Concord baseball returned to the playoffs in 2025 after a rare absence the year prior. This year, they want to claim a high seed and go deeper into the postseason.
Starting pitcher Alex Turant recently committed to Winthrop University, but he is focused on trying to win big with a large class of returning teammates.
His fastball is reaching new heights, complemented by some off-speed pitches that will be big for him. He was also one of the most impactful players at the plate for the team last year and will slot in well there.
“I’ve put in a lot of work through the offseason, through other teams and tournaments, that’s going to pay off this year,” Turant said on signing night.
Backing him up, there are plenty of options who have a chance to prove they can be consistent enough to pitch in the rotation, according to head coach Scott Owen.
Seniors Brody Rossetti, Michael Barry, Kale Washburn, Isaac Valancourt, Jamey Skafidas, juniors Cam Burbank, Patrick Owen and sophomore Will Simms are all returning with some experience on the mound.
Defensively, Coach Owen is confident in his team’s ability to hold it down in the infield and with seven outfielders to pick from on any given day.
“[We returned] 13 guys that started more than a handful of games. There’s a lot of battles out there and we added three newcomers who were battling for positions as well,” Owen said.
Overall, the team is in a much more settled spot this year compared to last. There was a lot of turnover in numbers and inexperience, an issue that became particularly problematic on offense.
Concord scored two runs or fewer in 12 of its 21 games last season and is aiming to change that.
Will Simms, Jacob Plodzik and Rhys Craigue started hot with their bats in the preseason, and it will only be a matter of time before the rest follow suit.
“I don’t know if our hitting numbers are huge, but we’re putting the ball in play. We’re trying to make things happen,” Owen said.
It’ll be a tough start to the season schedule-wise. The Tide will open against Bishop Guertin at Memorial Field on Monday and then take two road trips, first to Alvirne on Wednesday and later to Goffstown on Friday.
Owen knows the bats are still coming around, but he hopes that the returning experience will help ease the pressure on pitching and defense.
DIVISION II
Bow
Coach: Ben Forbes (27th year)
Last year: 14-3, reached quarterfinals.
Returning starters: Peyton Larrabee, sr.; Conor Curtis, so.; Troy Konstantakos, jr.; Chase Crowell, jr.; Clayton Nadzan, jr.
Top newcomers: Jack Shulman, so.; Caden Bechtold, so.
Outlook: “The team will be very young, often only starting a single senior and a handful of juniors. We will turn to solid starting pitching to help keep us in games as we mature and develop as a team.” – Ben Forbes
Teams to beat: Souhegan, Hollis-Brookline and Hanover.
Coe-Brown
Coach: Rob Stockman (fifth year)
Last year: 7-10, reached prelims.
Returning starters: Samuel Rose, sr.; Liam Marquette, sr.; Jackson Miller, sr.; Tommy Maskwa, jr.; Stephen Phillips, sr.; Michael Moore, sr.; Hunter Rohr, so.
John Stark
Coach: Dennis Pelletier (12th year).
Last year: 17-3, D-II runner-up.
Returning starters: Aidan Williams, sr., OF/P/3B; Ben LaBrecque, sr., 2B; Tobin Prieto, sr., P/3B; Travis Lisofsky, sr., C; Parker LaClair, sr., 2B/OF; Des Bogle, so., OF.
Top newcomers: Jack Sheppard, jr., P/1B; Austin Keough, fr., INF; Cal Decew, fr., INF; Hunter Philibotte, fr., P/INF.
Outlook: “The Generals lost major pieces off their D2 Runner-up team to graduation and a transfer. Four of five of the top half of the order needs to be replaced, but the Generals have a really strong freshman class entering, with 3 of them expected to have significant playing time on the varsity team this season. The rotation of Prieto, Williams and Sheppard should be one of the better sets of three in the division and should keep Stark in most games. The question remains who will step up offensively for the Generals behind Williams, who was second on John Stark in RBI last season. The very athletic Des Bogle is poised for a breakthrough season in centerfield for Stark and will be one of the top sophomores in D2.” – Dennis Pelletier
Teams to beat: Hanover, Kingswood, Souhegan and Hollis-Brookline.
Merrimack Valley
Coach: Sean Wheeler (24th year).
Last year: 3-13, did not make the tournament.
Returning starters: Jacob Baggett, sr., SS/2B/P; Jack Parris, sr., 2B/OF; Matt Herrmann, jr., 3B/C/P; Lorenzo Guzman, sr., OF/DH.
