Strong Pitching Expected to Carry Milton High Baseball

head baseball coach Ted Curley is in a position of power when it comes to his pitching staff heading in to the 2011 season.

Curley will have three proven starters to throw in to the fire each and every time the Wildcats take the field. WIllie Archibald is the top-pitcher out of the three. The right-hander has good velocity on his fastball despite lacking the stature of other power pitchers.

Kerigan Grifiths fills in nicely in the second slot, but an injury will delay his season. Curley said he is expecting the three-quarter throwing right-hander to be back and productive when he returns.

Rob O’Neil rounds out the rotation as a hard-throwing righty, and the only left-hander on the staff Terrence Walsh might see some starts should Grifiths or any other starter be out for a significant amount of time.

“Our pitching is set up nicely,” said Curley. “I htink our pitching should keep us in ball games.”

The offense, at least in the early parts of the season, might not be so set in stone. Gone is most of the power and potency from the lineup of last season. The Wildcats were senior-laden last year, and this year they will have to turn to some younger faces to drive in runs in the Bay State Conference.

Archibald, O’Neil and Kevin Curley are the steadiest veterans on the roster right now. Jack Davis, who Curley said is probably his best power-hitter, will hit in the middle of the lineup. Paul Curren, who could see time as a relief pitcher as well, will play third base and add depth.

Kevin Lamare, who will play just about every position known on the diamond, will also find his name in the regular lineup.

But it could be one of those season where Curley’s team, who hasn’t had a lot of time practicing outside, takes a little time to get those wood bats hot throughout the lineup.

“It’s a little difficult to put the puzzle pieces where they belong in the beginning,” he said, “So I expect that we are going to have a varied lineup from game to game until we get the right combination.”

The injury bug, which has bit Grifiths early, has also crept it’s way to the guys behind the plate. Starting catcher Max Devin is out with a knee injury, while his backup, Dan Curren, just fractured a bone in his hand this past week.

So the jack-of-all-trades Lamare will find himself playing the position for the first time since Little League.

“We are goinn to move him to that position right now out of need,” said Curley. “Kevin is a good athlete. It’s a tough adjustment because it’s a very difficult position to play.”

When this team gets healthy, Curley thinks he’s got a deep, growing team ready to make some noise in the Bay State.

“ I don’t think this team is as strong on the top as last year, but I think it’s deeper,” he said.