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MHS’s McMahon throws zeroes in Junior All-Star Game; Tornados Coggswell, Simpson, Noelsaint look solid for Sophomore All-Stars; Norales named MVP for Team Ebbett; Revere’s Mikey Popp dazzles on the basepaths for Junior All-Stars
Malden was the epicenter of high school baseball for a day on Monday as it once again hosted the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association (MBCA) State Select Junior and State Select Sophomore All-Star Games on Monday. The games were held at the City of Malden’s Bob Rotondi Field/Richard Howard Park. This is the second consecutive year the state All-Star Games were held in Malden. The games were originally scheduled for Sunday, but a morning rainstorm and unseasonably cold and windy weather forced a postponement of the two-game slate to Monday.
Fittingly, being held in Malden, the All-Star Games had a local flair. All told, six Malden natives were on the rosters of the games, and a number of local residents served as coaches for the teams.
Malden High assistant varsity baseball coach Phil Cook served as head coach for the Team Ebbett squad in the 2022 4th MBCA Sophomore All-Star Game and was assisted by Malden Catholic junior varsity coach Shawn Nice. Both are Malden natives and Malden High School graduates. Four Malden residents played for Team Ebbett in the Sophomore Select State All-Star Team: Malden High School 10th-graders Ryan Coggswell, Zeke Noelsaint and Jake Simpson, along with Jackson Norales of Malden Catholic.
Norales, a catcher for the Lancers, captured the Most Valuable Player Award for Team Ebbett, after collecting a two-run single at the plate and also throwing out two Team Lombard runners attempting to steal second. “It was an incredible experience to play in a game like this, in my hometown and on my school’s home field,” said Norales, who is a second-year varsity player this year, making the team as a freshman in the spring of 2021.
Malden High second baseman Ryan Coggswell and shortstop Jake Simpson comprised the starting middle infield duo. A third Tornado, sophomore Ezekiel “Zeke” Noelsaint, joined his teammates in the starting lineup as Team Ebbett’s centerfielder. Noelsaint, whom organizers said was the first player of Haitian-American descent to ever appear in any MBCA State All-Star Game, made several outstanding catches in centerfield on Monday.
Simpson and Noelsaint were varsity starters for MHS Baseball as freshmen in 2021 and both had strong seasons for the Tornados this past spring. Coggswell led the Tornado varsity team in hitting this past spring (.346) and started every game at second base.
Blackstone Valley’s Magill leads Team Lombard to 7-3 win in Soph All-Star Game
Blackstone Valley Tech sophomore Cory Magill broke things open with a bases-clearing triple in the top of the fifth inning as Team Lombard won the 2022 Sophomore Select All-Star Game with a 7-3 victory.
Team Lombard scored in the top of the second as Billerica’s Gus O’Gara connected for an RBI single to make it 1-0. Team Ebbett answered in the bottom half as Jackson Norales of Malden Catholic connected for an RBI single. Another run crossed off a wild throw to give Team Ebbett a 2-1 lead. With the score tied 2-2 in the top of the fifth, Magill came up with the bases-loaded and delivered the game-breaking hit. By the time the ball landed by the right field fence, Magill was rounding second, and three runs were in for Team Lombard (5-2). Team Lombard tacked on two more runs in the frame and coasted to the finish from there.
Braintree’s Sean O’Rourke was selected as the Player of the Game for Team Lombard (two hits), while Amesbury star Aidan Donovan was named the Pitcher of the Game after hurling two shutout innings.
“It feels awesome. Amazing day for baseball, good weather and to know that I had essentially the game-winning hit is an honor,” Blackstone Valley’s Magill said in an online report. “It’s an honor to play at this beautiful field, and it was a great day.”
Malden High’s McMahon fires two strong innings, sparking team to win in Junior Select State All-Star Game
Malden High junior Brandon McMahon has his State All-Star routine down pat these days. Maybe pitching in his hometown has something to do with it.
