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2023 CIAC Baseball state tournament breakdown.
HIRO THE HERO
Is Hiro Wyatt of Staples ready for his close up? The past three seasons, the best pitcher in the state and eventual GameTimeCT MVP, all led their teams to state championships: Matt Scott of Barlow (2022 Class M), Frankie Mozzicato of East Catholic (2021 Class M) and Chad Knight of Staples (2019 Class LL).
Wyatt is committed to play at USC but has drawn interest from professional scouts this spring and may be drafted in the Major League Baseball Draft in June.
Comparing Wyatt to the others is easy as he throws his fastball in the mid 90s and has a slider that makes hitters look silly.
While Mozzicato drew national attention after tossing four-straight no hitters, Wyatt has been equally impressive, not allowing an earned run in his last 31.1 innings pitched in the regular season. He also did so against FCIAC teams which often provide more of a challenge than teams Mozzicato faced game in and game out in the CCC.
Mozzicato was eventually drafted as the 7th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals and is playing in their system for the Columbia Fireflies in single-A.
Opting to go to college over the pros, Matt Scott pitched well for Stanford this season and Knight is finishing up his senior season at Duke.
DECADES OF DOMINANCE
Teams from the FCIAC or the SCC have won the Class LL title the last 10 seasons (Warde, Norwalk, Staples (twice), Cheshire, Amity (four times) and Shelton).
In addition, a team from one or both conferences has played in the Class LL title game every year since 2000 except for 2011 when Newington beat Southington.
Last season, the FCIAC had three of the four semifinalists in Warde, Danbury and Trumbull and the season before the final four was all FCIAC with Norwalk, Greenwich, Westhill and McMahon.
This year, the odds will again be in their favor with 11 FCIAC teams in the LL field and six SCC teams.
In a break from years past, none of the FCIAC or SCC teams face opponents from their conference in the first round. The first round does feature four games pitting SCC against FCIAC teams.
CCC TRYING TO BREAK THROUGH
Newington in 2011 was the last CCC team to win Class LL and it enters this year’s tournament as the No. 1 seed.
The CCC has 10 teams among the Class LL qualifiers. The only matchup between CCC schools in the first round is the third game of the season between Southington and Glastonbury. The schools split the regular-season series.
Since 2011, Southington has reached the finals five times, including last season in a 7-5 loss to Warde. South Windsor has made it once.
Prior to 2011, the last CCC team to win LL was Southington in 1999.That is a lot of years between titles for a conference with so many high-quality teams and players.
TOP PLAYERS
- Alex Cappellucci, Newington, Sr. SS: While playing a lockdown shortstop, the senior is batting .478 with 32 hits, 29 RBIs and 25 runs scored for the No. 1 seed which won 9-of-10 to end the season and averaged nine runs a game.
- Jacob Ditscher, Danbury, Sr. P: The Hatters rode Ditscher’s arm to the Class LL semifinals last season and if they are going to make a run this year, it will likely be the same way. His resume this year includes a complete game with seven strikeouts in a win over No. 2 ranked Fairfield Warde.
- Michael Iannazzo, Fairfield Prep, Sr. IF: Hitting in the heart of the Jesuits potent offense, he is batting .481 with a 1.196 OPS, six doubles, five triples, 20 RBIs and 24 runs.
- Garret Larsen, Warde, Sr. SS: In the last two seasons, the Mustangs have lost one game with Garrett Larsen on the field. The Yale-committed shortstop is one of the best defensive players in the state. At the plate, he can hit for power but also has a lot of speed on the basepaths.
- Jaden Maia, Southington, Sr. CF: Leads the Blue Knights in hits with 28, hitting .444 with 19 runs scored, 15 RBIs and eight doubles. Southington will need the bats to get hot to make a run back to the finals and that means Maia will be counted on in a big way.
- Hiro Wyatt, Staples, Sr. P: Finished the regular season with a scoreless streak of 31.2 innings. The USC-commit who may be drafted in the upcoming MLB Draft, dominates with a md-90s fastball and wipeout slider. He also bats third and has the power to take balls over the fence.
