The Way We Were

The past two spring seasons have not been what high school sports fans have been used to. Covid wiped out the 2020 season, while 2021 saw a cautious crawl back to normal. This spring, however, everything is looking like a hit song by Barbara Streisand- The Way We Were.

The boys varsity baseball team got on a hot streak at the end of last season with two big tournament wins and will look to pick up where it left off this season. Head coach Mike O’Donnell welcomes back a strong pitching staff, led by senior Aiden Robey. Juniors Luke Richardson and Luciano Berardi, sophomore Nick Tiani and freshman Luke Dunham will also toe the rubber this year. When not pitching, Dunham returns as the starting catcher, Richardson plays first base, Tiani is the shortstop and freshman Owen Fleck will play third base. There is currently an open competition for the second base position. Hull’s outfield will be junior Dylan Cavicchio in left field, junior Matt Mahoney in center field and freshman John Reynolds in right field. “We gained a lot of experience last year through the league tournament and the MIAA state tournament which will help us this season,” said coach O’Donnell. Hull opens the season at home on Wednesday against Mashpee, and will also again host the Brian F. O’Donnell Tournament on April 16 and 18.

The boys varsity lacrosse team is looking forward to a full schedule after a shortened campaign last year that ended in a 4-7 record and one win in the SSL post season tournament. Second year head coach Eddie Cameron will rely on senior captains midfielder Sean Marois and attackman Evan Burke to lead an experienced team against a difficult schedule. Back in the starting lineup for the Pirates are: sophomore goaltender Sean Walsh, junior midfielder John Gianibas, junior defenders Aidan Murphy and Ethan Campbell, sophomore midfielder Sean Reilly and junior attackman Logan Chenette, and junior midfielder Austin Bongo. Coach Cameron is also excited to see first-year seniors playing this season: Richie Chau, Hayden Manfredi, Braydon James, and Jaden Stilphen. Eighth graders Henry Buchleitner and Matt Thomas have also made it onto the varsity roster.
“The team looks to compete in a very tough South Shore League and make a playoff bid,” said Cameron. “The goal is to have students-athletes grow as lacrosse players and young men, by playing the fasting growing sport in the country. Many kids are just learning how to play so it is great to see their development. The team is primarily made up of student-athletes that have 3 years or less experience ever playing lacrosse as a handful will be playing at the varsity level for the first time,” said Cameron. After a non-league season opener at Whitman-Hanson (played on Thursday), Hull travels to Mashpee for a league contest on Monday.

Sixth-year head coach Dan Dahill is also looking forward to a full slate of games for the girls varsity lacrosse team. Second year senior tri-captain Grace Grosso and senior tri-captains Faye Lofgren and Nina Tiani lead a solid corps of returning starters for the Lady Pirates. Hull will have experience on defense with four veterans back in Lofgren, senior Alexis Her, senior Haylee Londergan and sophomore Sarah Duran. Grosso and Tiani will be joined in the midfield by junior Bridget Fleming. Hull will have experience on the attack with senior Madelyn Brooks, junior Lucy Peters, and sophomore Maeve White. Both goalkeepers from last season, senior Brianne MacEachern and sophomore Ava Russo return for another spring campaign. New players who will make contributions are: juniors: Lily Cappuzzo, Amelia Donovan, Alessandra Truglia, Sophomores: Georgia Carragher, Madison Constable, Kallen Creed, Edie Brooks; and freshmen: Marin Healey, Emma Driscoll, Elly Thomas, and Fallon Ryan. Hull will also field a girls JV team. “Our season got cancelled two years ago, and last year was cut in half with the addition of the Fall-2 season. So a lot of kids have to put in the work to catch up on their individual stick skills,” said Dahill. “Having said that, this team can be exciting and make some noise, they just need to put all the parts together and work as a team. If they can keep communicating and work together the sky is the limit. “The Lady Pirates open the season on Friday at non-league South Shore VoTech in Hanover at 5:30 pm.

Head coach Brian Lanner enters is 33^rd year of coaching Track & Field, his fifth at Hull High School as both the boys and girls outdoor track teams will co-op with Cohasset again this spring. The boys will look to build on a 5-3 record in 2021, while the girls also had success last year with a 4-4 league mark. Two of the top athletes in the South Shore League are back to lead this year’s teams. Senior captain Matt McCluskey is a top performer as a sprinter, high jumper, long jumper, and relay, while junior Mattie Tuchmann will also be among the league best in the 110 hurdles, long jump, and relay. Coach Lanner, who will be assisted by Samantha Kaplan, expects solid results from several other athletes, including: Liz Luggelle in the throwing events; Nate Simoly in the sprinting, jumping, and relay; Elsie Harper in the sprint and jumping; Lily Copenheaver-Smith and Veronica Fleming in the hurdles and jumping; Sam Tuchmann in the middle distance and relays; Tony Alibrandi in the sprint, jumping, and relays; and Tim O’Hare in the distance running events. New athletes on the team that will contribute are thrower Leo Bergen, distance runner Santiago Andrews, and sprinter/jumper Chris Resnick. “The boys should be competitive to compete for a SSL championship and the girls have strong individuals that should go far in the South Shore League,” said Lanner. The teams open the season on Monday afternoon at Norwell.

Umpire Training
Hull Youth Baseball is looking for individuals to be trained for umpiring youth baseball games. We are looking for Junior umpires who are at least 13 years old in our Minors Division. Anyone 16 and older looking to train to become a “patched” umpire to umpire Majors, Babe Ruth, High School, etc. please reach out as well.  Hull Youth Baseball is working closely with a company to provide training for these opportunities. Attendees with completion of the Junior umpire clinic will be considered for work for our Division 2 baseball program as an umpire. Specific Details about benefits are available at the clinic. To register: Parents and/or students should email Hull Youth Baseball at hullyouthbaseball@gmail.com with any questions and your name and contact info.

Spring Sports Sign Ups
Registration is open for Hull Youth Baseball and Hull Youth Girls Softball for this coming season. To register for all three divisions for Hull Youth Baseball, go to hullyouthbaseball@gmail.com. Hull Youth Softball will have three divisions this season and will play local travel games. Division 1 will be grades 2 and 3, Division 2 will be grades 4 and 5, and Division 3 will be grades 6-8. The season begins on April 25 and will run through late June/early July. To register go to hullgirlssoftball@ghmail.com.

Hull Tee Ball is looking for a new coordinator to take over the program. Hull Tee Ball is a great way to introduce 3- to 5-year-old boys and girls to organized sports.  The number one goal is to have fun, and the children develop some skills along the way.  Hull Tee Ball has been played on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 6 to 7 p.m. at Jones Park in Kenberma for six weeks in July and August.  The league holds 501(c)(3) non-profit status, and playing fee is around $40 per child.  Unfortunately, the league has not played the past two summers due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but conditions look favorable to restart this summer.  Anyone interested in taking over Hull Tee Ball should contact Eric Hipp at hipp.eric@gmail.com or 781-264-6940. 

Please send sports information to alanmccall461@hotmail.com. Weekly deadline is Tuesday at 8:00 pm.