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07/12/2021 12:00 AMNick Merullo brought a lot of resolve to the dugout in his first season as head coach of the Guilford High School baseball team. Although the Grizzlies only won two games, Coach Merullo felt proud to see his team battle to the very end in each contest in the 2021 campaign.
Guilford entered the year with a lack of varsity experience on its roster. The Grizzlies took a few lumps this season, but Merullo said that they came away from the campaign as much-better baseball players.
“Record-wise, we certainly did not have the type of year we had hoped for. Looking at our schedule in the beginning of the year, I knew that wins would be hard to come by,” said Merullo, whose team finished at 2-16. “The quality of players, coaches, and teams around the league is so strong that you have to play great baseball to win.
“We came into the year with only a handful of players with any sort of varsity experience, so we had plenty of growing pains throughout the year,” he added. “We spent a lot of time trying to develop our fundamental skills and improving our baseball instincts.”
Shortstop Jake Ciocca and pitcher Mike McCullagh served as Guilford’s senior captains. Ciocca earned All-SCC First Team honors after posting a .407 batting average on 22 hits to go with 18 runs scored and eight RBI.
“Jake Ciocca was an All-SCC player for us. He played a strong shortstop and led the team in hitting,” Coach Merullo said. “He always carried himself the right way and was a true lead-by- example type of player. No doubt, his attitude rubbed off on the younger players.”
In addition to Ciocca and McCullagh, Guilford’s senior class also included outfielder Jack Palmer and Sam Huffman, an outfielder/pitcher; along with infielder/pitcher Sal D’Anna, catcher Clayton Ulrich, outfielder Cameron Sullivan, infielder/pitcher Julian Scarpa, and outfielder Niko Tartagni.
Palmer proved a productive bat in the Grizzlies’ lineup by collecting a team-best 16 RBI on the year. Huffman made the All-SCC Second Team after recording a 2.78 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 22.2 innings pitched.
“Sam gave us a chance to win every time he started a game for us. He also served as our center fielder when he wasn’t pitching,” said Merullo. “Jack led the team in RBI and had a number of clutch hits for us throughout the year. He also provided some good leadership and energy for the team.”
Guilford’s junior class included infielder/pitcher Aiden McBrierty, outfielder/pitcher Michael Torre, catcher Chris Golino, outfielder Tyler Zajkowski, and first baseman/pitcher Max Corbetti.
Infielder/pitcher Carter Williams and pitcher Ryan Lynch were the only sophomores on the Grizzlies’ varsity roster. Catcher Mike Buccaro and first baseman/pitcher Bryce Meder competed for the team as freshmen.
“Hardly anyone on the team this year had any sort of varsity experience, but next year, that will not be the case. At some point this season, we pretty much used our whole roster and are hoping that experience will pay off in the future,” Coach Merullo said. “In addition, we have a strong core of players in our freshman and sophomore classes who had successful seasons at the sub-varsity levels, and many of them earned varsity playing time during the year. The 2021 season showed us we have some work to do in order to become one of the more competitive teams in the league. It won’t be easy, but our players and coaching staff are excited about the opportunity ahead of us.”
Guilford’s two wins on the season came with an 8-6 victory versus Fairfield Prep and a 6-1 triumph against Cheshire. While he was hoping for better results, Coach Merullo felt that his athletes learned plenty of valuable lessons throughout their journey this spring. Going forward, Merullo’s goals are to build the Grizzlies into a winning program for years to come.
“One thing we are looking to take from this year and improve upon next year is that in baseball and in life, nothing is handed to you. You have to work hard, stay ready for opportunities, and take advantage of them,” said Merullo. “As a team, we need to develop an understanding of what is best for the team. There are a lot of individual battles that take place in a baseball game, but nothing can be more important than team success. We must play and compete for the other guys in the dugout and all be moving in the same direction.”
Above all, Coach Merullo was glad that Guilford was able to complete a full season in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. After the Grizzlies saw the 2020 campaign get canceled, Merullo said that his athletes were thankful to get back to playing the game that they all love.
“Being able to show up for practices each day and go out and compete felt great, and it really put things into perspective after losing that privilege during the pandemic,” Merullo said. “Despite our record, I looked forward to being out on the field each day. As the year went on, we talked more and more about just going out and playing like little kids in the back yard—not worried about stats or wins and losses, but just enjoying playing the game of baseball and the opportunity to compete with your friends and represent your community. Hopefully, that is an approach we can carry into future seasons.”