SEEDED UPSETS
No. 31 West Haven over No. 2 Naugatuck, No. 18 Norwalk over No. 15 Enfield, No. 23 Westhill over No. 10 Manchester, N0. 27 Stamford over No. 6 South Windsor
ERICSON’S PICKS
Final Four
Fairfield Prep, Warde, Xavier, Staples
Championship
Staples over Fairfield Prep
CLASS L
STORYLINES
NOTRE DAME REDEMPTION
Losing 2-1 in the Class L semifinals last season would sting enough but the fact Notre Dame-West Haven felt wronged by a call late in the game, made it hurt even more.
On the play in question, on a ground ball, Notre Dame-West Haven argued that the runner going to second deliberately put his hands up while sliding to interfere with the throw. They did not win the argument or the game, which went to Maloney.
Notre Dame was making a run as the No. 14 seed last year, surprising many. This year, the team was expected to be good and that they were, going 14-6 and entering this year’s tournament as the No. 9 seed with with a team batting average of .326. Notre Dame has scored 158 runs in 22 games.
The Green Knights also enter with experience and expectations, boasting 11 seniors. The pitching staff is led by senior Nick Hunkele and junior Jesse Buonocore. Catcher Kevin Milewski anchors the lineup with Connor Martinello, Matt Piechota and freshman shortstop Nat Marczak all contributing at the plate.
VIKINGS LANDING
There was a time the ECC routinely had teams winning state baseball titles, with 11 from 2000-2012. But since Fitch won Class L in 2012, Waterford’s two state titles are the only ones for the conference. East Lyme did reach the 2015 and 2016 Class L finals.
This could be the year to change that as East Lyme mostly blew through the ECC this season with one of its best teams in years, losing just one league game and winning 13 games by five runs or more and scoring over eight runs in each of those games.
Their quarterfinal draw features a tough North Haven team seeded 15th out of the SCC and No. 10 Berlin from the CCC.
TOP PLAYERS
- Lucas Deshefy, Guilford, So, SS/P: The SCC Player of the Year as a sophomore is batting .507 with 34 hits, 11 doubles, two home runs, 25 RBIs and 25 runs. On the mound, he made one start but is 4-0 with five saves and a 0.93 ERA, 29 strikeouts and a .193 batting average against in 22.2 innings pitched.
- Alex Dreyfus, East Lyme, Jr. P: Has pitched 49.2 innings, going 6-1 with 45 strikeouts and a 1.03 ERA. Batting .397 with 24 hits, 20 RBIs and 13 runs.
- Kevin Milewski, Notre Dame-WH, Sr. C: Has been leading the team not just at the plate but also from behind it as one of the state’s best catchers.
- Eric Wilson, Middletown, Sr. CF: Batting .423 with a 1.148 OPS, 30 hits, eight doubles, two home runs, 11 extra base hits, six stolen bases, 13 RBIs and 20 runs while patrolling center field for the Blue Dragons.
SEEDED UPSETS
No. 32 Wilton over No. 1 Wilcox Tech, No. 25 Hand over No. 8 Bristol Central, No. 20 Fitch over No. 13 Hillhouse, No. 19 Bethel over No. 14 Bloomfield
ERICSON’S PICKS
Final Four
Notre Dame-WH, Woodstock Academy, East Lyme, Guilford
Championship
Notre Dame-WH over Guilford
CLASS M
STORYLINES
WOODLAND KNOCKING
Woodland has been knocking on the door of a state championship for so long, their knuckles are getting sore.
The Hawks reached the Class M semifinals in 2019, losing to Wolcott 3-2; in 2021 they lost to Northwestern and last year, advanced to the Class M championship game against Barlow.
This season, they enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed, sporting a 21-2 record and coming off a NVL championship. To get back to the semis, Woodland may have to contend with the team that beat them last year, No. 9 Barlow, in the quarterfinals.
The team has a balanced attack but has been anchored by junior pitcher Michael Belcher, who dominated NVL teams and also won on the road in the FCIAC against St. Joseph. Belcher is joined by Ethan Stepputtis, who is hitting .506 with 27 RBIs and 30 runs scored, and has gone 4-1 with a 3.36 ERA and 24 strikeouts. Darren Gasparri is batting .467 with 25 RBIs, 30 runs and 28 stolen bases. He is 6-1 with two saves and a 1.32 ERA.
