ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Seniors Matt Lauria (left) and Andrew Moccia are teaming up to lead a hungry Classical group this season.
By HAROLD RIVERA
Classical baseball coach Mike Zukowski and the Rams couldn’t have pictured a better start to this season. After a tough loss to Burlington in the second round of the state tournament last year, the Rams came into 2017 with something to prove. With a 7-0 start to the season, Classical’s proving that it’s primed for a deep tournament run.
The Rams’ strong start has been driven by its senior leaders, two of which play key positions in shortstop Andrew Moccia and catcher Matt Lauria. Classical’s other two senior co-captains, first baseman Herbie Newton and centerfielder Tyler Way, give the Rams a talented and experienced nucleus of veteran leaders.
“These guys have 60-70 games of varsity experience,” Zukowski said of his senior captains. “They’ve tasted the tournament every year. They came out this season with something to prove after we lost a heartbreaker to Burlington last season.”
Moccia has started at shortstop since he joined the Rams as a freshman. From the moment Zukowski got a look at Moccia, the coach knew he found a talent in the freshman.
“He came in as a freshman and he was a big kid coming in, so he had the size,” Zukowski said. “Right from the start we knew he could play shortstop so we gave him a shot.”
After getting the nod from Zukowski, Moccia took the opportunity to make a mark on the team and never looked back.
“I feel confident in different positions on the infield,” Moccia said. “The coaches gave me an opportunity to play shortstop as a freshman. I took advantage of that opportunity and went with it.”
Over the past three seasons, Moccia has emerged as a team leader. He’s also relieved his coach of any worries from the shortstop position.
“It’s nice not to think about that,” Zukowski said. “He’s been there for the last three years. He helps everyone else on the field. He’s an extension of me on the field and I’m lucky to have four or five guys like that on the field.”
This offseason, Moccia’s efforts throughout his high school career paid off when he committed to play college baseball at Assumption College. Having committed to Assumption prior to the start of the season has allowed Moccia to focus on making the most of his senior campaign.
“Everything’s planned out for me and it was easy to get that stress out of the way,” Moccia said. “I’ve been focused on our team and the season a lot more.”
Lauria enters his second season as the Rams’ starting catcher. He came up as a utility player in his sophomore year before finding his role behind the plate.
“Matt’s another extension of me on the field,” Zukowski said. “He calls the plays, settles the pitchers down and calls a great game. He’s very smart with the hitters and keeps them off balance.”
With a trio of young sophomore pitchers in David Barnard, Brett Bucklin and Jonathan Nicosia, Lauria’s role as catcher has been all the more critical this season. His relationship and chemistry with the team’s pitchers have been key to the team’s strong start.
“I think it’s very important to have a good relationship with the pitchers,” Lauria said. “Big games like we had against Peabody (a 5-3 win), I have to know when to go out and talk to them and what to say to settle them down when they’re a little out of control. It’s important to know those things.”
It helps Lauria’s cause that Classical’s hurlers aren’t afraid of taking the mound against the tough opponents in the Northeastern Conference.
“All of our pitchers are pretty easy to work with,” Lauria said. “They love the high pressure games and intense situations. I like working with them.”
Zukowski has also taken notice of, and appreciated, Lauria’s efforts with the young Rams’ pitchers.
“All around, he calls a great game,” Zukowski said. “He works well with the pitchers. We have three sophomore starters this year and he’s guided them and taken them under his wing.”
Zukowski added, “David’s 3-0, Brett’s 2-0 and Jonathan’s 2-0. Matt has worked with them hand in hand. He’s constantly talking to them and keeping them calm. It’s just nice to have that extension on the field at all times.”
Although the Rams are off to an ideal start, they know that the job isn’t finished yet. Last year’s loss to Burlington is still fresh in the players’ minds and has provided motivation to approach this season with a strong work ethic.
“Everyone from the team last season is still hungry from that,” Moccia said. “We were pretty upset over that. We thought we’d have a much better season last year. It was a tough ending.”
Lauria, who’ll attend Bridgewater State in the fall, added, “We worked hard all offseason. Especially for all the kids that came back after a tough loss last season, this is what we were hoping for. It has been a great start so far.”