FHS 2019 HockomockSports Baseball Awards: Macchi, Elliott, Rivera, Ross, Dialey, and Haba = Player of Year; Brown = Coach of Year

Franklin senior infielder Alex Haba has been named the 2019 HockomockSports.com Baseball Player of the Year. Haba had a terrific career with the Panthers, winning over 60 games in his three years as a starter and helping Franklin to a pair of league titles and one state championship.

“Alex has been a steady presence in the Franklin lineup for the past three years and had a terrific senior campaign,” said HockomockSports.com Editor-in-Chief Ryan Lanigan. “He’s one of the best offensively and is a reliable option at shortstop. And maybe most importantly, not only is Alex one of the best players, he’s a great person off the field and a true leader. I can honestly say I haven’t seen many student-athletes like Alex in my time covering this league.”

Haba, who was also tabbed as Hockomock League MVP by the coaches, earned the league batting title by posting a Hockomock-best 0.455 average during the regular season. He belted out 30 hits, scored 29 runs, and knocked in 21 runs — second in the league to teammate Jake Macchi. Haba and Macchi will be joined by teammate Scott Elliott at Merrimack College for the next four years.

Alex Haba = 2019 HockomockSports.com Baseball Player of the Year

Continue reading the write up on Alex
https://hockomocksports.com/awards/baseball/2019-2/

HockomockSports.com First Team

Jake Macchi – Franklin – Catcher

Jake Macchi

Franklin senior Jake Macchi had a fantastic year for the Kelley-Rex division winning Panthers. Macchi was stellar behind the plate, catching a relatively inexperienced pitching staff, and he was also one of the most dangerous bats in the league. He hit 0.342 on 26 hits, scored 14 runs and drove in a league-best 29 runs. “Jake Macchi is arguably one of the best catchers in the state,” said Franklin coach Zach Brown. “He caught every inning and called almost every meaningful pitch this season. Jake also batted clean-up for our team and lead the league in RBIs.”




Scott Elliott – Franklin – Outfield

Scott Elliott

Not many players can say they had a better senior season than Franklin’s Scott Elliott. His offensive performances were a huge reason Franklin claimed its second league title in the last three years and made a return trip to the Super 8 tournament. He led the league with 33 hits in the regular season, finishing the year with 40 total. He also had 32 runs, 21 RBI, 15 stolen bases, and six home runs. “Scott Elliott was one of the best offensive players in the Hockomock this season,” said Franklin coach Zach Brown. “He led the league in hits, runs, and home runs. Scott was also one of our senior tri-captains that will continue his playing career at Merrimack College as a Division I commit.”

Brennan Rivera – Franklin – Pitcher

Brennan Rivera

Franklin junior Brennan Rivera had a breakout season, emerging as one of the top pitchers in the Hockomock League. After the Panthers graduated the majority of its pitching staff, Rivera stepped in and took over as the ace of the staff, delivering strong performances every game. He was 6-2 with one save, striking out 65 with just seven walks in 69.1 innings, posting a minuscule 0.71 ERA. “Brennan was our Monday starter all season long,” said Franklin coach Zach Brown. “He was one of the best pitchers in the league in terms of innings, wins/losses, strikeout/walks ratio and earned runs allowed. Brennan had a breakout season this year and we are excited to have him back next year in his senior season.”

HockomockSports.com Second Team

Cooper Ross – Franklin – Infield

Cooper Ross

Franklin senior Cooper Ross was one the most dangerous players over the past two seasons, helping the Panthers to a Super 8 title a year ago and a Kelley-Rex division title this season. He hit 0.350 with 28 hits, including three doubles. He scored 16 runs and drove in 13 more for the Panthers. “Cooper Ross had a tremendous senior season both defensively at third base and hitting in the middle of our line-up,” said Franklin coach Zach Brown. “He is also one of the hardest workers in our program and an outstanding student-athlete that graduated in the top 10% of his class.”


Liam Dailey – Franklin – Pitcher

Liam Dailey

Franklin junior Liam Dailey stepped into the Panthers’ rotation and gave the Kelley-Rex division champs a huge boost. After Franklin graduated nearly its entire staff from last season, Dailey was a big piece to the puzzle this year and helped the Panthers earn a return to the Super 8 tournament. He went a perfect 9-0 (league-high in wins) with a 1.71 ERA, striking out 33 in 57.1 innings of work, also recording a pair of saves. “Liam Dailey was a workhorse this season,” said Franklin coach Zach Brown. “He was also one of the best pitchers in the league in terms of innings and earned runs allowed. Liam had a really strong junior season and we are excited to have him back next year in his senior season.”


Coach of the Year – Zach Brown, Franklin
Franklin head coach Zach Brown has been selected as the 2019 HockomockSports.com Baseball Coach of the Year after guiding the Panthers to a league title and their second straight Super 8 tournament appearance.

Zach Brown

Brown, who took over the program in 2014, has turned Franklin into one of the premier programs in the state. Last year, he coached the Panthers to a Super 8 state championship. This year, despite losing nearly the entire pitching staff that included two D1 arms, Brown led Franklin to a 21-1 record in the regular season and the #1 seed in the Super 8 tournament.

“After graduating so much talent from the Super 8 team, I’m not sure many outside of the program expected another Super 8 appearance, let alone the top seed,” said HockomockSports.com Editor-in-Chief Ryan Lanigan. “But Coach Brown has set expectations very high and the players delivered. Brown got the absolute best out of this group and they found ways to win throughout the season.”


For all the other baseball awards around the Hockomock League
https://hockomocksports.com/awards/baseball/2019-2/