LONDONDERRY, N.H. — Slow down the Finnegan brothers.
It's a gameplan many Class L baseball coaches employed and few teams executed when facing Londonderry High this spring. And that's why the 17-2 Lancers, in many experts' eyes stand as the team to beat as the four-game sprint, known as the Class L tournament, kicks off tomorrow afternoon.
Londonderry coach Brent Demas puts the baseball in the left hand of unbeaten junior Jake Finnegan when the No. 2 seeded Lancers host 6-13 Spaulding. In the bottom half of the inning, in his usual No. 2 spot in the lineup will be older brother Brian, who has been a dominant force at the plate from Day 1.
"Brian has had the kind of season we expected after his sophomore year (in which he hit .382)," said Demas. "And when Jake's been in there, he's only had two games both he and I weren't satisfied with. He's past that now, and I'd say he's one of the better pitchers around."
The Finnegan brothers each took tumultuous routes to their breakthrough seasons.
Brian's quest began last spring. After starting and croaking the baseball as a sophomore, he was derailed by a fastball off the elbow in a preseason practice session.
The average dropped to .269, but that was only half of the issue. Finnegan was thinking about the next level.
"That's when a (Division 2) college coach told me I was too small to play at that level, that I lacked power in my swing," said Brian. "I took that to heart. He went on my physical size (5-9, 160 pounds) without really watching me play. And from that moment my focus was getting power into my swing. I lifted and worked at it hard. I'd say it's worked."
Brian burst out of the box with seven multi-hit games in the first nine. His average at the midpoint of the season stood at .571 and he's nearly maintained the hellacious pace. Currently, he stands at .508, second in the region to Central Catholic's Tim Wheeler (.533).
As for power, that college coach has to be second-guessing himself now. Finnegan's four doubles, five triples and a homer have the slugging percentage at an ungodly .787 with an off-the-charts (literally) OPS of 1.331.
"He's just rock-solid at the plate," said Demas, who took on the oldest Finnegan brother, Tim, as an assistant coach to work with base-running and outfielders this spring.
Demas had to wait a bit for Jake to deliver, though.
A groin injury kept the southpaw in street clothes the first two weeks.
"It basically cost me two starts," said Jake, a starter at tight end and defensive end for the Lancers in the fall.
Since then, the 6-foot-2, 205-pounder has been almost untouchable. Opponents have 10 hits in 28 1/3 innings off Finnegan, a .110 average.
Yes, there were the early control glitches - Jake has walked 23 - but the 4-0 Finnegan has only seen 11 runners cross the plate on his watch.
Both Finnegans point to Demas' "next pitch" philosophy as the key to their success. And they're counting on it ringing true in the upcoming playoffs.
"Make a mistake, learn from it and move on," said Brian, who will play for New Hampshire Technical Institute next year. "We've all listened to it and played that way. He's won a state title with it and showed it works."
Of course, Demas knows how cruel the single-elimination format can be.
His team won the 2004 title as the No. 5 seed and suffered a quarterfinal upset loss as the No. 3 in 2005.
"The top teams don't automatically advance," said Demas. "What I like most about this team is not our pitching, defense or hitting. It's our approach. Nobody gets too high or too low. And that's perfect for this tournament."
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