'We've got the arms ready': Hanover baseball's pitching rotation is one of the best around

HANOVER – At his team's Senior Day gathering, coach Kevin McGonigle declared that senior Gabe Knudsen will be remembered as one of the best pitchers in Hanover High history.

The stats on the back of Knudsen's baseball card (over 200 career strikeouts and a 1.67 ERA) certainly support the argument.

So do the memories.

“I’ll remember being in the field and not doing much when he’s pitching," senior center fielder John McDonald said with a laugh. "He’s just mowing down everyone.”

But Knudsen isn't alone. Strikeouts and shutouts have become routine for the entirety of the Hanover High baseball team's pitching staff this year.

Senior Owen Kennedy (1.21 ERA) and sophomore Cole Hendrickson (1.61 ERA) have elevated their games to give the Hawks' opponents a tough draw no matter whose day it is to throw: “That’s what we hope," said Kennedy.

“We came into this year knowing we had these three big pitchers that we can rotate through," McDonald said.

“It’s absolutely a luxury," said McGonigle, the Hawks' second-year coach. “These kids throw pitches, a lot of them. They go deep into games. That’s just been the norm.”

More: Homestretch is here: South Shore top 10 high school baseball rankings

McGonigle, formerly the junior varsity coach, was unsure of what the team had as a third starting arm when he first took the varsity gig. He plugged the freshman Hendrickson in for a game vs. Pembroke before April vacation last year and Hendrickson "impressed us so much that we inserted him right into the lineup," from then on, the coach said.

Hendrickson, a right-hander, went 4-0 the rest of his freshman season as a springboard into his sophomore breakout. He's surrendered six earned runs in 26 innings pitched so far this season.

As for Kennedy, he first took the mound two years ago in a relief spot against North Quincy. He admittedly struggled in the team's 6-0 loss, and the rest of his debut season continued “on-and-off and (I) couldn’t find a win," he said.

Kennedy's 1.22 ERA this spring is now the third-lowest in the Patriot League, only behind Plymouth North's DC Brown (0.29) and Pembroke's Evan O'Brien (0.53). He's allowed four earned runs and 13 hits in his 23 innings pitched with 36 strikeouts.

“Everything’s clicking at the right time," Kennedy said.

“He’s pitched lights-out," McGonigle raved. "He’s as impressive as can be.”

In the offseason, Hendrickson and Kennedy trained with minor leaguer David Griffin , a 2014 Hanover High grad, who has split time this season pitching for the New York Mets' affiliates in Syracuse (AAA) and Binghamton (AA) .

Kennedy reached out in 2022, after his sophomore season, wanting to level up his velocity and work on the effectiveness of his secondary pitches. Hendrickson followed the ensuing year and, as Griffin said, if one reached 84 miles-per-hour on their fastball, the other aimed for 85.

Kennedy visited one of Griffin's spring training games this year to pick up some tips.

“I want to see Hanover have success," Griffin said. "I stay in touch with them all the time. I’ve reached out to them to see how things are going. I’m always one text away.”

This year's Hawks are out to win the program's first postseason game since 2014, Griffin's senior year. Hanover is ranked No. 4 in the MIAA's Division 3 power rankings, and a winner of four in a row with at least a share of the Patriot League Fisher Division title claimed with three games to go until seeding.

Shortstop Thomas Perkins (0.442 batting average, 9 RBIs), McDonald (.366) and Hendrickson (.343, 12 RBIs) headline a Hawks' offense that puts across 5.4 runs per game to offset the eight times opponents have been shut out or held to one run.

“Obviously we want to score a lot of runs, but we want that if we don’t, if we’re having a tough day and we can only scratch a couple across the plate, it’s probably going to be enough," McDonald said.

In terms of postseason scheduling, McGonigle said it will all come down to the little things (opponent and rest days). Expect Knudsen to get the start in the tournament opener with Kennedy, Hendrickson and senior closer Connor Hutchison all trustable in key spots.

“It could be a committee (effort)," McGonigle said. "We’ve got the arms ready.”

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: 'We've got the arms ready': Hanover baseball's pitching rotation is one of the best around