Coming off of a season where Westfield finished 14-9-1 and fell short in both the county and state tournaments, the Blue Devils are looking for a major bounce back season.
The Blue Devils are bringing back 15 players from last year’s roster, including a few noteworthy stars. The first returning star is Ithaca commit and Blue Devil captain Owen Callahan. Callahan, the backbone of the Blue Devil roster, was the starting catcher for the Blue Devils as a junior. While he started last season slumping, he immediately turned it on, and led the Blue Devils in RBIs and batted .250. Also, as the catcher for the Blue Devils, he helped the illustrious pitching staff to throw a combined 3.43 ERA.
On the upcoming season, Callahan said, “I feel super confident in our team. We have a lot of young guys, a lot of really talented pitchers and hitters, and I think we will be able to put it all together for a successful season.” Callahan added, “I can provide very valuable veteran leadership since I have dealt with a lot of different pitchers in my career thus far. Because of this, I think I can bestow a lot of wisdom upon these younger guys.”
Leo Mangiamele is next on our list of names to watch this season for the Blue Devils. Mangiamele, the Navy commit and other captain for the Blue Devils, led the team in hits, steals and average last season. He batted .333, stole 15 bases and showed off his power with two home runs. In the field, he played shortstop, where he will look to build on his success and play elite defense to match his spectacular offense.
Mangiamele will also look to use his leadership to help the Blue Devils win some hardware this year. “I’ve always been a big believer in leading by example and being able to set a good example for the rest of the guys to follow,” he said. “Based on our work ethic and mindset, I’m definitely expecting the team to be in the position to win counties and make it far into the state tournament. In part to Coach Cook’s continuous motivation, we have been training all offseason and have a very talented group of guys so I look forward to being able to showcase that this year.”
The final two notable returners are both junior pitchers, starting off with the 6-foot-5 Seton Hall commit and flamethrower Tomas Cestero. Cestero last season was looked at as an afterthought in the pitching staff. Partly because he was just a sophomore, and partly because of senior ace Chris Iacoponi, Cestero’s opportunities at the beginning of the season were limited. However, as the season progressed, he began to seize his opportunity and take advantage of his innings. In his 20.2 innings of work, Cestero racked up 38 strikeouts and posted a 3.05 ERA. This season, Cestero will likely be the ace for the Blue Devils, and he will look to build off of his success from last season, as well as from club over the summer.
On the upcoming season, Cestero said, “I’m most excited to compete with my boys. I have so much confidence in everybody on the team and I am looking forward to seeing everyone succeed and hopefully winning a ring.”
Jack Chavez will round out the list of the most notable names for the Blue Devils this season. Chavez last season broke out and proved to everyone that he was an elite pitcher. The 6-foot junior tops out at around 91, but his secondary pitches are the ones to watch out for. Because of his renowned curveball, as a sophomore, Chavez led the team in strikeouts with 63, and he posted a team-best ERA of 1.66. This season for Chavez will look a little different, however. Chavez, until recently, had not played baseball in over 10 months due to an injury, so all offseason he worked on rehabbing. Now that he is back and healthy, Chavez will likely be the co-ace with Cestero, and the two will be a duo that no hitter will want to face.
On his impact for the team this coming season, Chavez said, “Firstly, I am just excited to finally get back on the field again with my best friends and once again play the game that I love. I am a person who will be a big contributor on the field as I’m one of the top pitchers on the team.” Chavez added, “My goal is to be able to provide a quality outing every time I play in order to give us the best chance of winning.”
With winning being the main goal, head coach Jay Cook knows the season won’t be easy. Cranford knocked the Blue Devils out of the county tournament last season in the semifinals, and the Cougars are returning their star player, Georgia Tech commit Ryan Jaros. However, Cook feels the experience on this year’s roster could be crucial. “I think we have a little more experience and playing in big games last season can be carried over into this season and help us find success.”
Cook also added that the depth of the pitching staff could play a major role in helping the Blue Devils come away with two trophies at the end of this season. “I think certainly our strength is on the mound. We return guys who have pitched in big games like Jack Chavez and Seton Hall commit Tomas Cestero. We also have Grant Como who is a sophomore returning, Mason Gibbs, and a guy like Julian Montez who has made some big strides this offseason.” Cook expanded on this, saying, “Then we’re going to need some key contributions from guys like Pat Lanza, as well as Tommy Hyland and Nick Labin. We also have a transfer from Vermont named Kevin Dowling who is a junior pitcher. If all of these guys pitch as they are predicted we can be really good.”
While it will be a challenging season, the Blue Devils’ aspirations are high.