McMahon took the mound in the fifth inning of Saturday’s 11th MBCA Junior Select State All-Star Game with his team (Team I-93) clinging to a 3-2 lead. The lanky, 6-2 righthander proceeded to dominate in the 5th and 6th innings, throwing a pair of solid frames, allowing just one hit, walking one and striking out four over the two innings. As he held the fort for his team, the I-93 squad would add two big offensive innings on its way to a 12-5 win over Team I-95.
This was the second straight year McMahon has performed so well on the big stage. Last year in the 2021 MBCA Sophomore Select State All-Star Game, the righty was equally dominant, picking up the pitching win and the Most Valuable Pitcher Award with two shutout innings.
“It’s a really good opportunity, especially being in my hometown,” said McMahon, who was recently selected to the Greater Boston League All-Star Team for the second consecutive year. “I really enjoyed seeing guys from around the state. They are really good players. It is just a fun game.”
Revere junior outfielder Mikey Popp, a two-year GBL All-Star, who led the league in stolen bases and runs scored this past spring, played in his first-ever State All-Star Game Monday. He showed well on Monday, drawing a walk, stealing second and eventually scoring a run for I-93 on a passed ball. “It was a great experience, playing in a game of this level with such excellent players,” said Popp. “I was very happy to get this opportunity.”
A pair of big numbers in the third and fourth innings led Team I-93 to a 12-5 victory over Team I-95. “There were some good hitters on both sides,” said Team I-93 and first-year Newton South Head Coach Paul Williams. “You saw some really good talent in this game. It was really cool to be a part of it and gave the kids an opportunity to go out and show what they can do.”
In the third inning, Team I-93 sent eight runners to plate and scored five times, including a two-run single from Most Valuable Player Ian Laforest of Waltham. Laforest finished the day two-for-four, driving in three runs and scoring twice, with his other hit coming in a two-run fifth, along with two stolen bases. BC High’s Ronan Donohue added two hits, two runs and a stolen base.
Chelmsford’s Braydon Gray started off the contest with three no-hit innings, including six strikeouts and a walk. That was more than enough to earn him Most Valuable Pitcher for Team I-93. “It was awesome,” Gray said about being a part of the All-Star squad. “It was a good opportunity. I feel blessed to be here. It was a great season and a great way to end the high school season.”
MBCA ALL-STAR NOTEBOOK: A sixth Malden resident, Bishop Fenwick junior infielder Costa Beechin, was also on the roster for the I-93 Team, but was unable to participate on Monday, since he was on the road playing in another tournament… They could not have asked for better weather for the game on Monday, with sunny skies and temperature in the low- to mid-70s throughout… The Ebbett Team coaches – longtime Malden High assistant varsity coach Phil Cook and first-year Malden Catholic JV coach Shawn Nice – coach together on the perennial Malden Babe Ruth title contender Pilots team… Two of the most impressive players of the entire day did not even get a win for their team: Braintree’s 6-4 Jack Fitzgerald hit a mighty blast for an inside-the-park home run for team I-95 with two aboard; Team I-95 righthander Ryan Maiorano touched 87 MPH on the radar gun in needing just 12 pitches to strike out the side for Team I-95. The two players were named the Most Valuable Player and Most Valuable Pitcher, respectively, for Team I-95…. Team I-93’s Jake Harring, a junior from Amesbury High, was the only player for either game to have three hits, going three-for-four with a run scored. He is the son of longtime Division1 collegiate Head Coach Ken Harring of UMass-Lowell… All three of the Malden High sophomores who played on Monday are multisport athletes who also received awards for excellence in second sports other than baseball at last week’s Malden High All-Sports Awards. Soph Ryan Coggswell was the Coach’s Award Choice/MVP for the Golden Tornadoes Varsity Golf Team for Head Coach Rick Malatesta’s team. Zeke Noelsaint was MVP of the MHS Junior Varsity Basketball Team, and Jake Simpson was the Offensive MVP for the Everett-Malden-Revere Co-Op Boys Hockey Team this past winter season.