Top newcomers: Bret Norris, jr., OF/P; Jackie Miller, jr., OF/P; Kingston Clermont, jr., OF; David Ostrowski, jr., 3B/P; JD Tubbs, soph., OF/C/P; Cam Simonds-Carrington, soph., 1B/P, Jeb Tubbs, frosh., 2B/SS/P
Outlook: “Matt Herrmann, Bret Norris and Jackie Miller will look to lead an inexperienced Pride rotation. Herrmann is the only arm with any varsity innings in his career. The talented, yet untested arms of JD Tubbs, Jeb Tubbs, Cam Carrington and David Ostrowski will work out of the Valley bullpen. Jacob Baggett will anchor the MV defense from his shortstop position. Freshman second baseman Jeb Tubbs will be a part of a new look infield in 2026 with David Ostrowski at the hot corner, while sophomore Cam Simonds-Carrington will start at first. Herrmann will be behind the plate with Levi Bourdeau and JD Tubbs backing him up. Jack Parris will return as MV’s starting left fielder with Lorenzo Guzman, Kingston Clermont, JD Tubbs, Miller and Norris all vying for time.” – Sean Wheeler
Teams to beat: “Every team will be a challenge,” Wheeler said.
Pembroke
Coach: Joshua Coughlin (16th year).
Last year: 9-9, reached quarterfinals.
Returning starters: Zac Bemis, sr., P/INF; Jack Pearson, sr., P/INF; Joshua Maccarone, jr., P/INF/OF; Eric Maccarone, jr., P/OF; Isaac Gioseffi, so., C; Nate Bussiere, sr., OF.
Top newcomers: Bryce Fontaine, jr., INF; Jacob Parsons, jr., INF/OF; Noah Tatro, fr., P/INF; Eli Bennett, fr., P/INF/OF.
Outlook: “The Spartans look to blend their returners with a talented batch of newcomers. The sooner that happens the better off we will be. Our pitching will dictate our play and we believe in our staff. We look to be playing our best baseball come June and make a playoff run.” – Joshua Coughlin
Teams to beat: Bow, John Stark, Hanover, Hollis-Brookline and Merrimack Valley.
DIVISION III
Belmont
Coach: Matt LeBlanc (16th year).
Last year: 16-2, reached semifinals.
Returning starters: Brayden Townsend, jr., OF; Eddie Rochenski, jr., OF; Max Ryder, so., INF; Wyatt Divers, jr., P/INF/C; Wyatt Bamford, so., 1B/3B/P/OF; Brady Fysh, jr., OF; Jack Crockford, jr., P/3B.
Top newcomers: Sean Andrews, so., 1B/OF/P; Sam Binder, fr., OF/INF; Brennen Geoffrey, so., OF; Alex Rowley, so., INF/OF/P; Jasper Sottak, jr., OF/DH.
Outlook: “Wyatt Divers, Co-Pitcher of the Year, returns to anchor a pitching staff that is
inexperienced at the varsity level. The Red Raiders graduated 7 in 2025, 5 starters, and will rely on a blend of experience and an infusion of new, younger talent. We expect to get tested early as we face many of the top teams in D-III before the April break. Our goal is to learn from both successes and challenges, develop the younger players, and be playing our best ball by the end of the season.” – Matthew LeBlanc.
Teams to beat: Bishop Brady, Campbell, Conant, Derryfield, Gilford, Monadnock, and Prospect Mountain.
Bishop Brady
Coach: Skip Foy (21st year)
Last year: 17-3, D-III runner-up
Returning starters: Winn Thomas, jr., 2B/SS/P; Luke Bedard, so., 3B/P; Kolt Gaudreault, so., 2B/OF/P/C; Henry Thresher, jr., 1B/P; Max Guerra, jr., C/CF/P; Dan Shedd, sr., P/OF
Top newcomers: Xander Guerra, fr., P/OF; Jacob Valliere, fr., C/OF/P.
Outlook: “With our starting infield back and some promising newcomers in the outfield, I think we should be pretty solid defensively, and if we continue to improve the at-bats during the year, I think we can put together a good lineup that is capable of scoring runs. Obviously, we will need our pitching to come through for us over the course of the season, but if Dan and Xander can give us solid starts, we can fill in the rest because we do have a number of other arms to fill some innings.” – Skip Foy
Teams to beat: Belmont, Conant, Monadnock, White Mountain and Campbell.
Hillsboro-Deering
Coach: Owen Coombs (first year).
