May 27, 2011
Catholic Memorial poised for title run in Mass.
by Roger Brown/
John Gorman and Matt Goreham are poised to lead Catholic Memorial in pursuit of a Massachusetts Division 1 state title. (photo: Catholic Memorial School)
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the May 2011 issue of New England Baseball Journal.
Hal Carey will tell you it takes more than talent to win a state championship. He’ll tell you it takes some good fortune as well.
Carey (Westwood, Mass.), who is in his seventh season as the Catholic Memorial School’s varsity baseball coach, is hoping luck is on his side this spring, because his Knights appear to have enough talent to win the state title.
“The guys are really excited because they know what they’re capable of doing,” Carey said. “They’ve been thinking state championship the last couple years. The goal is to win the state championship. That’s the goal every year.”
Catholic Memorial has come close to reaching that goal. The Knights lost to Boston College High in the 2009 South Sectional semifinals, and dropped a 4-0 decision to Xaverian in the semis last year. Catholic Memorial had beaten Xaverian twice during the 2010 regular season.
This year’s Catholic Memorial roster includes 12 players (10 seniors) and seven starters who played on the team that posted a 17-3 record last season. There are two main reasons opposing coaches have called Catholic Memorial the team to beat this year, and their names are John Gorman (Norwood, Mass.) and Matt Goreham (Walpole, Mass.).
Gorman and Goreham are right-handed pitchers who have been playing varsity baseball since they were freshmen. Both have fastballs near 90 mph.
“We’ve had great pitching every year I’ve been here, and this year is no different,” Carey said. “We’re spoiled. Those two have been our top two pitchers the last couple years, and the guys behind them are pretty talented. Some of them could be a No. 1 (starter) on a lot of high school teams. Just about every game we play we’re gonna have a pitching advantage.”
Gorman, who also plays third base, has committed to play baseball at Boston College. He posted a 6-1 record as a sophomore and was 8-0 last year. He tossed a no-hitter to help Catholic Memorial defeat Wachusett, 4-0, on April 8.
“He has tremendous accuracy,” Carey said. “He works very quickly, so he’s a pleasure to play behind. He puts the ball where he wants to.
“At the plate, he’s one of those guys with great poise. The ball jumps off his bat. He’s one of the better hitters in the state.”
Gorman, who hit .395 last season, said he expects to pitch and play third in college.
“I have no preference,” Gorman said. “If they decide they want me to stick with one, that’s their decision. I’m going to keep doing both until someone tells me I have to do one or the other.”
Goreham won seven games as a freshman and had 16 victories entering his senior season. He won five games last spring despite missing time with a shoulder injury. He said he flirted with Boston College before he committed to pitch at Northeastern. He also visited Wake Forest and Virginia Tech.
“When the injury came along, some of the schools wanted to see me throw again,” Goreham explained. “Northeastern stuck with me through the injury. I feel real good about my decision to go there.”
Carey said Goreham’s strength is his control and his composure on the mound.
“He has tremendous poise,” Carey said. “He’s a competitor, but he’s very level-headed. He doesn’t get rattled.”
According to Carey, the Knights have five other college-bound baseball players on their roster: catcher Nick Barker (Tufts), pitcher/center fielder John Mildner (Massachusetts), pitcher/right-fielder Steve Pike (Stonehill), pitcher/first baseman Paul Fahey (Franklin Pierce) and shortstop Shane O’Leary (Merrimack or UMass-Boston).
Goreham called Barker, who led the team with a .405 average last season, the team’s unsung player.
“There’s nobody I’d rather throw to than Nick,” Goreham said. “He does sometimes go unnoticed. He calls a great game and deserves some recognition for that. He takes baseball very seriously.”
O’Leary, who transferred from Xaverian, also plays second base and right field.
“He’s kind of like the Chone Figgins of our team,” Carey said. “We use him a little bit of everywhere.”
Goreham called this year’s team the most talented one he’s played on during his four seasons with Catholic Memorial. He and Gorman both said this year’s team has a chemistry that some previous Catholic Memorial teams didn’t.
“The main thing I like about this team is togetherness,” Goreham said. “There’s always a bunch of us hanging out. There’s at least five of us who have been on the team since our sophomore year. Everyone knows what it feels like to lose in the South Sectional. No one knows what’s it’s like to win it.”
“We’ve been disappointed the last two years,” Gorman added. “We’re motivated not to let that happen again.”
Carey said there are at least 10 teams good enough to win the Division 1 state championship this season. His No. 1 concern, he said, is the same this year as it is every year: offense.
“The concern is always hitting,” he said. “If you face a good pitcher, he can shut you down. The good thing is our lineup is pretty deep. We don’t have very many speedsters, but we can get a bunt down and steal a base.
“It’s a matter of playing consistently and getting timely hitting. You need a few breaks when you get to the tournament as well.”
Roger Brown can be reached at feedback@baseballjournal.com
