'That’s exactly what you want': New St. John's ace Brayden Mercier shuts down Nashoba

CLINTON — Brayden Mercier worked out during the offseason for the first time at Cressey Sports Performance in Hudson under the watchful eye of pitching coach Blaise Martinez.

The switch to a new gym and getting new feedback paid dividends in multiple ways.

“I just got a lot stronger and started moving better,” Mercier said.

And, oh yeah, saw his fastball jump from 85 to 89 mph.

Mercier certainly brought the heat on a chilly, breezy and overcast afternoon, recording 13 strikeouts in a route-going performance as the Pioneers defeated Nashoba, 4-1, Wednesday in the season opener for both perennial contenders at historic Fuller Field.

“We turned to him a lot last year, and he stepped up to the plate as our No. 2,” coach Casey Cummins said. “And now this year, being the ace, that’s exactly what you want. First game of the year, he gave us a great chance to win.

“Bats kind of went quiet there, but he steadied the storm the whole way and threw up so many zeroes. I would have liked to give him more support today, but overall, he did a great job.”

Mercier allowed three hits and one walk while committing an error, on a pickoff attempt. He struck out the side in order in the third and fourth innings and, after allowing a lead-off double to senior Nate Machado (two hits) in the seventh, fanned three straight to close it out.

The 5-foot-10, 185-pound lefty threw 86 pitches, including first-pitch strikes to 17 of 26 batters.

“Seb (Gruszecki) our pitching coach preaches that,” Mercier said. “Get ahead, don’t walk the leadoff guy, don’t walk someone with two outs. So if you get ahead in the count, good things are going to happen. And that’s what happened.”

Mercier was slotted behind Brady Shea, the T&G Hometeam Player of the Year, in the rotation last season.

Now the Oxford resident, who committed to continue his baseball career and academic studies at the University of Massachusetts in July, has assumed — and embraced — the role of ace.

“It feels great,” Mercier said. “Obviously, Brady is a great player, so to get to watch him do his thing last year and be behind him (was beneficial).

“This year, no change in mindset really. I have the confidence that I can beat anyone and that my stuff is good enough.”

Offensively, the Pioneers were just good enough.

They did all their scoring in the second inning on the strength of two hits, four walks and a hit batter. Senior Andrew Schmit delivered a one-out, two-run double to drive in senior Parker Higgins (walk) and junior Owen Miller (single) and make it 3-0.

“My first at-bat I just took too many strikes,” Schmit said. “So I came up looking to hit a fastball, and I got a first-pitch fastball. I hit it well, and it was a double, and we got some runs in.”

Miller singled home sophomore Jackson Fournier (HBP) to make it 1-0, and junior Conor Secrist drew a two-out, bases-loaded walk to bring in Schmit and make it 4-0.

Machado started on the mound for the Wolves and faced 10 batters and 45 pitches in the second. But the lefty reversed course and closed out his five-inning stint with three scoreless frames in which he allowed four base runners, one of whom he picked off and one of whom reached on an error.

“He had a tough inning, but I’m really proud of him,” coach Chuck Schoolcraft. “He could have packed it in like most guys would have, but he fought back and gave us three more good innings. He kept us in the game.”

Sophomore righty Aaron Ethier closed it out for the Wolves, allowing a hit and striking out two while also picking off a runner in his two innings.

The Wolves’ scored their run in the sixth, junior Ben Lamson alertly racing home as senior Jackson Libby wiggled his way out of a pickoff jam.

The Pioneers advanced to the Division 1 state final last season, while the Wolves reached the second round of the D2 state tournament. Both teams have high hopes for this spring.

“Good test; always a good test,” Schoolcraft said of facing the Pioneers, whom the Wolves lost to by a run in eight innings last April. “The expectations are we’re going to fight for a league title and then go deep in the state tournament and win it.”

The Pioneers will play the second of five consecutive road games to start the season when they face Central Catholic at Greater Lawrence Tech at a rescheduled time of 7 p.m. Thursday, while the Wolves are back here at 4 p.m. Friday to host Groton-Dunstable in the Mid-Wach B opener for both clubs.

The Wolves will practice and play all their home games this season at Fuller Field because of the construction of a new school behind the current building.

Fuller Field is 3.3 miles from Nashoba and certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest ballpark in continuous use, a streak that began in 1878, or 32 years after the first official baseball game was played.

—Contact Rich Garven at rgarven@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @RichGarvenTG.