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07/01/2021 12:00 AMOwen Pincince proved one of the top players in the state as he helped the North Haven baseball team exceed expectations in 2021. Owen’s steady fielding at second base and solid contributions at the plate were huge components to a successful year for North Haven, which posted an overall record of 13-10 on its way to making the semifinals of the SCC Tournament and the quarterfinals of the Class L State Tournament.
Owen garnered plenty of accolades for his performance as a junior this spring. Owen, who played second base, saw time in the outfield, and also pitched, was named to the All-SCC First Team and the All-State First Team, in addition to getting selected to participate in the Junior Select All-Star Game. Additionally, Owen earned North Haven’s Most Valuable Player Award and received the Rocci Ruggerio Scholarship from the team.
Owen feels honored to have received these awards, but he credits the support of his coaches and teammates for helping him garner all of that hardware.
“It feels like I couldn’t have done it without my teammates around me. The team’s morale was amazing, and that was a big help,” says Owen. “The MVP Award is the most important to me, because that means I supported my team.”
North Haven figured to be in evaluation mode at the season’s onset, given that Head Coach Bob DeMayo hadn’t seen his players in action in two years due to the cancellation of the 2020 campaign. Owen believes that North Haven accomplished quite a lot for a team that had minimal varsity experience, and he was proud to be a part of that.
“We came in young without much varsity experience. Only our seniors had any varsity time, really. We had low expectations, thinking maybe we would scrape into the tournament, but we ended up doing pretty well in that,” Owen says. “A lot of being together and working together. It’s kind of becoming one family, basically. Without that, everything goes downhill. Personal accomplishments are great, but we couldn’t have done any of the stuff we did as a team if we weren’t together.”
While Owen praises the camaraderie that North Haven developed throughout the season, he certainly did his part to help the team succeed every time that he stepped into the batter’s box. Owen hit for a .412 batting average to go with 21 walks, 29 runs scored, 10 doubles, three homers, 22 RBI, nine stolen bases, and a .549 on-base percentage on the year. Whether he was scoring runs or driving them in, Owen was a great situational hitter.
“I’m looking to be a pain in the box. If there’s two strikes, I’m looking for my pitch to hit. If I get a single, I get a single. If I can stretch it to a double, I will,” says Owen. “I just do whatever I can to get on base. I’m putting the ball wherever it’s pitched.”
Owen also brought some solid defense to the field on a game-in, game-out basis. Owen began the season in the outfield, but an injury to another player caused Coach DeMayo to make some moves. One of those moves was to switch Owen from the outfield to second base.
“I came in as an outfielder this season, but our shortstop got injured,” Owen says. “Coach DeMayo decided to put me at second base, and it went pretty well. I didn’t make an error all season.”
Coach DeMayo pulled the correct levers to put Owen in a position to make the most of his talents. DeMayo never ceased to be impressed by Owen’s abilities both on and off the field.
“Owen can play any position on the field. He started as an outfielder and a pitcher. We had some injuries in the infield, so we had to move people around. I put him at second base, and it was like he was born to play that position,” says DeMayo. “He has great ability. He can hit for power, he can bunt, and he can run. He hits in the clutch. He doesn’t strike out, and he’s a team player. He’s really put it together. It’s amazing. I thought I might use him somewhere this year, but I didn’t think that he would make that type of improvement since we last saw him. He even got better as the season went on.”
Owen improved so much because he stayed committed to practicing and conditioning during the long layoff from the lost 2020 season. Owen practiced with his older brother Zachary, a former North Haven baseball player who has some college ball experience at the University of New Haven.
“I played every day. My brother Zachary plays at UNH. We threw every day. When summer ball came around, we were able to play. My coach Tim Binkoski was a phenomenal coach. He really impacted the way I play,” Owen says. “It really helped. It kept our morale high, and it brought me closer to my brother in a lot of ways. It helped me through COVID, because that was a nightmare.”
On the heels of a great campaign, Owen is eager to see what North Haven can achieve during his senior season. Whatever happens, Owen feels fortunate to be a part of the North Haven baseball program.
“With North Haven baseball, it’s an understanding that there is tradition behind it. There’s a tradition of excellency with Coach DeMayo and a tradition of being a family,” says Owen. “It’s really cool and fun realizing we have a lot of potential for the future and being excited for the years after as an alumni.”