LYNN — The Classical baseball team is playing well coming into this weekend’s Nipper Clancy Tournament, and the Rams feel like they have all the pieces to bring the trophy back home. Fresh off a big win over Northeastern Conference foe Gloucester on Tuesday, Classical is coming into the opening round of the Clancy with a lot of confidence.
“I feel like we’re in a good spot right now and we’ve been playing well,” said Classical coach Mike Zukowski. “That win over Gloucester was huge for us, it was a big test. To get a win like that coming into the Clancy, which I’ve always felt is a mini-state tournament, that gives us a lot of confidence.”
The Rams have gotten help from up and down the roster this season on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Classical sports a top of the lineup that strikes fear into any opposing pitcher. Brett Bucklin currently leads the team in hits, while Nico Galeazzi, Dayshon Anderson and Brendan Lannon have also hit well all year. Add in contributions from Aidan Dow, Jared DeFilippo, James Wilkins and others, and Classical can swing the bats with any team.
“We’ve really been able to benefit from having six or seven guys hitting pretty much at all times,” said Zukowski. “We’ve had so many guys step up throughout the year, it’s easy for us to get over the challenges of having guys go into slumps during the season.”
On the mound, Kyle Finnigan leads the way as ace of the staff. At 6-0 on the year, he has basically half of Classical’s wins.
“He’s an absolute machine on the mound,” Zukowski said of Finnigan. “He’s so competitive and he never wants to come out. I pretty much have to rip the ball out of his hand. He really sets the table for the pitching staff and the team as a whole.”
Bucklin and Dow have also contributed to the Rams’ success on the mound this year, as have a number of freshman pitchers who have been called upon at times.
“Our pitching this year really has been unbelievable,” said Zukowski. “The pitching is the main reason why we are where we are. The experience those guys have gained over the past couple years is all coming together this year, and it really shows.”
Classical has drawn crosstown rival English in the opening round of the Clancy Tournament, which will be played on Friday. This will be the third time this year the two schools have matched up, with Classical winning both previous games (4-0 on April 25 and 8-4 on May 17).
“It’s an awesome rivalry and it always will be,” said Zukowski. “You can throw the records out the window when these two teams go at it. The guys all know that these games are for bragging rights and everyone wants to win. We’ve got to prepare for anything.”
So what will it take for the Rams to capture the Clancy title once again?
“That’s the million-dollar question,” said Zukowski. “We just have to go out there and play our game. We’ve got to throw strikes, stay patient at the plate and stay within ourselves. Every team in this tournament is capable of winning it, so you can’t write anyone off. If we can play like we’re capable of playing, then we’ll be in good shape.”
First pitch between Classical and English will be Friday night at Fraser Field (7).