LAWRENCE — Lawrence High sophomore Tito Lluberes was at a loss for words, just thinking about what lies ahead.
"Winning our division (MVC small), it was just so long, so it was really special," said Lluberes. "But winning in the playoffs, I can't even tell you."
To say the state playoffs, which begin this weekend, are uncharted territory for Lawrence High baseball is an understatement.
Eagle-Tribune playoff records date back into the mid-1980s. Since 1987, the Lancers have exactly one Division 1 North Tournament win, a first-round victory over West Roxbury in 2002.
That's it.
So why all the optimism?
"It's just about time," said junior cleanup man Harvey Blanco. "This team has all the talent we need. We're confident that we have two guys (Mike Calzetta and Yunior Vasquez) with good enough stuff to win. They just have to bring it, and we have to show what we have."
Blanco and the Lancers have a right to be confident, even if past history stares the Lancers right in the eye.
Lawrence, with just two senior regulars in the lineup, rolled up a 16-4 mark, which is more wins than any Lancer team in the last 25 years.
Of course, the success centers around Calzetta and Vasquez, who together stand 11-2 with a 1.70 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 861�Ñ3 innings.
"Playing defense behind those two is amazing," said Lluberes. "Just do your job, and you know that they are going to do theirs."
Unlike past years, where the Lancers needed to manufacture runs, the 2009 group has a lineup loaded with hitters.
Lawrence brings a .336 team average to the postseason and scores 7.1 runs a game. The Lancers also carry a chip on their shoulder, one they picked up Monday night.
"We need some revenge," said Blanco about the Lawrence Invitational final loss to potential first-round Division North tourney foe Andover. "Saturday night would be a perfect game to get it. It was our tournament, our turn, and they took it from us."
Sizing up the area teams
Andover (11-9, No. 21 Division 1 North) — Drawing Boston English was a break. Fireballers John Farrell and Shawn Carlson in a nine-inning tourney game gives Andover a fighting chance. A rubber match with Lawrence looms in the round of 16. Can Andover, which averaged 5.2 runs a game in the season, score enough to hang with the big boys?
Central Catholic (15-5, No. 8 Division 1 North) — At first glance, losing the coin flip for the seven seed with St. John's Prep hurt. But the Raiders drew Brook Farm High of the traditionally weak Boston City League. The Raiders then will likely get top seeded Lincoln-Sudbury in the quarters. L-S might be without the services of injured returning All-Scholastic shortstop Justin Quinn. With the Prep and Malden Catholic on the other side, this draw doesn't look too daunting.
Haverhill (11-7, No. 16 Division 1 North) — The Hillies get the play-in with Arlington for a date with L-S. Can the Hillies get anything on the hill out of recovering UMass Lowell-bound righty Taylor Robinson? A trip to the quarters would be huge for a team nobody expected to even get here.
North Andover (16-4, No. 2 Division 2 North) — Michael Weisman makes the Knights the beast of the section. Weisman gets the ball in the opener with the Wakefield-Wilmington winner and should be ready for a semifinal showdown with No. 2 Masconomet, whom the Knights have beaten twice. In between, Aaron Brunette and Brandon Walsh are more than capable.
Pentucket (11-9, No. 12 Division 2 North) — Pentucket will likely see Reading's Ben O'Shea (6-0, 81 Ks, 62 innings) in the opener. Chris Modlish and Adam Newell have done yeoman work on the hill, but it might come down to defense and opportunistic hitting.
Georgetown (13-7, No. 10 Division 3 North) — Arlington Catholic is the reward if ace freshman Ryan Browner can outduel Tyngsboro and Lorenzo Papa (5-0, 1.79 ERA).
North Reading (14-6, No. 6 Division 3 North) — The Hornets have been mighty good, reaching the North title game the last three years. No. 3 North Shore of the usually weaker Commonwealth Small stands in the way in the quarters. That's a favorable draw for the Hornets, who must find a way to put the 0-2 at the Nipper Clancy Tournament behind them.
Whittier (17-4, No. 1 Division 3 North) — The Cats hope Swampscott's BC-bound Hunter Gordon (5-1, 0.59 ERA) pitches in the prelim. Whittier has been able to hit most anybody, but the Cats will need to play the defense behind Dillon Ryan in the opener if they are to post their first state tourney win since 2002.
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