Focus and talent bring promise to WHS baseball this year

Two games into the 2026 season, the Waltham High School baseball team displayed immense potential. The Hawks (1-1) also showed deficiencies. 

After falling to a solid Brookline team to open the season, Waltham responded Friday with a 6-3 decision on the road at reigning MIAA Division 1 state champion Chelmsford, The Boston Globe’s No. 10-ranked team in all of eastern Massachusetts.

“They’re very talented,” coach Larry Scafidi said. “I don’t know if this team has found its personality yet, but I love the fact that they play loose. You can’t just turn it on and off. It’s about focus.” 

Waltham went 14-6 last year during the regular season to earn the No. 18 seed in the state tournament and lost to No. 15 Boston College High School in the round of 32. It was the program’s fifth straight postseason appearance. 

Conor Gavin, a Boston Globe All-Scholastic honorable mention and Dual County League Most Valuable Player, graduated and now pitches for Bowdoin College. Dual County League All-Star Conor Chiasson also graduated. But the Hawks boast plenty of experience with seniors Hunter Fucci, Emmett Moynihan, Tim O’Toole and junior Brian Flemming, all returning DCL All-Stars. 

Fucci steps in as the team’s top arm. He was the 1B to Gavin’s 1A last year. The Wheaton College commit is a right-hander who throws in the low 80s with a three-pitch mix. He also bats second and plays center field when he’s not on the mound. 

Moynihan is the catcher. A four-year varsity starter, he’s a stalwart behind the plate. Case in point, he threw out a runner in the Chelmsford game in the second inning, keeping the Lions off the base paths for the rest of the game. Moynihan also serves as the team’s closer, reaching the mid-80s when pitching. 

O’Toole, the second baseman and the leadoff hitter, is “the most intense kid you’ll ever meet in your entire life,” Scafidi said. A contact hitter with great speed, O’Toole shifted over from third base. 

Flemming, the first baseman, bats fifth. He won the team’s “Gold Glove” award in his first year at the position last spring. He’s a power hitter. 

“He’s a grinder, just constantly trying to do better even when he’s great,” Scafidi said. 

Other key players to watch include sophomore pitcher Teddy Letendre, who started against Chelmsford. Ditto for sophomore pitcher Will Hietsch, who put on 50 pounds of muscle since last year. Senior pitcher Isaac Shatsoff, senior third baseman Cam Egirous and junior pitcher/outfielder Billy Champion also play key roles. 

Key games to monitor during the remainder of the season include: 

• at Cambridge, April 21, and vs. Cambridge, May 4
• vs. Newton South, May 6
• vs. Lincoln-Sudbury, May 7 (doubleheader)

“I expect to be just as good as we were last year,” Scafidi said. “My thing to them this year is just to win the next game. They’re great kids with unbelievable senses of humor, and I want them to have fun.”