Last spring Mike Brousseau took his coaching talents from Douglas and moved over to Auburn, a storied program the coach couldn’t say ‘no’ to. Under the new coach, the Rockets went an impressive 17-2 during the regular season capturing the SWCL Championship as well as being awarded the six seed in the Division 3 State Tournament. Although securing a top seed Auburn was upset in the first round 8-5 by Tewksbury, the 27 seed.

“It was our worst game of the season. We had two bad innings giving up 8 runs, something that we hadn’t done all year and before you knew it, we were done,” Brousseau said. “It was a stunning loss and a job unfinished.”

With that loss still fresh in their minds the Auburn team is coming into this season with one thought – get back into the State Tournament and make a deep run at the Division 3 Title that eluded them last season.

“The interesting thing is this year’s team is just as talented as last year’s,” the coach said. “These kids have some big wins in the Little League world and can really compete.”

Brousseau doesn’t believe in captains, instead he goes with senior leaders. To become a senior leader the coach has respective candidates write a 150-word essay on what makes a good leader as well as talking about the leaders they had during their tenure. 

The coaching staff elected four senior leaders to this year’s team – Bryce Everson, Owen Morrow, Liam Doyle and Pat Saucier. Brousseau noted that a lot of things make up the composition of a team, but communication leads to atmosphere which sets the tone. It is not just the things they do on the field but off as well such as bringing the equipment to the field and help bringing the young athletes into the fold.

The four senior leaders all bring something different to the table that will help the Rockets not only win, but get back into the post-season. Everson has been elevated from the number two pitcher into the role of the team’s ace; Morrow is the ‘father’ of the team, Doyle will patrol the outfield while also seeing some time on the mound and Saucier, the team’s second baseman, is of small stature but a complete ball of fire according to his coach.

Senior Jayden Ortiz, heading to Division 2 Franklin Pierce in New Hampshire next year, is a power hitter who should be one of the team’s top hitters this season. As the Auburn quarterback on the football team, he seriously hurt his leg during the tournament last year and had to undergo surgery where doctors inserted two plates and four pins. As the baseball season is getting underway, he is ready and able (fully cleared) to take to the diamond. The team is excited about his return and is expecting great things from him.

In addition to Ortiz bashing the ball at the plate, Brousseau is looking for a group of athletes to come to his aid at the plate. First baseman Matt Friedland is a quiet individual but one that is a smart choice to hit in the cleanup spot for the Rockets. He has the lowest strikeout rate on the team and as a left-handed batter he can spray the ball all over the field.

Sophomore Chase Reyes, a 6’4” 200 lb. athlete will bat in the five slot and play third base. His very first varsity hit was a 400-foot homerun. Reyes power is something that didn’t come as a surprise as the third baseman had showed his power during batting practice. Owen Leavey, another sophomore, is a tremendous athlete that can play just about anywhere that is needed. He is currently playing centerfield where he will use his speed. Brousseau believes Leavey has a lot of potential and power but is working on making the opposing pitcher work the pitch count in his favor.

On the mound Everson will be looked upon as the team’s ace, while Brousseau will have several others looking to have the opportunity to pitch for Auburn this spring. Junior Cam Patraitis, who has worked extremely hard during the off-season with his pitching as well as his hitting, currently looks to have the inside track at taking the ball as the team’s number two hurler. After Patraitis, Doyle and Luke Martin are also vying for pitching time. Reyes will take the ball as either the team’s set-up man or closer.

There will be some big shoes to fill in behind the plate this season and last year’s back-up, Dom Freitas, will look to do just that this spring season. Thus far the senior has been up to the task and looking good. Sophomore Julian Ortiz will suit up as the back-up  catcher.

With the MIAA moving teams around within the new leagues Auburn will now face off against the teams in the CMACA, which brings a brutally tough league schedule to its participants. Auburn also decided to stack their non-league schedule with talented teams.

“We could potentially go 10-10 this year and come away with a higher power ranking seeding than last year,” Brousseau said. “You want to be playing those top-notch teams to have you prepared for the tournament.”

Auburn’s goal is simple and not overly aggressive – go out and do your work, compete hard and make the state tournament. Along the way Brousseau asks his players to continue to prepare and sharpen their skills as they get closer to the tournament. Having a tremendous group of college-type coaches on his staff is a blessing and should be an immense help to the athletes and what they are able to accomplish this year.