ANDOVER -- Phillips Andover is back on top of the Central New England Prep School Baseball League, an outcome that may seem inevitable to prep baseball fans.
After all, Andover (17-3) went wire-to-wire this spring as the No. 1 team in New England -- holding the top spot in the NEBJ Prep Coaches Poll for 10 consecutive weeks. However, this wasn't a typical CNEPSBL championship run for a program that has collected 12 league championships since 1995 and five in the last decade.
The Andover team that clinched a CNEPSBL title today with a 4-3 walkoff win over Deerfield in the championship game had just one returning starter from last season in the starting lineup. The team graduated a total of five Division 1 prospects last spring, including Jonathan Santucci (Duke), Jack Penney (Notre Dame), Matt Sapienza (Georgetown), Sebastian Mexico (Fordham) and L.J. Keevan (UMass Lowell).
This year's roster includes a top 2023 MLB Draft prospect in left-handed fire-baller Thomas White, a D1 catcher in Fordham commit Tommy McAndrews, and a collection of new pieces that fit together perfectly as the program's drum beat for success continued.
