Bravehearts

Worcester, MA -The Worcester Bravehearts have officially announced their second wave of roster announcements after naming their 14 local players from Central Massachusetts in February. This second announcement includes 13 Division I athletes, including 4 returning Bravehearts. 

2021 All-Star first baseman Gavin Noriega (Marist) headlines the returning members of the team. The powerful lefty hit   

.353 with Worcester in 2021 including four home runs and 31 RBI. He is currently hitting .366 for Marist this spring in 12 games. Northeastern outfielder Mark Darakjy will be back for a second summer in Worcester. Darakjy  boasted a .375 average last summer and is hitting .306 for the Huskies with 2 home runs in 9 games this spring. Two 2021 late-summer signings in Connor Peek (Holy Cross/Lincoln Sudbury High School) and Tanner Smith (Harvard) will be joining the Bravehearts in 2022. Peek has started 12 games for the Crusaders this spring, highlighted by a 2-5 performance in a win against Virginia Military Institute. Smith has worked out of the Harvard bullpen this spring, and picked up the win in Harvard’s opening game of the season against #24 University of Miami.

The Bravehearts will continue their history of keeping Holy Cross players at their home ballpark for the summer, as three more additions will keep their talents in Worcester for the 2022 season. Right-handed pitchers Sean Scanlon. Tommy Leimkuhler (Deerfield Academy), and Luke Lemond will all continue their summer season at Fitton Field. Scanlon, a two-way player, is hitting .318 for the Crusaders this spring while also striking out 12 batters in six appearances on the mound. In Leimkuhler’s last outing, the righty went 3.1 IP against Richmond and only allowed one run in relief. Lemond, out of Port Saint Lucie, FL has yet to see action this season as a freshman, but recorded a 0.97 ERA as a senior in his school while winning two district championships. 

Two University of Maine student athletes will join the Bravehearts this summer. Left-handed pitcher Caleb Leys recently earned America East Conference Rookie of the Week honors after four shutout innings and seven strikeouts against North Dakota State. Leys also opened up the season and his collegiate career holding LSU to one run in 3.2 innings pitched. Infielder Jake Marquez will join him in Worcester. The sophomore started off the season on a five game hitting streak for the Black Bears in the opening series against LSU and Penn State. 

Jack Goodman (Pepperdine) out of Medfield, MA will be the first player from the school in Bravehearts history. He was voted a pre-season All-American by Perfect Game and looks to make an impact around the infield for Worcester. Sebastian Mexico (Fordham/Phillips Academy) out of Baldwinville, MA will patrol the Bravehearts outfield. At Fordham, Mexico is hitting .293 in 13 games, including a 3 RBI performance against Texas A&M early in the season. 

Rounding out the list of new additions for the Bravehearts are current high school seniors Jack Winnay and Justin King. Winnay will attend Wake Forest after his graduation from Belmont Hill School while King will attend Harvard, coming in from Oakwood, OH. 

Previously announced DI players on the Bravehearts roster include LJ Keevan, Alex Luccini, Mike Simes (UMass-Lowell), Frankie Hernandez (Monmouth), David Pedanou (Dayton), Kyle Rizy (Bryant), Matt Livingston (Siena), Gavin Price (Fairleigh Dickinson) and AJ Colarusso (Boston College).