Printer Friendly Version - H-K Baseball Starting Strong in First-Ever State Title Defense

Senior captain Blake Kamoen is one of several returning starters from the state championship H-K baseball squad from last spring, as the Cougars have sprung out to a strong start to their title defense. Photo by Wesley Bunnell/The Source

Luke Mauri will patrol in the outfield and lead in the clubhouse as a senior captain for the Cougars’ baseball club this spring, who entered the campaign as defending state champions for the first time in program history. Photo by Wesley Bunnell/The Source

In a campaign that culminated in one of the preeminent programs in the state the last half century finally having its crowning moment with a state championship, the Haddam-Killingworth baseball team is certainly on the fast track to a repeat and not a fluke as a reigning title holder.

Following a 16-4 regular season and semifinal berth in the Shoreline Conference Tournament last year, the Cougars entered the Class S State Tournament as the No. 3 seed. H-K first blanked 30th-ranked East Hampton 8-0 on May 30 in the opening round before edging out No. 14 Immaculate 4-3 in the second round on May 31 at home. Then, in the quarterfinals, the Cougars struck down another Shoreline rival in No. 6 Old Lyme, 6-3, as hosts on June 3, prior to a 4-0 victory over 10th-seeded Lyman Memorial to return to the state final for the first time since the 2014 season.

In that championship clash on June 9 at Palmer Field in Middletown, H-K–which was making its sixth state championship game appearance–faced off with No. 4 Coventry (19-5 entering the game) and grasped the program’s first-ever state title with a 6-2 victory and the first for longtime skipper Mark Brookes in his 46th campaign at the helm, as H-K finished 22-5 overall.

This season, the title defense could not have gotten out to a better start for the Cougars for the first five contests–going a perfect 5-0 with wins over Old Saybrook, Cromwell, Morgan, Valley Regional, and East Hampton. Through eight games, the Cougars now sit with a mark of 7-1.

Still, Brookes and H-K keep things in perspective and do not get too far ahead of themselves. The task at hand for them in this present moment is to simply make it back to the dance.

“Our goals match all of the goals from our previous seasons,” said Brookes. “We are trying to qualify for both conference and state tournament play.”

Returning to center stage for the champion Cougars is a trio of leaders with senior captains of Blake Kamoen, Luke Mauri, and Ryan Erskine. Erskine and Kamoen (who closed out the state championship victory vs. Coventry) will be part of the potent pitching staff, with Kamoen also playing at shortstop and Erskine joining him as an infielder, and then Mauri will serve in center field.

Brookes praised the three young men for not only their veteran experience within the clubhouse, but he also commended their ability to perform under pressure on the big stage.

“All captains are three-year starters,” said Brookes. “They also bring with them a lot of regular season and postseason experience.”

Rounding out the senior class and adding to the Cougars’ arsenal of arms are hurlers Alex Blade and Riley Gordon.

There is great depth within the junior ranks of the club as well, with Todd Butler as an outfielder and pitcher, Joey Salafia at first base, Matt Shea opposite him at the hot corner of third while also pitching, catcher Colton Merola, Evan Aubin (infielder/pitcher), Max Selmer in the outfield, plus infielders Sawyer DiMatteo and Liam Christopher.

Lastly, Chase Bruno patrolling the grass in the outfield and Garrett Mitchill, serving double duty as an infielder and on the mound as a pitcher, will fortify the sophomore standouts.

While the Cougars have busted out of the starting gates, it is a small but substantial sample size to see how they stack up among the elite in their league. H-K knows though that not only in their dugout but also in the ones of their rivals, much of them consist of a returning cast, so the Cougars are on their toes for every clash.

“The Shoreline looks very strong this season, with many teams returning several starters with experience,” said Brookes. “It is very early in the season to predict outcomes since we have played or scrimmaged six different Shoreline Conference teams, and they were all competitive.”

The 2024 H-K roster is comprised of seniors Erskine, Owen Carroll, Blade, Gordon, Kamoen, Mauri; juniors with Brody Mitchill, Roman Nappi, Soren Tassmer, Aubin, Merola, Butler, Christopher, Shea, DiMatteo, Selmer, Salafia; sophomores in Bruno, Garrett Mitchill, Jake Wolfradt, Michael Bredefeld; plus freshmen Bryce McConnell, Nate Mularksi, E van O’Neal, Camden Ruiz, and Chase Sandrey.

Brookes, back for his 47th spring, entered the season ranked second in all-time coaching victories in Connecticut with 743. His coaching staff for 2024 consists of the likes of John Fraser (in his fourth season), Josh Cofield (three-year veteran), plus a pair of newcomers in Owen Marica and Nick Marjehka.