Season Preview: Experienced Baseball Team Eyeing State Tournament Berth

When Jack Pearson took over as the head coach for Nantucket High School’s varsity baseball program in the spring of 2021, the team could barely field a roster and won just one game. Fast forward to 2026, and the Whaler baseball program is in a completely different place for the better.

"This is the most athletic group on a whole by far that I have had, but it's also probably the most experienced group," Pearson, who is entering his sixth season as head coach/manager, said.

Over 30 players tried out for the team, and the roster is led by strong senior and junior classes while being supported by promising young sophomores. Pearson has strong support on his staff in assistant head coaches Stefan Mandel and Devin Perras, as well as Dan Weber, who enters the season as the junior varsity head coach and a varsity assistant after spending several years as the CPS head coach overseeing the younger player’s development.

These four coaches have led an impressive revival of the program from top to bottom and have the Whalers eyeing state tournament play for the first time since 2021, when every team qualified.

"You look at Ronald (Del Rosario Gomez) and Henry (Tejada), and they've been starting varsity games since they were freshmen,” Pearson said. “Keegan Bedell, Eli (MacIver), Alex Horton, Evan Cranston, Keegan Canty, Luis Souza, they've all been playing varsity since they were freshmen. We didn't win a ton of games there a couple years ago, but the experience that they gained is super valuable. We knew for a couple of years that we were going to be laying the seed, right? The extra instruction, the coaching, you know, with a little bit of a bubble around the guys investing in this year and next year. Now it's kind of like, I put my hands in my pocket a little bit and it's time for those guys to just go do their thing now.”

Del Rosario Gomez will be the Whaler’s ace while anchoring a spot at the top of Nantucket’s lineup and playing infield on days where he is not on the mound. Tejada will continue to be a power bat in the middle of the lineup. MacIver, a junior, enters his third season as the Whaler’s catcher and made significant strides at the plate last season. Pearson said he expects MacIver to have a big year.

Nantucket has not finished with a .500 or better record since the spring of 2015. They made the state tournament that season with an 8-8 record and in 2016 with a 7-8 record. Outside of those two seasons, 2021 was the only year Nantucket has made the tournament in 10 years, and it was by default. (2020 was cancelled due to COVID).

Last year, Nantucket finished with an 8-12 record. Pearson said his players are hungry for the opportunity to take another step forward and return the program to playoff baseball. He also knows it is a group that understands to take it one day at a time.

“I think that the state tournament is absolutely a real possibility for us,” Pearson said. “We’re also talking a lot about the fact that nothing is guaranteed, nothing’s promised. It’s going to take the same kind of dedication and commitment as a group that it took to win eight games last year to get over the hump this year. I am excited about the experience we have coming back, the leadership with a heavy upperclassmen group. They have put in a lot of work, and their time is now.”

Nantucket scrimmaged the Mashpee Falcons on Saturday, and while they didn’t keep a score and were missing several starters due to preparatory AP exams, Pearson was pleased with his team. On top of the returning, experienced upperclassmen, the team also has some younger players who will look to assimilate into the roster such as sophomores Justin Torres and Joao Silva.

“In addition to Justin, Joao Silva is going to be an important player for us,” Pearson said. “Athletic potential is off the charts, he picks things up super fast, he is coachable and a joy to have in this group. We saw good stuff from him in the scrimmage. We have high hopes for him.”

Del Rosario Gomez, Tejada, and Bedell will get consistent time on the mound, but the Whaler’s pitching depth will be key with five games in the first nine days of the regular season. Bodhi Buccino, Patrick Norris, George Paulino-Lopez, and Horton (primarily a starting outfielder) will all get opportunities.

“They’re all going to be important pitchers for us," Pearson said. “Especially these first couple weeks with five games in nine days and it’s early and we haven’t built up starting pitcher’s arms to where we want to be. There are going to be some pitch count limits in the first couple games just to keep kids safe and healthy in the long run. We are not going to be able to just rely on one or two guys at the top of the rotation. I feel confident in these guys to throw strikes, fill up the zone, and keep the game moving.”

Seniors such as Colby Lucas and Andrew Lavin will also play important roles in Nantucket’s lineup and bring varsity experience.

“Colby is going to play middle infield or maybe some corner outfield, where we need him. He is a solid player,” Pearson said. “Andrew Lavin is the other senior and when he leans on one, he hits it hard. One through nine (in our lineup), I’m feeling more confident than I ever had. Alex Horton hit in the bottom of the order last year and we laughed with him, joked with him but also very seriously said to him that he was the best nine hitter in the league. I don’t know exactly where he will be hitting this year, but I am extremely confident in him.”

Ultimately, Pearson said his team will go as far as their defense takes them. He feels good about his pitchers and hitters, but knows their defense needs to take a positive step this spring.

"It's a great group. We're excited about (the season) too," Pearson said. "I think there's a ton of possibility here to do something special if we can keep the train on the tracks and play to what our potential is. If we can, then we should be pretty happy."

Nantucket begins their season on Friday, March 27^th on the road against O’Bryant High School at 6:00 p.m. You can view the full Whaler baseball schedule here.