Last year was their first trip to Palmer Field for a state final, now they want to return and win it.
TOP PLAYERS
- Michael Belcher, Woodland, Jr. P: The junior did not allow an earned run until May and kept dominating from there, leading the team to the No. 1 seed in Class M. He is 6-0 with a 0.84 ERA and 0.86 WHIP with 81 strikeouts in 41.2 inning pitched. Batting .418 with six doubles, triple, two home runs, 22 RBIs, 17 runs and eight stolen bases.
- Ryan Delaney, Ellington, Sr. P: Helping the Knights go unbeaten in the NCCC, the senior hit .381 with 19 RBIs while pitching 43 innings, going 6-0 with a 1.92 ERA and 55 strikeouts.
- Ryan Sheehy, O’Brien Tech, Jr. P: Threw three no-hitters this season. In 49.2 inning pitched, had a 0.70 ERA, 0.785 WHIP, 105 strikeouts and held opponents to a .081 ERA. Batted .424 with a 1.153 OPS, 25 hits, two home runs, 21 runs scored and seven stolen bases.
- Matt Tabet, St. Joseph, Sr. P: The lefty has a 1.42 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 39.1 innings pitched. He is hitting .409 with three home runs, seven doubles, 16 RBIs and 21 runs, helping the Cadets to the top seed in the FCIAC tournament.
- Tyler Waterbury, Abbott Tech, So, IF/P: The sophomore is hitting .464 with 32 hits, three home runs, 30 and RBIs. He has been lights out on the mound, going 5-0, including a win over Immaculate from the SWC, with a 0.38 ERA, .130 batting average against and 41 strikeouts in 36.1 innings pitched.
SEEDED UPSETS
No. 17 New Fairfield over No. 16 Stonington, No. 25 Weston over No. 8 Bullard-Havens, No. 23 Law over No. 10 Holy Cross, No. 19 Sheehan over No. 14 Windham Tech
ERICSON’S PICKS
Final four
Woodland, Rocky Hill, St. Joseph, Nonnewaug
Championship
Woodland over St. Joseph
CLASS S
STORYLINES
FALCONS STILL SOARING
The last team to win Class S in back-to-back seasons was Windsor Locks in 2005 and 2006. St. Paul won the title last year and is back as the No. 1 seed for the third-straight season. They won last year over Somers and were runner-up in 2021 to Coginchaug.
St. Paul pounds the ball, scoring in double digits 15 times in the regular season. The lineup features five full-time players batting over .400 (Ryan Kilpatrick .441; Cal Chance .569; Jamie Leggett .470; Devin Kulas .447 and Cole Raymond .431).
Challenges certainly await in No. 8 Valley Regional, No. 4 Coventry, No. 2 St. Bernard, No. 14 Immaculate and No. 6 Old Lyme.
TOP PLAYERS
- Joe Basso, St. Bernard, Sr. C: In addition to his defensive work behind the plate with a .979 fielding percentage, Basso is hitting .383 with a 1.131 OPS, six doubles, two home runs, 18 RBIs and 18 runs.
- Cal Chance, St. Paul, So. C: The defending Class S champion has been paced by the All-NVL sophomore catcher who is hitting .569 with two home runs, 31 RBIs and 30 runs scored.
- Connor Lane, Old Saybrook, Jr. C/P: The UConn-committed catcher is also the team’s closer and has been lights out saving games. Named the Shoreline Player of the Year, he is hitting .512 with a .627 OBP, seven doubles, eight home runs, 19 RBIs and 25 runs. On the mound, he has five saves with 25 strikeouts in 12 innings pitched.
- Callen Powers, Haddam-Killingworth, Sr. P/IF: The All-Shoreline pick has a 2.23 ERA with 73 strikeouts in 50.1 innings pitched, going 5-2. At the plate he is hitting .352
SEEDED UPSETS
No. 22 Old Saybrook over No. 11 Oxford, No. 24 Coginchaug over No. 9 Wheeler
ERICSON’S PICKS
Final Four
St. Paul, Coventry, St. Bernard, Haddam-Killingworth
Championship
St. Paul over Haddam-Killingworth
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