcher and a catcher. He’s a leader offensively. He had a great on-base percentage and a great average. He set the table for our offense, and as a catcher he called the games. He’s got a great baseball IQ. We trust him to take charge.”

Cruz earned Westbrook’s Most Valuable Player Award this season and also garnered All-Shoreline Conference Second Team honors with a team-leading .435 batting average. On the mound, Cruz had the most strikeouts with 39 Ks in 32 innings pitched to go with a 1.75 ERA.

Westbrook’s starting pitching staff featured two other solid seniors in Cameron Marshall and Kyle Robison. Marshall led the team in innings pitched with 43, and he had a 3-2 record with 36 Ks and a save to boot. Robison was an effective lefty who could be trusted in a big spots.

“We really had three senior starters that we relied on. We turned to Cam against Portland in the first round of the state tourney. Even having the three experienced pitchers, he was the guy who was the strongest at that point,” said Hanssen. “Kyle is your classic, crafty lefty. His start against East Windsor in the last game of the season was huge. He shut them down on the road, and he got our sixth win in the row. Without that we would have had to play a play-in game at the bottom of the bracket.”

One of the biggest contributors at the plate this season was senior Quinn Ernst, who also earned the Knights’ Most Improved Player Award. Ernst led the team with 21 RBI, and he had a .338 batting average with eight doubles. Coach Hanssen enjoyed seeing how far Ernst had progressed throughout his career.

“Quinn really improved over his four years. He was one of the leaders in batting average. He helped our offense really get going. Some players were having down years, and he made up for that with the best year of his career,” said Hanssen. “He committed to becoming a better player, and you could see that. He even had a game-winning hit for us against East Hampton.”

That walk-off win against East Hampton was Westbrook’s lone victory during its 1-11 stretch. While that win was encouraging, the most important game for the Knights this year came in the form of a 4-3 win against Old Lyme on May 7. That triumph snapped a seven-game skid to get Westbrook off the schneid.

“That Old Lyme game was a close one that we eked out. It came down to the last out. Cam Marshall was pitching, and he was able to close it out with a strike out and got the win with a complete game,” said Hanssen. “We broke through offensively, and it was one of our cleanest games defensively. We had timely hitting and defensive plays. We won that game, and then you blink your eye, and we had won six in a row. The team really jelled after that win.”

The Knights received contributions from more than just seniors, however. Junior Jack Farrell earned Westbrook’s Coaches’ Award for playing a super-utility role.

“Jack got that award for doing what was asked, being tough, and playing everywhere. He played the outfield, the infield, and he pitched. He was a utility guy who filled in wherever we needed him to fill in,” Hanssen said. “Being a small school, we are limited by having only 19 players in the program. Having a player that can do all that is indispensable.”

Westbrook also got a hand from some underclassmen like sophomore Zachary True and freshman Samuel Freeman.

“Zach started every game this season. It was his first real varsity experience, and he performed really well. He would show his youth at times, but he held onto his outfield spot,” said Hanssen. “Sam Freeman was thrown into the mix due to injury. He had a .414 on-base percentage as a freshman. That’s very good. We’re looking forward to both their ability to contribute next year.”

As for the future, Coach Hanssen will look big strides from this year’s underclassmen. Westbrook will lose eight starters due to graduation, but Hanssen knows that his young guys got some valuable experience at states.

“We’re graduating eight seniors, so we’re going to be a young team next year. We’re going to need a lot of young players to step up and be leaders next year. Jack Farrell will be our only senior with varsity experience next year,” said Hanssen. “It’s always great whenever you’re able to bring some young players to a state tournament. We wanted to see the effort and the emotion that goes into it. We hope over the next three years that they can look at these experiences and know what it means. You never know what the future holds and you want to take advantage of every game.”

From the SidelinesThe Westbrook baseball team’s roster featured senior captains Connor Cruz and David McCain; fellow seniors Samuel Beebe, Quinn Ernst, Tavish Ernst, Cameron Marshall, Dan Perreault, and Kyle Robison; juniors Jack Farrell and Gabe Gingras; sophomores Andrew Downey, Nicholas Palumbo, Kyle Rutkis, and Zachary True; and freshmen Andrew Carter, Samuel Freeman, Trevor Hendrixson, Kyle Malucci, and Charles Schneider.

Head Coach Derek Hanssen’s coaching staff included junior varsity coach Angelo Saba and assistant coach Patrick Hanssen, who retired after the season.

The Knights’ wins this year came against Griswold (12-5), Cromwell (12-4), East Hampton (8-7 and 11-1), Old Lyme (4-3), Hale-Ray (12-7), HMTCA (2-0), Stafford (8-3), and East Windsor (7-5).