Anyone out there who plays, coaches or is a big time fan of New Hampshire high school baseball want to discuss the upcoming season with predictions? Preferably Class I?
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Sure, BR1789, there are several Granite-staters here, and most of us are class I fans. Personally, I will be pulling for H-B to repeat as Class I champs, but buzz on another site is that Pelham is looking strong. Portsmouth should also have a really competetive team, but then they usually do. I don't know much about individual Class I players, since son played in Class L until this year. What are your thoughts?
H-B will be a good team again this year, but I'm not quite sure they will have enough to repeat this year. They lost a lot of their core from last year because of graduation.
Portsmouth will be a force, they have what I think is the front runner for player of the year in Ben Hart and didn't lose much.
Pelham will be a dominant team this year as well, look for Pelham to wind up somewhere in the top 5. There a team that always gets overlooked. They didn't lose much from last year and there players have a lot of varsity experience.
I could see a Portsmouth vs.Pelham championship game come June.
Portsmouth will be a force, they have what I think is the front runner for player of the year in Ben Hart and didn't lose much.
Pelham will be a dominant team this year as well, look for Pelham to wind up somewhere in the top 5. There a team that always gets overlooked. They didn't lose much from last year and there players have a lot of varsity experience.
I could see a Portsmouth vs.Pelham championship game come June.
I'm kind of partial to HB but.... 
Portsmouth will be very strong and I also like Monadnock to be very good. Pelham was ok last year but lost their best pitcher/player to graduation so not sure how strong they will be. I think this years HB team will be all around better than last years state championship team with a core group coming back. Pitching should be deeper (2 transfers and two starters back) and the lineup will be deeper 1-9 than years past.
Portsmouth will be very strong and I also like Monadnock to be very good. Pelham was ok last year but lost their best pitcher/player to graduation so not sure how strong they will be. I think this years HB team will be all around better than last years state championship team with a core group coming back. Pitching should be deeper (2 transfers and two starters back) and the lineup will be deeper 1-9 than years past.
Another team I would say that is going to be at the top again this year is probably Kearsarge, they always seem to be consistently at the top of the standings. coachC, I don't know much about Monadnock besides Pelkey, could you fill me in on why you think they might be a top team? I agree Portsmouth will be a force come next year.
Pelham was pretty much a top team last year. I believe they had the hardest schedule last year and virtually beat all the top tier teams at least once. I think they will be a very good team next year, that is just a feeling i have. I still don't know why people don't give them any credit.
H-B graduated virtually their entire starting and was a senior based team last year that won the championship. Which means the younger players that didn't play much last year or were on jv will have to step in this year to fill their shoes. But they'll be playing against players from different teams that have at least one or two years of varsity under their belt.I don't know there younger players, maybe I'm wrong, that just a general consensus. I know they have good pitching with Walker and Gauthier, not sure about the two transfers? Are they starters? Where'd they transfer from?
To me experience in high school baseball is a key to winning.
Pelham was pretty much a top team last year. I believe they had the hardest schedule last year and virtually beat all the top tier teams at least once. I think they will be a very good team next year, that is just a feeling i have. I still don't know why people don't give them any credit.
H-B graduated virtually their entire starting and was a senior based team last year that won the championship. Which means the younger players that didn't play much last year or were on jv will have to step in this year to fill their shoes. But they'll be playing against players from different teams that have at least one or two years of varsity under their belt.I don't know there younger players, maybe I'm wrong, that just a general consensus. I know they have good pitching with Walker and Gauthier, not sure about the two transfers? Are they starters? Where'd they transfer from?
To me experience in high school baseball is a key to winning.
H-B transfers are starters from Bishop Geurtin and Nashua North.
BBRulz - who do you play for?
BBRulz - who do you play for?
HB only graduated 4 starters.....
Don't get me wrong I know Hollis-Brookline will be a good team and they have good players and they probably are deeper than last year now with the two starters, I had no idea about the transfers until now.
When I said they virtually graduated all of their starting lineup I meant most of their starting lineup from last year is gone. I thought they graduated at least 5 starters. Did Christofferson start last year?
I also think Con-Val will be very good next year with Hutton and some other good seniors. Souhegan will be a sleeper team as they didn't lose much from last year and they have an ace in Thompson.
The '08 season will shape up much like '07 season and it will be just as exciting!
When I said they virtually graduated all of their starting lineup I meant most of their starting lineup from last year is gone. I thought they graduated at least 5 starters. Did Christofferson start last year?
I also think Con-Val will be very good next year with Hutton and some other good seniors. Souhegan will be a sleeper team as they didn't lose much from last year and they have an ace in Thompson.
The '08 season will shape up much like '07 season and it will be just as exciting!
From what I was told by coach Dod this fall is Thompson and his family has moved back to Canada and he will not return untill college time. That is a big blow to Souhegan as i think he has signed to play at UConn. Because of Chritos Tommy John surgery he was limited to DH role last year. He didnt play in the field so I didnt consider him a starter. BaseballRulz who do you play for??
What I was told by coach Dod this past fall is Ryan and his family moved to NH from Canada for his fathers job. I guess the job is over so his work visa will not let him and his family stay in the states any longer. So they have moved back north.
With or without Thompson you better be ready to play Souhegan. They are very well coached play solid defense and throw strikes. If you want to be the best you have to play the best and playing Souhegan twice a year win or lose will make you a better team come tournament time.
Bedford is playing a class I varsity schedule with only freshman and sophomores this year. I would expect class I to be pretty competitive 1-16. I would put Portsmouth and Lebanon at the top of the list. Most teams have one dominate pitcher so just depends on what day of the week you play one of the so called middle tier teams. The beauty of high school baseball is anyone can beat anybody on any given day. On Monday you look like the sox and on Wednesday the bad news bears
