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2024 New England High School Team Previews

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2024 Spring Team Preview: Bedford (NH)

BEDFORD, N.H. - With the majority of starters returning from a team that lost in extra innings in the quarterfinals to the eventual state champion, Bedford has high hopes heading into the 2024 campaign.

“We return a solid core from a talented team that was close to knocking off the #1 team last season,” explained head coach William Chapman, whose 2023 squad finished with a 14-8 record. “We return two strong starting pitchers in seniors Patrick Foulis and Charlie Cariello and have a newcomer to the varsity mound in sophomore Jimmy Gilbert, who will turn some heads this season on the mound and at the plate.”

There are big shoes to fill, however, with the loss of New Hampshire Player of the Year, Aiden O'Connell, who has reclassified and is attending Avon Old Farms before joining Vanderbilt next year. O'Connell was throwing a no-hitter until an outfielder fell on wet grass and the Bulldogs lost to Londonderry 2-1 in nine innings.

The 49th-rated 2024 left-handed pitcher in the nation finished 5-2 on the season with a 1.03 ERA, striking out 103 and walking 20 in 55.2 innings. At the plate, the top-ranked senior in New England hit .457 with six doubles, three triples, five home runs, 24 RBIs, 24 runs scored and 14 stolen bases.

However, Foulis and Cariello give Bedford two solid pitchers to build around. Foulis, an Assumption signee who is the 42nd-rated 2024 RHP in New England, was 3-2 with a 4.50 ERA, fanning 32 and walking 17 in 24 innings. Cariello, a Bates commit, had a 5-1 record with 41 strikeouts and 16 walks in 43 innings with a 0.977 ERA.

“This group of upperclassmen work very hard,” noted Chapman, who has led Bedford to the state finals five times, winning it all in 2016. “They are intrinsically motivated every day to get better and always ask how to continue to improve. There is a good mix of fun and seriousness brought to our practices.”

It is a formula that has worked well since Chapman arrived at Bedford in 2012. Now in his 15th year as a head coach, Chapman is 202-90 overall including four years at Sanborn Regional, and has a 165-66 record in his time at Bedford.

“I believe our program has a reputation to compete annually for a state title,” the veteran mentor said. “We have dedicated players and coaches that strive for excellence on and off the field. On offense we focus on ‘team at-bats’ and to have an unselfish approach. On defense we ‘control the controllables’ and look to ‘limit the damage.’”

Chapman is looking for more out of the offense this season, with Carter Crowley the top returnee. A junior committed to Holy Cross, the left-handed hitting middle infielder and relief pitcher carried a .304 average last season with 14 RBIs, 11 runs scored and four stolen bases.

Another key player back is Jack Hinton, who will likely drop to the three-hole this season. As a sophomore the left-handed swinging infielder, who can also pitch, had hits in nine of his last 10 games to finish with a .279 average, .380 OBP and 15 RBIs.

“Last year we had a difficult time against the bigger arms in the division,” pointed out Chapman. “To make it to the state title game, we will need to prove capable of beating a few aces this season.”

There is more that Chapman is looking for out of his squad in 2024.

“We will need pitchers to throw quality strikes and pitch ahead in the count,” noted Chapman. “Our defense will need to limit our opponents' damage and keep away from big innings. On offense we need an unselfish team first approach and limit the strike outs. Putting pressure on opposing defenses will lead to mistakes and momentum shifts.”

The hope is that Gilbert can play a valuable role on the mound.

“Jimmy has made some strides on the mound and could be a big addition to the pitching staff,” Chapman said of the Bedford sophomore.

Admittedly, success will not come easy for the 2024 edition of the Bulldogs.

“New Hampshire baseball has the most parity of all high school sports in my opinion,” Chapman concluded. “Every team has the ability to beat one another as pitching has really taken off in the state. This year in Division 1 there could be 8-10 pitchers touching 90 miles per hour. That is a big change over the past 10 years.”

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