COURTESY PHOTOS FROM UMASS BOSTON ATHLETICS
Peabody natives Bobby Tramondozzi (left) and Joe Maguire (right) have made key contributions out of UMass Boston’s bullpen this season.
By HAROLD RIVERA
When Peabody natives Joe Maguire and Bobby Tramondozzi entered their sophomore seasons this spring on the UMass Boston baseball team, they knew the Beacons had the talent to put together a good year.
What they didn’t know, however, was that they’d still be playing baseball as deep into the spring as Memorial Day weekend.
After sweeping through the NCAA New England Regional championship, the Beacons are heading to the Division 3 College World Series.
UMass Boston (37-10) kicks off its quest for a World Series championship Friday, when the 17th/19th ranked Beacons clash against North Central College (IL) in Appleton, Wisc. This marks UMass Boston’s second appearance in the World Series, the first for Maguire and Tramondozzi, who are both relief pitchers.
Tramondozzi, a right-hander, holds a 2.92 ERA with four wins and 39 strikeouts in 23 appearances. The sophomore has logged six saves over his 37 innings of work.
After emerging as a top-relief option last season, Tramondozzi worked on his location and mentality to improve for his sophomore run.
“Freshman year, I was more of a thrower,” Tramondozzi said. “I was trying to throw strikes and not thinking of spots and when or where to throw certain pitches. This year I’ve become more of a pitcher. I’m thinking more about my spots and where to attack batters.”
Tramondozzi added, “Coming out of the bullpen, I have the mindset that nobody can touch me. You have to have that bulldog mentality. I think my mentality has proven to be effective so far in my college career.”
Maguire, also a right-hander, has made 17 appearances this spring. In 30 2/3 innings of work, he has a 1.47 ERA with 18 strikeouts and two saves. Maguire made similar changes to his arsenal that have proven effective.
“I think the biggest difference this year from last year is me executing my secondary pitches,” Maguire said. “Last year I was struggling, allowing hits and walking batters. This year I’m using my secondary pitches and they’re allowing me to be more effective.”
Heading into the 2017 season, the goal was to bring home a Little East Conference Championship. Once their offense heated up towards the latter stretch of the season and into the New England Regionals, they realized that their LEC championship goal had the potential to expand.
“We didn’t think we’d be one of the final eight teams standing but it’s been a great year,” Tramondozzi said. “It’s great to see that this is where we are.”
Maguire, whose younger brother, Pat, currently pitches for the Tanners, added, “We knew the LEC Tournament would be a grind. We knew that would be the hardest tournament of the year. After winning that we had a lot of confidence heading into regionals and we were happy that we got the job done.”
The fact that the Beacons boast a strong nucleus of starting and relief pitchers has helped UMass Boston’s cause. In past years, the team hasn’t the luxury of relying on its pitching depth to lead the way.
“This year we have great pitching depth,” Tramondozzi said. “In past years, we haven’t had a full rotation of five starters. This year we have depth in our bullpen. In regionals, our offense started to click. We batted .432 in regionals and our pitching has been there for us the whole season.”
Making the season even more special for the Peabody natives is that they’ve been able to accomplish a number of feats this spring together. Maguire and Tramondozzi have been teammates since they were in middle school are currently roommates at UMass Boston.
“We’ve known each other since we were in the eighth grade,” Maguire said. “We’ve played on the same team from middle school all the way through college. Going to the World Series with Bobby, it’s going to be awesome because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Tramondozzi, who pitched for the Navigators last summer and will do so again after his return from Wisconsin, added that he’s appreciated the support he’s received from fans back home.
“People from home have been congratulating us and telling us that we’re doing really well this season,” Tramondozzi said. “Joe’s my roommate and for him to do well this season too is really special. It helps us both in the long run.”
Moving forward, Tramondozzi believes that if the Beacons can remain confident they’ll have a great chance to bring home a World Series championship.
“We just have to keep thinking that we’re the best team there,” Tramondozzi said. “We’ve been thinking that all season long. We believe we’re one of the best teams in New England and we just have to keep that mindset the rest of the way.”