
2023 was a transition year for the Lancers. They finished 17-22 (.436) with an 11-10 (.524) MASCAC record. They reached the playoffs as the fourth seed where they were matched up against the third-seeded Mass. Maritime Buccaneers in the opening round of the tournament. The Lancers would lose the first round playoff game 5-1 at neutral site Framingham, ending their season, but setting in place strong potential for the future.
This season was manager Phil Price’s first as the man in charge of the Worcester State baseball team. Price, a Worcester native, who founded Evolution Baseball and is the President of Baseball Operations, which is operated out of nearby West Boylston, MA, and is considered one of the best travel programs in the state, has seen over 50 players commit to DI schools for their talents. Price is also currently the head coach for the 17U team that already has five DI commits. He is also known for his ability to develop and mature young men into outstanding citizens on and off the field.
Working alongside Price is Todd Smith, Anthony Perry, and Dave Wigren. Each coach brings a massive amount of experience and knowledge of the game to each and every practice.
The coaching staff was able to guide the team into the playoffs with a winning conference record, but the coaching staff and players look to go further next season and aim to further improve in the offseason as they set their sights on a return to the MASCAC Championship in 2024. It is tough for any coach and their staff to go somewhere new and for them to adjust fully in the first season. With a year under his belt here, more familiarity with his current players, and chances to recruit talent of his choosing, Price’s future seasons to come will be fun to watch.
If you needed to label this season it would be, a tale of two stories. The Lancers pitching was better than most teams in the MASCAC. They were able to handle their own and put up decent numbers on the season. Where things were a little shaky was in their offense. It was a hard year for the Lancer bats, finishing close to last in almost every offensive category.
Senior Pitcher Cole Glassburn (Hopkinton, MA) and selected as a designated hitter Alex Sorenti-Burns (Sagamore Beach, MA) were both named to the MASCAC All-Conference second team for their accomplishments.
Hitting:
The bats for the Lancers were quiet compared to their conference foes. Unfortunately, the stats show that they were in the bottom two of the MASCAC in most offensive categories. A bright area for them is that they had the second most stolen bases in the conference (103). Junior third baseman and recently named captain for next year, Tom Halliwell (Leominster, MA), and sophomore catcher and outfielder, also named a captain for next year, Tyler Smith (Leominster, MA), each had 20 swipes on the season, tying them each for fourth in the conference.
The Lancers scored 223 runs, had 313 hits, 195 RBIs, 43 doubles, 4 triples, and 12 home runs. Each of those numbers had Worcester in last or second to last in the MASCAC in each category. For reference, the MASCAC champion Bridgewater State Bears had 332 runs, 421 hits, 292 RBIs, 79 doubles, 19 triples, and 23 home runs. Bridgewater State finished first in the conference in each category besides home runs.
Even though the offense was not great, there were still many contributions and notable highlights from each grade to put numbers up for the Lancers. Sophomore Tyler Smith led the team in hits (40) tying him for 23rd in the MASCAC with senior left fielder Zack Roberts (Northbridge, MA) finishing second (38). Junior Tom Halliwell finished third (37), with senior Alex Sorenti-Burns and senior shortstop Chris Ausiello finishing fourth and fifth with 36 and 25 hits each, with Sorenti-Burns leading the charge with a .303 avg., 30th best in the MASCAC. Roberts finished second (.302), Smith finished third (.299), and Halliwell finished fourth (.291). For on-base percentage, Sorenti-Burns finished atop (.455). Only two other hitters had an OBP above .400, Tom Halliwell (.406) and Tyler Smith (.401).
Sorenti-Burns led the team in slugging percentage (.429) while sophomore outfielder Anthony Iamarone (Providence, RI) finished second in slugging percentage (.386). Iamarone additionally led the team in home runs (5). He was also tied for the most extra-base hits (9) with Sorenti-Burns.
