TOUCHING ALL THE BASES
Hector Longo
Forgive David Campbell for savoring every at-bat, chasing down fly balls with a little more fervor than the next guy and dashing around the basepaths like it was his last time ever.
At this point, with Campbell's tough luck, it just might be.
The Whittier Tech senior, back in the lineup after missing the opening five games of the season, made his presence felt Tuesday with a big fourth-inning, two-run double in a 7-0 win over Lynn Tech.
The Wildcats remained two games behind Shawsheen Tech in the Commonwealth Conference Large race at 7-4 overall and 6-2 in the league.
As for Campbell, he's still euphoric being in the lineup.
A returning starter at point guard, Campbell saw his basketball season ruined by a broken finger.
"It happened on a freak play, just the second day of practice," said Campbell. "I was looking forward to the season, and I thought we were going to have a big year. Instead, basically all I could do was run with the team and work on my left hand."
Campbell made a second-half return but was only a shadow of his former self. At least he had baseball, he thought.
That was until a week into tryouts.
"I was pitching inside, and tried to throw a curveball," he said. "Same finger. The cartilage just popped."
Much was expected from Campbell, a starter in center field as a junior.
"We thought when it happened, he was done," said coach Joe Boland, whose club has won three straight games. "Luckily, we've gotten him back. He makes a big difference in our outfield. He turned the game around against Greater Lowell with an incredible diving catch. And then, he had the game-winning hit."
Campbell, who is off to a 5-for-14 start, says opponents can expect more of the same from Whittier down the stretch.
"We may need some help, but I think we can catch Shawsheen or at least challenge for the league," said Campbell, 17. "We have to beat them at their place and keep winning, but I think we can do it."
Mostone picks it up at Pelham
James Mostone doesn't concern himself with the lack of senior class teammates.
He embraces the fact that part of his job description is mentor to young Pelham teammates.
And even the mounting losses haven't been able to get him down.
One of the few bright spots in Pelham's 2-8 start, Mostone is dominating.
Mostone is off to a .393 start at the plate with eight RBIs, pacing the Pythons in both categories. With a third, Jamie Vaiknoras, set to return from a shoulder injury of his own, Mostone and Steve Rogers are the only two senior regulars right now.
The four-year starter also anchors the pitching staff. He is just 1-2, but has chewed up 271/3 innings with 23 strikeouts and a 3.07 ERA.
He'd like a few more wins, but for now, the playing is the thing.
"Football, I felt like I got robbed," said Mostone, 5-11, 170-pound linebacker/offensive lineman who missed nearly the entire undefeated championship season with a severe shoulder injury. "I played the three previous years, worked my way up to where I would have played both ways and been the kicker.
"I wasn't even sure I'd be back here. Missing football was tough enough, but I don't know what I would have done this spring."
An infielder by trade, Mostone has been a rock for coach Matt Stone.
"He's never been a vocal guy by trade, but this year, out of necessity, he's come out of his shell," said Stone. "Of course, he's leading by example. He battles on the mound all the time, plays tough defense, works hard, plays the game the right way."
Mostone hit .469 with 18 runs and 18 RBIs last spring, so the fast start this year, even coming off the shoulder woes, is no surprise.
"As soon as my shoulder started to feel better, I got after it," said Mostone, who'll play next year at St. Joseph's in Maine. "As soon as it was OK, instantly, I got into the cages."
Mostone has come a long way, since first separating the left (non-throwing) shoulder in a Salem Legion game last summer, then doing serious damage on a tackle attempt in preseason football practice. Surgery and six months of rehab have done the trick, though.
And even with the tough beginning, he says, don't count the Pythons out. A favorable schedule along with valuable experience gained by the youngsters should bode well for the Pythons.
Sophomore outfielder Josh Luciano is coming on strong, having raised his average to .321, and classmate Corey Couillard is a promising pitching prospect who could turn the corner soon.
