EASTHAM — The Nauset Regional High School baseball team hasn’t forgotten how last season ended. In fact, it’s been on some of the student-athletes’ minds ever since.
“Yes, I still think about it,” said senior pitcher and outfielder Noah Clarke.
“It’s been on our minds the majority of the off season,” said senior pitcher Max Dio.
Nauset was one out away from beating North Attleboro and advancing to the Division II South Sectional semifinals on June 23 last year. Junior Cam Beer was on the mound at Eldredge Park in Orleans with a 9-7 lead, two outs, and two runners on base in the bottom of the seventh inning.
North Attleboro’s Gavin Wells came up with a clutch single to center field that drove in two runs and tied the game at 9-9. The game went to extra innings. But the Warriors’ confidence evaporated, and the team fell apart.
The final score was 17-9, North Attleboro. The stunning elimination loss was the team’s first of the year.
Clarke, Dio, and fellow senior third baseman Brady Heinz are hoping to build off last season’s loss, however. The team has multiple games scheduled with tough out-of-conference teams, including Lexington, Medfield, Brockton, and Oakmont Regional High in Ashburnham. The idea is to give the Warriors experience playing against competitive teams off Cape.
This year, Dio said, only about 30 students came out for baseball tryouts while about 70 students went out for boys lacrosse.
“Baseball is a game for patient people,” said Dio.
He thinks young people are losing interest in the sport because it’s slow and takes more time to understand, compared to lacrosse.
“You have to be dedicated and willing to put the work in,” Dio said.
Other spring sports at Nauset High, including softball, girls golf, outdoor track, sailing, and boys and girls lacrosse, are also getting underway.
Most teams have their first contests scheduled for this coming week.
Thursday, March 31
Boys and girls track: The two teams host Dennis-Yarmouth for meets starting at 4 p.m.
Girls lacrosse: The Warriors face St. John Paul II at home at 4 p.m.
Girls softball: The Wareham Vikings host the Warriors at 4 p.m.
Boys baseball: Plymouth North hosts Nauset for a conference battle at 4:30 p.m.
Friday, April 1
Boys and girls tennis: Norwell High hosts the Nauset boys tennis team for a match beginning at 4:30 p.m., while the Nauset girls host Norwell at 4:30 p.m. in Eastham.
Boys lacrosse: St John Paul II travels to play Nauset at the turf at 4 p.m.
Girls softball: The Monomoy Sharks host the Warriors in Harwich at 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 2
Boys baseball: Nauset hosts Oakmont Regional High in a game at 9 a.m.
Monday, April 4
Girls lacrosse: The Plymouth South Panthers host the Warriors for a match at 4:30 p.m.
Girls softball: Nauset travels to Norwell for a game at 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 5
Girls golf: The Warriors play the Dennis-Yarmouth Dolphins at Bayberry Hills Golf Course in Yarmouth at 3:30 p.m.
Boys and girls track: The Barnstable Red Hawks host the Warriors for a 4 p.m. meet.
Girls tennis: The Wareham Vikings travel to Eastham for a match against Nauset at 4 p.m.
Sailing: The Nauset sailing team competes against Martha’s Vineyard at the Orleans Yacht Club at 4 p.m.
Boys lacrosse: Mansfield High travels to play Nauset at 5 p.m.
Wednesday, April 6
Boys tennis: The Monomoy Sharks host the Warriors for a 4 p.m. match.
Girls softball: Nauset travels to play Sturgis East Charter School at Lopes Field in Hyannis at 4:30 p.m.
Boys baseball: The Nauset baseball team plays Brockton High at Eldredge Park in Orleans at 4:30 p.m.
