Most coaches would love to be able to get three quarters of the way through the season before having to talk to their team following its first loss.

That was the case at North Andover where the Scarlet Knights lost for the first time last Tuesday against Chelmsford. Head coach Caitlin Flanagan opted for a philosophical view following the setback after 13 straight wins to open the season.

“We just didn’t play our best against a real good Chelmsford team, but so far the season has been a lot of fun,” Flanagan said. “After reflecting a bit for a few hours, you realize that there are no awards for being undefeated unless you win the last game of the season.”

Coming off a solid 2023 season in which North Andover went 15-8 and won a pair of games in the Div. 1 tournament, including a 2-1 win over previously undefeated Wachusett in the Round of 16, Flanagan knew she had a returning nucleus capable making noise once again.

Brigid Gaffney returned as the staff ace, coming off a season where she struck out 167 batters and also batted better than .400. Flanagan lauds her demeanor on the hill, where she rarely gets rattled.

“You would never know what the hitter does by the look on her face,” Flanagan said. “If she gives up a hit, she just goes back to work and gets ready for the next hitter. She doesn’t give an inch on the mound, she’s not afraid to pitch to any batter in the lineup.”

Gaffney benefits by having a talented senior catcher in Jenna Roche. Not only does she provide offense, but her skills behind the plate are second to none.

“Jenna calls a great game,” Flanagan said. “It’s a chess game with her back there, she just knows what pitch to call in every situation.”

North Andover stamped itself as a contender early on, defeating a pair of state finalists in Tewksbury and Central Catholic as well as traditionally tough Methuen. The Scarlet Knights are averaging more than nine runs a game as Ella Mancuso (eight home runs and 34 RBI), Addy Crosby (.500) and Riley Davis (.500) are leading the way along with Roche (.414).

Flying high at Durfee

What started as a nightmarish trip ended up being a salvation for Durfee.

Ever since that trek to Cooperstown, the Hilltoppers have emerged as one of the surprise teams in Div. 1. Durfee enters the final weeks of the regular season with an impressive 14-2 record and a No. 15 ranking in the latest MIAA Statewide Tournament power rankings.

“To be truthful, I thought we were a year away,” said Durfee coach Mike Martin, who starred at Durfee then went on to have a Hall of Fame career at Boston College. “I know it sounds crazy now, but I figured next year was going to be our year.”

No one would have envisioned what transpired back in mid-April when Durfee took a trip to the baseball Hall of Fame. Martin said things went as badly as possible early on.

“We thought it would be a great thing to experience the whole deal,” Martin said. “Then because of the weather, we could only play a non-sanctioned game against Case. We were going to play the varsity kids for five innings and the JV kids for four innings, but we were playing so bad that we put the JV kids in for the fifth inning.

“We get on the bus for the ride home and we put in a couple of movies, Major League 1 and Major League 2. I think that was just what we needed, the kids learned some baseball from the movie and the next day at practice, they were making all sorts of references to the movie. We couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

Since that trip, Durfee has gone 12-1 with the only blemish a 4-3 loss to Brockton. Seven of those wins have come by one run, a sign that the Hilltoppers aren’t nervous about playing in close games.

“It’s unreal what we’ve done in those games,” Martin said. “We don’t hit great, but we do pitch and catch – our team ERA is 1.59.”

One of those wins was an epic 4-3 home triumph over two-time defending Div. 1 state champion Taunton on April 27. The Tigers had been a thorn in the side of the Hilltoppers in recent years, having beaten them five straight times the past two seasons, including a 9-4 win in the tournament last year.

“Taunton has been a nemesis since I got here in 2020,” Martin said. “We just came out with a different gimmick in hopes that we wouldn’t be so intimidated. Our kids just came out to play and when they beat Taunton, they realized that they belonged and can beat anyone.”

Pitching has been Durfee’s calling card and Martin has ridden a trio of starters to date: Matt Almeida, Jayden Souza and Aidan Travers. He also been blessed with a pair of closers, Dylan Silviera and Keith Strong, both of whom have three saves.

Final tribute to a legend

Whenever there was a baseball question, the surefire way to get the answer was to place a phone call to the Stoughton area, then wait two rings before the voice on the other end of the phone barked out those two magical words: DON FREDERICKS.

The high school baseball coaching legend passed away last week at the age of 79. Fredericks made his mark as a baseball coach, umpire, official and tournament director, excelling at all. He was the classic old-school “my-way-or-the-highway” guy and more often than not, if you rode on his highway, you’d be OK.

Judging by the affection displayed at his wake Thursday afternoon, Fredericks made an impact on many lives. Folks waited in line more than 90 minutes (some in the rain) at the Farley Funeral Home to pay their final respects to one of the all-time local greats.

We may never hear his voice again, but no one can ever take away the legacy Don Fredericks left on the high school baseball scene.

Rest easy, my friend.