Podcast: MIAA preview with NEBJ contributor Matt Feld

Taunton celebrates its MIAA D1 championship game win over Franklin last spring. (Kyle Prudhomme/NEBJ)

The high school baseball season in Massachusetts is upon us, and many teams will open their regular season schedules next week.

The Base Path Podcast co-hosts Dan Guttenplan and Matt Feld took a deep dive into the MIAA’s top teams and key returning players in the latest podcast. Feld discussed his recent ranking of the top 10 teams as well as some potential sleepers in all five divisions of the statewide tournament.

In Division 1, Feld predicts we’ll see a repeat of last year’s championship game between Hockomock League rivals Franklin and Taunton.

“You can rank them one and two,” Feld said. “I don’t think it really matters who’s number one and who’s number two. Maybe you give Taunton the benefit of the doubt because they’re the defending champions. Those programs are consistently in the mix.

“When you look at the players those two teams are returning, it’s impressive,” Feld said. “For Franklin, Alfred Mucciarone and Henry DiGiorgio are kind of the centerpieces of what should be another incredibly strong team. On the other side for Taunton, Ryan MacDougall is back in the center of the lineup. Both teams are bringing a number of guys back.”

In Division 2, Milton remains the favorite after winning the state championship last spring.

“Milton is the favorite once again with those two arms — Tommy Mitchell and Owen McHugh,” Feld said. “That’s as good as you’re going to get for high school when it comes to a one, two punch. I think King Philip, who was the runner-up last year, should be really good. Tommy Martorano is a left-hander who threw a complete game in the semifinals last year. He’s back in the mix. I think Mansfield should be really good. Chris Hall’s taken over for Joe Breen and kept the train moving. Leominster is my other team in Division 2. They have front-of-the-line starters with really athletic kids in the infield. Rich Barnaby’s team always runs the bases incredibly well.”

With Austin Prep moving from Division 3 to the NEPSAC, this year’s state championship race is wide open.

“I think Foxboro should be good once again,” Feld said. “I think they’re the favorite this year. They’ve got the best lineup top to bottom. Pentucket gave Austin Prep a pretty good run for its money in the tournament last year. They should be good again. Bishop Stang is another team to probably watch for.”

Listen to the entire MIAA preview.

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