Last year: 3-13, did not make the tournament.
Returning starters: Adrien Cordeiro, jr., OF; Lenny Seymour, sr., INF/P; Jake McClure, jr., C.; Seth Dalphond, so., OF/P; Isaiah Sawyer, sr., INF.
Hopkinton
Coach: Derek Bennett (first year)
Last year: 5-11, did not make the tournament.
Returning starters: Kyle Buelte, sr., 1B/OF; Tad Stokes, sr., 2B/OF; Devin Allen, jr., C/OF/P; Mike DePiano, jr., INF/C/P; Aidan Clay, so., INF/P; Jack Bennett, so., INF/OF/P.
Top newcomers: Charlie Sides, fr., 2B/OF/P; Mason Allen, fr., OF/C/P; Copper Loew, fr., 2B/OF.
Outlook: “The Hawks are on the young side having graduated six starters last year and only rostering two seniors this year. However, the season looks bright, combining solid veteran leadership with some fresh new talent. Look for the Hawks to surprise some teams this year.” – Derek Bennett
Teams to beat: Monadnock, Conant and Bishop Brady.
Kearsarge
Coach: Josh Judkins (third year).
Last year: 5-11, did not make the tournament.
Returning starters: Jackson Cote, sr.; Kaleb Naughton, sr.; Remi Messer, sr.; Ethan St. Clair, jr.; Isaac Knox, jr.; Noah Byrne, jr.; Noah Sevigny, jr.
Winnisquam
Coach: Fred Caruso (20th year).
Last year: 6-12, reached prelims.
Returning starters: Dio Katsigiannis, jr., P/SS; Brady Colby, sr., 1B; Carter Lloyd, so., P/C/INF.
Top newcomers: Matt Hibbert, jr., C/P/1B; Jacoby Keith, jr., 2B/OF; Cullen Desrochers, so., 3B; Danny Blodgett-Fralic, so., C, P, INF; Evan Cote, fr.,CF; Caleb Hall, fr., 2B/OF; Kobe Lloyd, fr., OF/P/1B.
Outlook: “We took steps last year, made the tournament after missing the year before. The goal is to get in and make some noise. Our younger players are bringing a renewed enthusiasm to the mix. That being said, we’re relying on the guys who’ve been here to lead the way. We did have a lot of turnover, graduating eight from last year’s team. I think we’ll get stronger as the year goes on.” – Fred Caruso
DIVISION IV
Concord Christian
Coach: Josh McCallister (third year).
Last year: 13-6, reached semifinals.
Returning starters: Connor Faherty, sr., INF/C; Daniel Stopyro, jr., C/INF/P; Annabelle Syvertson, jr., INF; Caleb Funk, jr., OF; Andrew Doyle, so., INF/P; Jackson Barton, so., OF/INF/P.
Outlook: “Concord Christian returns nine players from last year’s final four squad. Senior Connor Faherty will lead the offensive attack along with returning All-State performers Danny Stopyro and Andrew Doyle. Juniors Caleb Funk and Annabelle Syvertson will again be key pieces of this year’s squad offensively and sophomore Jackson Barton will look to improve on his impressive freshman campaign. On the mound, RHP Andrew Doyle, Isaac Hall, Ethan Lemay and LHP Jackson Barton are all back with an extra year of experience. RHP Danny Stopyro will contribute when he’s not behind the plate. After starting eighteen games in the infield last year as an 8th grader, freshman Grady St Jean will be called upon to throw more innings in 2026.” – Josh McCallister.
Teams to beat: Epping, Mascenic, Newmarket, Littleton, Portsmouth Christian.
Franklin
Coach: Devin Basha (first year)
Last year: 5-11, did not make tournament.
Returning starters: Brayden Turner, sr., P/OF; Cody Gray, sr., OF/INF; Thomas Nason, jr., OF/INF; Alec Michaels, so., 1B/OF; Jason Lemieux, so., 3B.
Top newcomers: Matthew Amado, sr.,1B/OF; Bryce Thurber, jr., C; Billy Lavalle-Chelsey, so., C/OF; Kyler Partain, so., OF; Ashton Foss, fr., 2B; Carson Lewis, so.
Outlook: “We are looking forward to a competitive season with a group that continues to grow in skill and confidence each day. This is a new team compared to what we had last year and I can’t wait to see what we can do on the field.” – Devin Basha
Teams to beat: Mascenic, Concord Christian, Portsmouth Christian and Sunapee.