WORCESTER—Co-captains Jack King and Declan Hughes have each been dedicated and reliable four-year starters for the Burncoat High baseball team. But in the past three seasons combined, the Patriots only managed a total of just eight wins.
This spring things have been very different for Burncoat baseball. Sparked by hard work, passion and a new head coach, the Patriots won their sixth straight game, a come-from- behind 4-3 walk-off win over Southbridge in extra innings on Friday. Burncoat improved their record to 11-2, the most wins in a season for the Patriots in 12 years.
“This is my fourth year starting on varsity and I think the most wins I’ve had in a season prior to this one was four,” said King, the everyday catcher who is hitting .349 with a team-leading 15 RBI. “It’s just the difference in energy and the effort in practice and the life in the dugout. We just want it more than we’ve wanted it in past years.”
“We have a lot of guys that want to play and want to contribute,” added Hughes.
Head coach Benji Borrero, a 1997 Burncoat graduate, came back to lead his alma mater this season after coaching at North High for the past two years. His impact has been immediate.
“Benji came in here and he brought his assistants with him and they just brought a new aura surrounding the team,” said King, also a standout quarterback for Burncoat’s football team. “It just motivates everyone to work harder.”
For Borrero, who played for coach Mark Peters at Burncoat, it’s been a welcome change.
“We need to keep playing hard and keep playing small baseball. That wins a lot of games,” said Borrero. “I’m happy to be back home. The kids work hard here.”
What also wins a lot of games is quality pitching, and the Patriots are backed by two very strong arms in their starting rotation.
Sophomore Noah Koza, a transfer from St. John’s, leads the way as the ace of the staff with a 4-1 record and a healthy 2.73 ERA. He has struck out a team-high 49 batters in 33 innings of work over five starts. Junior Brayden Fenner, who scattered five hits over eight innings in Friday’s win over Southbridge, is also 4-1 on the season with a 2.84 ERA.
Offensively, Koza has been outstanding at the plate this season, hitting a team-high .474 with 18 hits and an on-base percentage of .630.
Freshman Cameron Fenner has driven in 14 runs while compiling a 2-0 record and 2.69 ERA on the mound in 13 innings. Junior Yandiel Bonilla has also chipped in with 12 RBI this spring, none bigger than his game-winning single in the bottom of the eighth inning to beat Southbridge.
Burncoat finished 4-1 in Inter-High play this season, its only loss coming in the opener against Doherty back on April 1. The Patriots wrap up the regular season with games against Blackstone-Millville on May 15 and West Boylston on May 17.
Mike Vigneux is a freelance writer in Worcester with more than 20 years of experience in the fields of municipal government, communications, and public relations. An avid fan of all sports, Mike enjoys telling the stories of local athletes and their teams. He holds two degrees from Clark University, a bachelor of arts in Communication and a master of science in Professional Communication. He can be reached at Mikevigs@gmail.com
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