It’s never a good idea for fans to sit on the steep rock wall that dots the skyline just over the fence of the baseball field at Endicott College’s oceanside Beverly campus.
This year, it might be one of the most dangerous spots in town.
The Gulls have been launching baseballs towards the rocks at an alarming rate this spring. Though some of the team’s 45 total home runs have towered over — and even beyond — that rock wall, the fact remains that it’s been target practice for Endicott’s threateningly deep lineup.
“We aren’t doing anything trendy or trying to reinvent the wheel with the hitters,” longtime Endicott head coach Bryan Haley said of the team’s explosion in home run hitting. “We are trying to help them to understand who they are as a hitter ... what they do well, what they need to improve upon to be successful at this level and beyond.”
Ranked No. 2 in New England coming into the week, Endicott (22-5) has won eight straight and is unbeaten in conference play. The Gulls are tied for fifth in the country in home runs by a Division 3 program and their team slugging percentage is 14th.
A total of 11 batters have at least one homer for the Gulls. Peabody native John Mulready leads the pack with eight bombs while Nicolas Notarangelo boasts seven and Dylan Pacheco and Nick Perkins have mashed six each.
It’s not as if the Gulls have sacrificed situational hitting or run production to chase a launch angle or a big knock; six of their nine regulars are batting over .300 and they don’t strike out much, either (about seven times per nine innings as a team).
“Focusing on balance and timing is always a priority, along with focusing on getting a good pitch to hit before two strikes,” Haley explained. “If the guys are on time and hit the ball out front, they have a chance to do some damage because they have worked very hard to build their strength.”
Endicott alum Harry Oringer has been the club’s defacto offensive coordinator, making time to meet with players in between their class schedules to go over hitting strategy. The Gulls have been fortunate to have some of the latest technology at their disposal, using Rapsodo hitting to track the path of the baseball coming off the bat.
Recording both practices and games helps Oringer and Haley communicate with the sluggers in terms of what to adjust in their stance or approach.
“We try to simplify hitting: Hunt a pitch before two strikes and scrap and fight when there are,” Oringer said. “If we can have consistent quality at bats throughout our lineup, we are putting ourselves in the best position to succeed. We also talk a lot about balance, seeing the ball well, and having a clear mind when stepping in the box.”
Just down the hill from the Gulls’ first base dugout, the Endicott softball team is having similar success launching balls over the fence.
At 19-7, Endicott has 20 team home runs. That ranks them first in the Commonwealth Coast Conference and among the top 40 in the country.
“It’s funny because offensively, we don’t talk about home runs much,” Endicott head softball coach Katie Bettencourt said. “We focus on hitting hard line drives and keeping the swing as simple as possible.”
It’s certainly working since Endicott’s team slugging (.477) leads the CCC and their .304 team batting average is third. Junior catcher Raven Comtois hits .407 and has a league-best seven homers while Keelin Spencer has three bombs and Swampscott native Katie Watts (.362) has two.
The Gulls’ core offensive philosophy of picking a good pitch to swing at and being on time when it arrives isn’t designed to create bombs. When it does, that’s an added bonus.
“Obviously a home run can be a huge momentum shift in a game. Being able to potentially score multiple runs with one swing of the bat is detrimental and crushing to opposing teams defenses,” Bettencourt noted. “But I like that the short game aspect of our game is what sets us apart from baseball. Although everyone digs the long ball, speed never slumps.
“I like that the game of softball has many different offensive weapons. The more diverse a line up can be, the harder it is for teams to defend so we want to continue to hit the ball hard.”
Bettencourt and Oringer have a lot of similar views when it comes to hitting and mechanics. They’ve spent a ton of time talking about the best way to keep mechanics strong in the middle of the year when fatigue battles muscle memory and habits tend to break down.
That’s where both the Gulls softball and baseball programs are grateful for head strength and conditioning coach Jack Dustin and his crew. Besides learning about performance habits like sleep and diet, they put in the offseason work to build strength in a variety of ways: pure power for driving the ball harder and further, quick twitches to improve hand and bat speed, and small muscle groups to increase balance.
“If the guys are on time and hit the ball out front, they have a chance to do some damage because they have worked very hard to build their strength,” Haley said.
“Our strength and conditioning program has been instrumental in all areas of our game,” Bettencourt said. “We put a huge emphasis on the weight room within our program. I believe it has helped make us quicker around the bases, throw the ball faster, and, especially, hit the ball harder.”
With both baseballs and softballs flying over fences, the Gulls have a chance to make it a memorable CCC tournament season in a few weeks. Both squads look to be among the top seeds and will be aiming to make their way back to the NCAA playoffs.
Baseball, in particular, is building the sort of resume that could get them in the D3 field even with a hiccup in the league tourney. A team that hits like they do has the feel of a true College World Series contender.
“We’re really fortunate to have all the resources we do here at Endicott,” Oringer said. “It’s been a fun year so far, our goal is to continue to grow day in and day out, so at the end of the year we felt like we maximized our full potential as a team.”
