Baseball: 2023 Season Outlook

The 2023 St. Luke’s baseball team, with its healthy mix of youth and experience, hopes to challenge in both the Fairchester Athletic Association and New England Preparatory School Athletic Council this season.

Co-captains Justin Higgins ’23 and Ethan Righter ’23 are excited by the talent on the roster and believe the team can compete for FAA and NESPAC honors. Higgins said: “I'm most looking forward to seeing this team's potential, as we have a lot of new players who can really play.” Righter added: “We have a combination of veterans and young talent. I think that balance will help us to make a deep run at both the FAA and NEPSAC tournaments.”

The senior pair are in agreement that they expect 100% effort and commitment from their teammates, and Higgins believes that will make the difference come playoff time: “For sure, we have the talent to win the league. Ethan and I will try to help the players by leading by example and picking up our teammates when they're down. We both demand effort, competitiveness, and commitment from everyone on the team, as that will be key to our success.”

Head Coach Sam Colon, who returns for his fourth season with the Storm, has been impressed with his players: “Preseason has been really good. We had 12-to-14 players training every Saturday morning for the eight straight weeks leading into tryouts, and then the spring training trip to Florida was very productive.”

Colon is thrilled with the leadership of his two captains but is also excited to see what some of his new players can bring to the team: “Higgins and Righter have been outstanding, on and off the field. I expect them to lead by example and be good role models for the underclassmen, and they have done a great job so far. We also have some tremendous additions to the team. Paul Genna ’24 has been a standout. As our catcher and clean-up hitter, he has been great on both ends, offensively and defensively. Roderick Olson ’23, who hasn’t played baseball for five years, has come in and had a real impact, and Jackson Strand ’27 has also been superb, despite being the youngest member of our team.”

The Storm played scrimmages against Iona Preparatory School and Citius Baseball Academy before its season opener at home against The Harvey School, on Monday, April 4. St. Luke’s lost a hard-fought contest against the Cavaliers 6-8. The team suffered another tough loss against King School Tuesday, April 5, to start its FAA league campaign.

The team will be on the road at Hamden Hall on Tuesday, April 11, before returning to the Class of 2015 and Bucci Diamond on Thursday, April 13, to take on Greenwich Country Day School.