WOODBURY — Nonnewaug baseball tied for second place in the Berkshire League last year with Northwestern. Defending champion Shepaug only lost two seniors, so the majority of the Spartans will be back this coming season.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs lost pitcher Lucas Savarese, catcher Mason Pieger, and left fielder Brayden Altieri.
“Shepaug will definitely be a challenge,” Nonnewaug junior pitcher Tyler DiElsi said. “They have a lot of seniors and experience. They’ll give us our toughest challenge, but we’re going to be up for it. We’re a good team too and not scared of them.”
DiElsi thinks NHS baseball has a good chance to compete for the 2025 Berkshire League title this year.
“We have a lot of returning players that have been through the program,” DiElsi said.
Along with trying to win it all this upcoming season, there’s a lot of players on the Chiefs baseball team, putting on the pressure on players getting a starting spot.
“We’re going to have a lot of competition to fight for a spot, which will make everybody better,” said DiElsi.
Derek Chung, a junior who played second base last spring, said the Chiefs have a weakness that needs to be improved.
“Power with hitting is gonna be weak, I think,” Chung said. “We are better at playing small ball with the way our roster is.”
Even though NHS baseball may have some areas to improve, players think there are plenty of strengths, too.
“I think we can be a good team if we play our game with a solid defense,” said Chung.
The Nonnewaug baseball team is focusing this season on building a strong foundation and a winning program.
“Right now we have some injuries going on but we are also a young team,” said DiElsi. “We’re gonna go through some rough patches in the beginning but we are looking to compete in the end.”
Chung has high hopes for the upcoming season, and is looking for a successful season this year for him and his teammates.
“The goal is to go undefeated, to have the best record in the BL, [and] with the new Berkshire League tournament happening, if and when we win, I think we have a good chance of getting to states and winning,” Chung said.
In 2023, the NHS baseball team won the Class M state championship, and Nonnewaug wants to make a statement by winning again. Before then, though, this is the first year that there will be a Berkshire League baseball tournament, and the Chiefs are looking to be the first to win it.
“This is a big year for the team and I think we will have success in the tournament and the upcoming season,” Chung said. “We’ll have a stronger team when we’re all healthy and look the get back to winning the BL.”
