By Joe Haggerty, news@woburnonline.com
Burlington High senior Ben Mullin has received the ultimate show of respect in the Middlesex League this season.
The Red Devils catcher and defending Middlesex League batting champion was one of the top returning hitters in the league this season, and he's seen a steady diet of off-speed pitches and breaking balls from pitchers around the league. The All-League catcher proved he could hit a high school heater when he batted a robust .551 for the Red Devils last season, and — much to his chagrin — he hasn't seen nearly as many plain ole' fastballs this season.
Mullin and Burlington coach Jim Curtin both understand that it's just a part of putting together a well-earned reputation as a heavy hitter in the league. Opposing coaches and pitchers aren't going to just show you the get-me-over-fastball and instead Mullin sees the best a pitcher has to offer.
"He's been good, but he's been getting worked on tough by the pitchers because he's the best hitter in our lineup," said Curtin. "It's the same thing with (Jon) Smart in the Belmont lineup. They get all the tough pitches. He's hit the ball hard too, but sometimes he's hit it right at people.
"It's not unusual for a guy to be a target during his senior year after he's had a big junior year," added Curtin. "It's happened as long as I've been coaching. I remember (former BHS standout and major leaguer) Pete Smith hit .400 as a junior (in 1983) and then hit .220 as a senior (in '84) when he got moved from seventh to third in the lineup. Eric Petersen (in 1993)... same thing. He didn't hit as well during his senior year as he had before that."
Despite the added attention, Mullin has still been among the most dangerous when waving a bat at the plate during Middlesex League action this season, and he leads his squad with a .335 batting average to go along with six doubles and 13 RBIs thus far this season.
"My dad (Joe) has been my coach since I was a little kid and we've always worked on an offensive approach that's got me looking for a good pitch to hit and then trying to go up the middle with it rather than getting too pull-happy," said the righty-swinging Mullin, who hit .325 as a sophomore starter as well. "I think playing at Francis Wyman (Park) has actually helped me in that regard because I know if I start trying to hit home runs then they'll just turn into fly ball outs. It forces you to take advantage of the open gaps all over the field and that's what I've been able to do."
Mullin has been a key leader for a Burlington squad that's been better than expected this season after watching a very talented senior class graduate last season and his "lead by example" leadership style and commitment to winning have meshed well with a young Red Devils team.
In fact, Mullin worked so hard in preparing for baseball this season that he dropped 45 pounds after playing along the offensive line during the fall and was down to a lean 180 pounds by the time baseball season arrived. The weight-loss has allowed Mullin more agility behind the plate as far as blocking balls in the dirt and throwing out a baserunners — a pair of things he knows need to be letter-perfect if he's going to continue catching for the Worcester State baseball team next year.
"I think I originally started catching as a little because I couldn't really stop a ground ball and wasn't really that fast in the field," joked Mullin. "But I kind of grew into it and I love the position and how involved in the game I am. It's something that I've worked hard on over the years."
The Burlington backstop is the exact kind of kid that Curtin points to when he wants his younger ballplayers to look up to someone.
"He worked hard in the off-season and lost 40 pounds and he's caught very well," said Curtin. "He'll be going to play baseball at Worcester State next season, and he's a really quiet and conscientious leader out there on the field. He does everything that he's supposed to as a senior leader on this team. He's a good kid and an honor student."
Mullin has also certainly been able to practice hitting curveballs during this challenging senior season — something he'll see a lot of at the college level — but make no mistake about what he'd rather be seeing.
"Tell the pitchers to start bringing in the heat," said Mullin. "That's what I'm hoping for when I get up to the plate."
GETTING IT DONE AT THE TOP
The Woburn High baseball team has been through some ups and downs this season, but two areas that have been solid from the beginning: 1) senior righthander Jonathan (not Jon) Bishop has been excellent as a No. 1 starter as attested by the 2-1 record, the 2.87 ERA and the team-best 28 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings pitched this season; 2) the outstanding job done getting on base by the two juniors at the top of the Tanners lineup.
Kyle Foley has played shortstop, second base and serves as Woburn's No. 2 pitcher, but he's also been the team's best hitters with a .366 batting average and an on base percentage that has him on base nearly half the time. Foley leads the team with four doubles and 11 runs scored this season as well — perhaps the most important statistic for a leadoff man — and centerfielder/pitcher Jake Masotta has been just as good in the No. 2 spot in the batting order.
Masotta is hitting .333 with a pair of doubles and leads the team with seven RBIs thus far this season, and has really refined his left-handed strike in the last couple of weeks.
"We can't ever really lose awareness of the fact that we're a very young and inexperienced team, but guys like Foley, Bishop and Masotta all have varying degrees of varsity experience," said Woburn High coach Butch Murray. "Those are guys that have been here before and they're guys that we're really counting on.
"With Bishop, he gives us a chance to compete every single time he's out there pitching," added Murray. "He had us right in that Lexington game (that Woburn lost in extra innings) and he also put us in a position to win the game against Reading. It's just a matter of getting good pitching performances out of everyone that we have."
ON HOLD
Winchester's Derek Barauskas, who played three years of varsity baseball for the Sachems and was a three-sport captain (football, basketball and baseball) his senior year, is now playing Division 1 baseball at LaSalle University in Philadelphia. An accident has hampered his playing time, but the 5-11, 175 infielder-outfielder has appeared in nine games and has gone two for five to hit .400 for the Explorers who are just 12-32 in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
READING FORFEITS WIN
Reading High has had to forfeit its baseball game last Wednesday against Woburn due to a violation of an MIAA rule.
"I'll take the hit on that, I should have known," said Reading Athletic Director Phil Vaccaro.
The Rockets originally defeated Woburn in eight innings, 5-4, but it turned it they used an ineligible player. The loss left Reading at 8-3 heading into its big game against Winchester on Monday, a game the Rockets won, 8-0.
(Joe Haggerty's "On Baseball" column appears weekly during the high school baseball season.)
