Long before the first official pitch of its 2025 NEPSAC season was thrown, Deerfield Academy was already stepping into unchartered territory.
Certainly, the Big Green have entrenched themselves as legitimate New England power over the past couple of years, when they have referred to themselves as being the hunters. Now, you might say, they have become the hunted.
Last season, DA was dominant from start to finish in the difficult Central New England Prep Schools Baseball League (CNEPSBL). The Big Green took care of business, winning both the league's regular season and postseason championships (their first title since 2008) to finish 16-4.
It took a while before eighth-year head coach Pat Moriarty was able to resurrect a program that had endured its share of struggles prior his arrival. Having spent 12 seasons guiding Springfield Cathedral (Mass.) – now Pope Francis Prep – to great heights (183-77 overall), including an MIAA Super 8 entry in 2016, Moriarty believed the time was right to take on a new challenge at DA.
