Baseball state tournament preview and predictions

Xaverian manifested it was able to bounce back from adversity time and time again to win the Catholic Conference title for the third straight year The Hawks open with a familiar foe in Catholic Memorial then a attainable second-round tilt with Franklin or Durfee Three other Catholic Conference teams BC High St John s Prep and St John s of Shrewsbury are in the same bracket making for certain juicy early-round contests Bishop Feehan and Andover are two talented teams capable of winning selected games in the postseason Plymouth North rolled to the Div state title last year and has to be considered one of the favorites again Their side of the draw is littered with teams from the Patriot League Hingham Duxbury and Plymouth South so they won t need a scouting overview Walpole relied on pitching and defense as usual to land the fourth seed and looks to have a good draw Reading emerged as the top dog in the Middlesex Liberty with wins while Somerset Berkley and North Attleboro should not be overlooked In Div St Mary s is loaded with pitching depth and has the postseason experience to get the job done Weston and North Reading had really good seasons and could be squaring off in the second round Norwell hasn t received a lot of fanfare but the Clippers are the No seed and won games so they have to be considered a gang to watch Gloucester went - and could be looking at a second-round road contest against Sandwich The Cape Ann League could have a say in the Div tournament as Lynnfield is a very talented squad as is Hamilton-Wenham Unfortunately they are on the same side of the draw and would be slated to meet in the semifinals Top-seeded Pittsfield went - and should go a long way in the tournament Two-time state champion Seekonk will bank on the past tourney success to make a long run English players swarm the mound after defeating Latin Academy to win the Boston City League championship last Saturday Photo by Paul Connors Media News Group Boston Herald English made history by becoming the first Boston City League school in decades to win a state title Head coach Christian Ortiz pushed the envelope with an aggressive nonleague schedule and was rewarded with wins and the second seed in Div Any time you have a baseball unit undefeated this late in the season that is impressive Pioneer Valley enters the tournament with a perfect - record and could have an fascinating second-round tournament if Georgetown advances Predictions Div State champion Xaverian State runnerup BC High Sleeper St John s Prep Best first-round matchup North Andover at Lawrence Achievable upset Durfee at Franklin Div State champion Plymouth North State runnerup Somerset Berkley Sleeper Hopkinton Best first-round matchup Billerica at Hingham Attainable upset Woburn at Algonquin Div State champion St Mary s State runnerup Norwell Sleeper Arlington Catholic Best first-round matchup Gloucester at Sandwich Doable upset Latin Academy over Dighton-Rehoboth Div State champion Lynnfield State runnerup Hamilton-Wenham Sleeper Salem Best first-round matchup Manchester-Essex at Salem Realizable upset Cohasset over Affair Div State champion English State runnerup Pioneer Valley Sleeper Bromfield Best first-round matchup Lenox at Georgetown Achievable upset Mystic Valley over Carver