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04/27/2022 12:00 AMAfter losing its first game of the season, the Hand baseball team has bounced back in a major way the past few weeks, thanks in large part to the contributions of senior captain second baseman Evan Mastrobattisto. The Tigers have rattled off wins in seven of their last eight contests to improve to 7-2 this year, and Evan believes that the best is still yet to come for his club.
Evan is sporting a batting average of .433 with 11 runs scored, 5 RBI, and 10 stolen bases this spring. He also has a solid fielding percentage of .933 for a Tigers’ team that’s looking to go on another memorable run after winning its first championship last year.
“Our expectations are to continue to work together as a team and focus on our goals one game at a time. If we continue to do that, we can make a run deep into the playoffs,” says Evan. “We have been winning in many different ways so far this season. This team has a lot of heart and tenacity, and we pride ourselves on team chemistry and supporting each other.”
Evan is a huge baseball fan who loves everything about playing the sport. Evan’s favorite aspect of baseball is the team mentality that’s needed to succeed on the diamond.
“While a lot of times you feel like the sport is individual, in order to win, the whole team needs to put in a winning effort. So, even if you have a bad game, the team can still win and be competitive,” Evan says. “I also love the community aspect of the sport. From playing travel baseball outside of the town, I have met lots of kids from other towns and are still friends to this day.”
While he’s hoping to finish out his senior year on a high note, Evan will never forget the feeling of helping Hand capture its first state title in program history last season. The Tigers claimed the crown by posting a 3-0 victory over Berlin in the final of the Class L State Tournament.
“My favorite moment as a player was last year in the state championship game, where our team won for the first time in program history,” says Evan. “The game was at Palmer Field in Middletown and was filled with what felt like the whole town of Madison. From my high school peers to younger kids to parents, it seemed like the whole town was watching us.”
Head Coach Travis LaPointe describes Evan as an exemplary leader in school, on the baseball team, and in the community. LaPointe says that Evan’s contributions played a big role in helping the Tigers take home state gold in 2021.
“Evan was a key piece of our state championship team last year as our starting second baseman. He was the one that had the huge two-run double to extend our lead to 3-0,” LaPointe says. “Evan is dependable and is a constant source of positive energy for our team. He makes other people better just by being near them, because he is supportive. For as nice of a kid as he is, he still plays with incredible tenacity that allows him to be successful in the situations that have added pressure. He is an MVP person.”
Evan says that his relationship with Coach LaPointe has been built on trust. It’s a situation where Evan and LaPointe both know that they can always rely on one another in any circumstance.
“As a freshman, Coach LaPointe trusted me enough to practice with and be in the varsity dugout during the playoffs,” Evan says. “I love that he tells me exactly what needs to be done to make my game better, and I respect him immensely.”
Evan is constantly thinking of ways that he can enhance his skillset. During the recent offseason, he worked hard at shoring up his defense at second base. Evan doesn’t play any other sports for Hand, so baseball is his primary focus, although he does like to go skiing in his free time.
“I am constantly practicing and improving my game in many ways. I focus a lot on the fundamentals, as well as working on speed and strength all year-round,” says Evan. “I currently do not play other sports, but I enjoy skiing with my friends and family in the winter, as well as playing pickup basketball and football. I also played soccer up until junior year, but stopped to focus entirely on baseball.”
As far extracurricular activities are concerned, Evan is a member of the National Honor Society and also participates in Daniel Hand Vibe, a nationally ranked show choir group. He is also on the Class Act Sportsmanship Committee, is a four-year Peer Advocate member, and a member and co-founder of Valor Youth Coalition. Evan also enjoys running clinics for young baseball players at Batter Up in Guilford.
Next fall, Evan will attend Clemson University as a business major. He is considering playing baseball at the club level at the school.
“I’m not playing college ball at the Division I level, but I’m excited to be going to Clemson next year,” Evan says. “I might try to play club baseball there, and I’m going to major in business.”