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2026 New England High School Team Previews

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2026 Spring Team Preview: St. John’s Shrewsbury (MA)

SHREWSBURY, Ma. - St. John’s Shrewsbury head coach Casey Cummins is proud to keep a strong tradition going at his alma mater.

“Our program has a tradition of success while competing in Massachusetts’ highest division,” noted the third-year mentor, a 2008 graduate of Shrewsbury who has coached at numerous levels, working with more than 50 players that went on to be taken in the MLB Draft.

The head coach at Sutton High School from 2019-23 before taking over the Pioneers in 2024, Cummins is happy to be back at home.

“The program has won four state championships - most recently the MIAA D1A Super 8 State Championship in 2017,” Cummins said. “The Pioneers are the only private school to win the Super 8 baseball championship, which was held from 2014-2019.”

After leading Shrewsbury to the D-I state finals, a Catholic Conference championship and a 20-5 record in 2024, last year’s team went 18-6, reaching the Final Four behind MIAA Player of the Year Brayden Mercier, who is now at UMass Amherst.

While Mercier has graduated, along with three others now playing in college - Andrew Schmit (Salve Regina), Jack Forgues (UMass Lowell) and Seamus Clancey (Assumption) - the cupboard is far from bare.

Seven college commits, two prep school recruits and a total of 16 players are back for the Hawks.

“Our biggest strength is our experience,” Cummins said in looking ahead to the 2026 season. “We are lucky enough to return 16 players from last year’s team including many starters both in our lineup and our pitching staff. This group had the experience of a deep tournament run the past two seasons and have been committed to returning to that point and even further this season.”

Brady Chenevert, Edward Valley, Liam Collins and Jayden Fencher are senior pitchers back with juniors Jackson Fournier, Joe Kett, August Brock and Brendan Parisi other arms returning.

Chenevert, the 11th-rated senior left-handed pitcher in New England, is a UMass-Amherst signee while Valley, a right-handed hurler, is headed to Western New England.

Fournier, the 77th-rated junior outfielder in the country, has committed to Maryland, while Kett is the 53rd-ranked 2027 RHP in New England.

Josh Bouchard, the 29th-rated senior outfielder in New England, will play at Colby-Sawyer after his final year at Shrewsbury with senior shortstop Conor Secrist a Naval Academy commit, senior catcher Owen Miller a Salve Regina signee and senior infielder Gabe Terlato a Stevens Institute Tech recruit.

Infielders Jamie Herlihy and Nick Sharry along with outfielder Andrew DeHoratius are other seniors back while catcher Jackson Lucarelli is a junior returning. Sharry and Fencher are headed to prep schools in the fall, Sharry to Bridgton Academy and Fencher to Worcester Academy.

“We have a great group of players who understand and embrace our expectations and these team goals,” Cummins said. 

Being part of a program that has 20 current collegiate players, more than 25 that have played professionally and eight (Pat Bourque ’65, Ron Darling ’78, Tim Lahey ’00, Lance Zawadzki ’03,

Ryan O’Rourke ’06, John Andreoli ’08, Ian Seymour ’17, Sean Burke ’18) that have gone on to the majors, is important to the Shrewsbury head coach, who looks forward to what lies ahead in league play as well as the tournament this season. 

“The Catholic Conference is always one of the most competitive conferences each year from top to bottom,” Cummins pointed out. “It certainly challenges us each day and prepares us for the postseason and that type of baseball. We hope to build off what last year’s team did and continue the tradition of success of our program.”

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