First Year Nathan Thurber (Framingham, MA) was named MASCAC Rookie of the Week in April. Thurber had 43 plate appearances in 16 games where he batted .279 with an OPS of .673. Thurber was the only Lancer to be named for a weekly award this season but bodes well for what the future of this team is shaping up to be.
Pitching:
The team, their pitching staff and their fielding put up much better numbers to offset their offensive woes. Their pitching had the second-best ERA in the MASCAC (4.78). The staff allowed the third least amount of hits (353). They ranked second lowest in number of runs scored (206) and earned runs (164). Worcester showed the best command walking the least amount of batters (135). One category that they struggled with and hope to excel in next season was strikeouts (262), finishing sixth.
Seniors Cole Glassburn (Hopkinton, MA), Kevin Zarnoch Jr. (Boston, MA), and Ben Smith (Bourne, MA) each led the team in innings. Glassburn saw the most innings for the team (59.1), as Zarnoch Jr. finished second (50.0), and Ben Smith placed third (44.0).
Other notable pitchers who saw more than 20 innings of work were sophomore Jarret Morrill (Chelmsford, MA, 27.1 IP), junior Nick Bousquet (Athol, MA, 26.1 IP), and senior Brett Bucklin (Lynn, MA, 25.0 IP)
Glassburn and Zarnoch Jr. finished tied for first in wins (4) as junior reliever and closer Danny Dimassimo (Pittsfield, MA) finished second in wins (3). Dimassimo finished tied for third in saves in the MASCAC (4) as he was the trusted source to finish games off on the mound.
Glassburn finished first on the team in ERA (2.58), third best in the MASCAC. Ben Smith was not far behind finishing fourth in the conference (3.07). Zarnoch Jr. led the Lancers in punchouts as he had 51 making him have the tenth most strikeouts in the conference. Smith finished his senior year with 48 strikeouts, making him thirteenth in the conference with teammate Glassburn putting away 43 batters.
Their pitching was solid all season and once they are able to get the bats warmed up and connecting, this is a team that can make a big push toward winning the MASCAC championship.
Conclusion:
The Lancers will be losing four seniors and one graduate student heading into next season, while Brett Bucklin’s return is still undecided. Kevin Zarnoch Jr. Zach Landry (Mashpee, MA), Cole Glassburn, Chris Ausiello, and graduate student Sean Devin (Lynn, MA).
Losing your strikeout leader in Zarnoch Jr. will be tough as Worcester will look to another pitcher to step up and get batters out. All-Conference second team selection Cole Glassburn boasted a monster ERA while also having the most innings pitched on the team which will need to be replaced, which will be no small task. Replacing Bucklin would be another mission for this team as Bucklin was a frequent mound visitor with a low ERA.
Losing out on Ausiello, the starting shortstop and senior leader, is another area that the Lancers will have to adjust to and find alternate production from someone next season. Ausiello has been an integral part of the team and its success, not just all season, but over his career.
Devin visited the plate 125 times as those ABs will need to be filled next season. Along with leadership and experience, the Lancers will lose out on Devin's 24 hits and 16 RBIs.
Ben Smith returning will be a massive relief for the rotation with his experience and skill on the mound. Jarret Morrill, Nick Bousquet, Danny DiMassimo, along with First Years Nolan Turner (Barnstable, MA) and Colin Ensminger (Reading, MA) will each be looked upon to contribute next season.
There is a lot of young potential on this team to cover for the losses of the graduating class. Roberts will bring his bat back for another season as Tyler Smith, Tom Halliwell, Anthony Iamarone, Nathan Thurber, and sophomore Xavier Quezada (Providence, RI) have each shown promise and potential with the playing time they have received.
The First Years now have experience at the collegiate level and know how to prepare for the new season and what to expect for offseason preparations and the grind of a season from March to May. Under the strong leadership of Price and his staff and under the guiding arm of the upperclassmen, this team has significant potential ahead of them to become a threatening force in the MASCAC.
~ Sean Rollins ~