"I think we could be OK. We have to stop making all the errors we've made," said Mostone, whose older brother Mike played at Central Catholic. "We've got some players. We just have to find a way to put it all together. I think we need to win five more. We're definitely going to make a run at it."
Must-win for Hillies
At 7-5 overall and 5-4 in the MVC trailing Tewksbury by three full games, it's do-or-die time for the Hillies, who are at Tewksbury this afternoon, in a game pushed ahead a day to beat the expected rain.
Need a reason for the Hillies' struggles in a year they should be at or near the top in a rather average MVC?
How about the offense.
Heading into yesterday's loss to Lawrence, Haverhill was hitting a mere .226, that's 64 for .283.
This is from a team that returned eight regulars, who combined to hit .253 collectively in 2007. Together, the eight are at .238.
Only A.J. Scalese (.314) and Bobby Shirling (.393) stand above .300.
Odds and ends
Lost amid Central's ugly loss to Andover yesterday was Raider catcher Drew Guyer stretching his season-long hitting streak to 10 games. ...
Justin Bolla of Pentucket has made it nine straight games with at least one hit and at least one RBI in each. ...
He doesn't pitch, so you may not hear from him as much as some of the other bigger names, but nobody's dominating at the plate like Andover's John Hennessy (24 of 44). It's early, but the sophomore could be on his way to some elite company statistically, the likes of such Andover four-year greats as Dan Godefroi, Paul Malaguti and Brian Tisbert. ...
Lost in last week's note about Georgetown's propensity to import and export baseball talent was the omission of Brooks School junior Michael Johnson, a hard-throwing southpaw who has taken over as the staff ace. Johnson fanned 17 recently in an eight-inning shutout no-decision and now stands at 2-1 with a 0.76 ERA and a whopping 54 strikeouts in 27.2 innings.
Around the horn
A look at the local teams' playoff chances:
Andover (8-3) — An absolute lock for the postseason, but a fifth straight MVC large title is priority one.
Central (8-2) — Again, lock city with mega-offense. Still, knocking Andover out of the title race would have legitimized the Raiders as a bigtime contender.
Georgetown (8-4) — A threat to North Reading's reign in the North when the Division 3 tourney opens.
Greater Lawrence Tech (5-5) — In the hunt, but trying to re-tool with JV call-ups could make things interesting.
Haverhill (7-5) — Have to believe the Hillies are better than they've shown. My sleeper in Division 1 North.
Lawrence (5-6) — Wednesday's win over Haverhill gave the Lancers a second lease on tourney life.
Londonderry (7-5) — They're in, but haven't been playing well lately. Will the real Lancers please show up?
Methuen ( 4-6) — Andover, Central and Lowell will make things difficult for the Rangers, who'll need some Memorial Day heroics to qualify.
North Andover (8-2) — Favorable scheduling and overachieving role players equal a top seed in Division 2 North.
North Reading (10-1) — The class of the CAL, small, medium or large.
Pelham (2-8) — Nowhere near out of it in Class I. The schedule is mighty favorable.
Pentucket (4-5) — Better health should translate into a 7-win second half.
Pinkerton (7-6) — It's all about peaking June 1.
Salem (11-3) — Got the Blue Devils penciled into the No. 2 seed. But will Salem accept?
Sanborn (9-3) — The best story in the Granite State this spring. They'll host a playoff opener.
Timberlane (5-5) — Up-and-down Owls keep running with middle of the pack.
Whittier (7-4) — Cats keep creeping on the opposition.
Note: The area statistics will run on Sunday
Eagle-Tribune Fab 5 poll
1. Andover%8-3
2. Salem%11-3
3. North Reading%10-1
4. Central Catholic%8-2
5. Phillips%9-2
Honorable mention: Georgetown 8-4, Haverhill 7-5, Londonderry 7-5, North Andover 8-2, Phillips 9-2, Pinkerton 8-5, Sanborn 9-3, Whittier 7-4
