Baseball Notes: Concord learning the ropes quickly

The Concord High School baseball team’s roster looks veteran heavy on paper with eight seniors, five juniors and two sophomores. Appearances can be deceiving.

None of the 15 players suiting up for coach Scott Owen’s Crimson Tide had varsity experience prior to this spring. While that paper trail may be deceiving, the roster full of first time varsity players is performing as a well-seasoned squad - highlighted by the Wachter brothers, senior pitcher Jonah and sophomore outfielder Nathaniel.

“Jonah is one of the state’s top pitching talents,” said Owen of the 6 foot-two inch, 180-pound righty, who is committed to the University of Hartford. “He has an incredible work ethic. He has four pitches he can throw confidently - two-seam fastball, slider, change up, curve - consistently hits 86-88 on the gun, and has touched 90. When he throws his fastball for strikes he’s hard to hit because it sets up his best pitch, the slider.”

Jonah’s younger brother is on the other side of things, mashing what pitchers are offering up.

Through the first four games, Nathaniel, who goes by the nickname Nater, was hitting .750 with two home runs and three doubles.

“His bat speed is excellent, and he has a good command of the strike zone from a batter’s perspective,” Owen said of the 6-2, 170-pound corner outfielder, who hits from the right side. “He doesn’t get cheated in any at bat or on any swing.”

The brothers have gladly taken on a leadership role along with Jonah’s senior pitching rotation mates Tyler Wright and Jarred Willette, who is also Jonah and Wright’s battery mate as Concord’s starting catcher.

According to Jonah, years of playing with his fellow seniors, including a trip to the 2018 Babe Ruth Nationals in Longview, Wash., and more recently AAU and showcase ball, has helped this team overcome the graduation of 13 seniors in 2019 and the cancellation of 2020’s season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There’s four or five of us that play together on the Concord Cannons (AAU),” Jonah said, “and that helped a lot in keeping us ready for this high school season. We also had a strong fall ball team.

“We’re a bunch of grinders. We’re all grinders. Nobody’s resistant to putting in the extra work, and we really just get along well on and off the field. We’re a family.”

One teammate can certainly attest to that. In fact, Nater credits his family with making him a better hitter. His older brothers Jonah and Noah, a 6-3, 195-pound lefty pitcher at Plymouth State University, throw to Nater whenever possible. There were a lot of batting practice sessions last year at an otherwise abandoned Memorial Field.

“I’ve definitely seen an improvement in my batting skills,” Nater said. “One’s a righty, one’s a lefty, so I get a lot of work seeing pitches from both sides. And it’s quality pitches. It’s helped me become a better hitter no doubt, especially with plate discipline and pitch selection.

“I see the ball better and just drive it.”

That’s just what Nater did in the sixth inning of his second varsity game, with a solo home run to close out a 2 for 3, one-run, two-RBI day in Concord’s 3-0 win over Bedford. He followed that performance up by swatting the second homer of his varsity career in an 8-0 win over Goffstown, highlighting his 3 for 4, one-run, three-RBI afternoon.

Those two homer performances were sandwiched by a 1 for 2, two-run, RBI showing in Concord’s 6-1 opening day win over Bedford, and a 3 for 3, one-run, three-RBI effort in its 15-6 win over Bishop Guertin.

Jonah’s mound presence has been felt early as well.

The elder Wachter brother earned the opening day win over Bedford, allowing just one hit, striking out 12 and walking three in six innings of work. He took the hill again versus Goffstown for a complete-game, one-hit shutout, adding 13 strikeouts and three walks to the stat sheet.

Even in Concord’s only loss of the season thus far, 5-1 to Londonderry on Monday, Jonah struck out 10 and allowed just one earned run in 6-1/3 innings of work.

Jonah (2-1) has struck out 35, walked 10, allowed just five hits and only one earned run in 19-1/3 innings.

Combined with Wright’s impressive 2-0 start - he struck out 11 in his shutout win over Bedford and seven more in the win over BG - and Willette’s relief work (one save), the Crimson Tide are a confident group.

“I honestly think we can make it to the ‘ship,” Jonah said. “This is a good group of guys that have the talent and the camaraderie to get it done.”

Pitching In

Londonderry, which was highlighted in last week’s notes, has a not-so-secret weapon in better preparing its pitching staff. His name is Keith Renaud.

The Southbridge, Mass.,native, who was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 10th round of the 2007 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, has been working with Lancers coach Brent Demas and his pitchers for a few years now.

He’s had a big impact on Londonderry ace Owen MacDonnell.

“It’s been really good for all of us,” the southpaw said of working with Renaud. “He’s pushed us all to be better through group and one-on-one workouts during the winter and summer. It’s helped with consistency pitching wise and mentally.”

For Renaud, whose brother Kevin also assists the Lancers with hitting instruction, it’s about keeping a connection to the game he loves and sharing his wealth of knowledge with a younger generation.

“I put so much time and work into what I did as a player,” Keith said. “I didn’t want to waste all that. Everything I learned can be shared with these younger guys to improve their skills and help them grow mentally and physically in the sport.

“It would be a shame for myself and my brother to not offer up all that we know and help a new generation of players. I just love the game of baseball so much. For me, this is giving back to the game that gave me so much.”

Renaud - who utilizes facilities at The Sports Mill in Manchester and New England Sports Center (formerly Derry Sportszone) - works with players and schools throughout the state, stressing mechanics, mechanics and mechanics.

“It’s all about mechanics - mental and physical,” Renaud said. “We’re teaching these guys to compete one pitch at a time and slow the game down. We stress release points, arm speed and extension. Using your body to throw, not just your arm - driving off that back leg.

“Fixing your mechanics as a pitcher is the best way to take stress off your arm.”

It’s worked just fine for Londonderry.

“I can’t praise the work Keith and his brother Kevin have done with our guys,” Demas said. “They work so well with younger players and are such great teachers and ambassadors of the game of baseball.”

Diamond Gems

Here’s a look at some recent standout performances from around the state:

• Windham’s Westin Lippold threw a no-hitter on April 26. He whiffed 10 Spaulding batters in the 10-0 win.
• It was a game of threes for Pinkerton Academy’s Cole Yennaco on April 26. Yennaco had three hits, scored three times and drove in three runs as the Astros beat Merrimack 14-4.
• Sean Brennan and Troy Brennan combined on a one-hit shutout over Hinsdale in Wilton-Lyndeborough’s 4-0 season-opening win on April 19.
• Pinkerton’s Lorenzo Corsetto (2 for 3) scored twice and drove in a run to pace the Astros in a 4-0 win over Bishop Guertin on April 22.
• Astros pitcher Tom Rioux scattered five hits, struck out six and didn’t walk anyone in his complete-game shutout over BG.
• Hollis Brookline’s Drew Gryniewicz had two hits (double, two RBIs) in a 6-1 victory over Sanborn Regional on April 22.
• Cavaliers pitcher Padge MacSean struck out five in two scoreless innings of work versus Sanborn.
• Souhegan freshman Nolan Colby reached base in all five of his plate appearances (three singles, triple, walk) in the Sabers’ 12-5 win over Manchester West on April 23.
• Bedford’s Zach Fletcher scattered four hits and struck out nine for a complete-game, 4-1 victory over Manchester Central on April 26.

To report standout diamond performances, or offer ideas for the baseball notebook, send an email to scioneg@gmail.com.