For Immediate Release
April 12, 2012
Courtesy of The Boston Globe, Written by Marvin Pave
Southern New Hampshire baseball coach Scott Loiseau says Matt Boulter, his junior shortstop and cleanup hitter from Wrentham, has “ability that you can’t teach, and what you can teach, he keeps improving upon.’’
Boulter, who earned All-New England and All-Northeast-10 Conference honors last season after hitting a team-high .338 in a wood-bat league, is off to a .331 start while leading the Penmen in runs (29), doubles (13), triples (3), and runs batted in (32).
A three-sport captain at Bishop Feehan High, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound Boulter honed his already impressive skills last summer with the North Shore Navigators of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. The left-handed hitter said he improved his average against southpaws because he faced good pitching every day.
Both Boulter and Southern New Hampshire have been on a roll.
The Penmen, who opened the season with 13 straight victories, have already set a single-season record for wins.
Seventh in program history in RBIs (74), he is 10 shy of the school’s single-season mark and leads the Penmen with nine multi-RBI games.
“Matt has gotten better every single year,’’ said Loiseau, cousin of Merrimack College football star linebacker Shawn Loiseau of Shrewsbury. “He’s a phenomenal kid with a great work ethic, a baseball player who truly loves his sport. Matt has an instinctive feel for the game - at bat, in the field and on the bases.’’
Boulter, who played shortstop in high school, was moved back to his natural position last season after time at third base.
“It took a little while to get used to it,’’ said Boulter, whose late uncle, Jimmy Boulter, played in the Red Sox minor league system after graduating from King Philip Regional High.
“I didn’t expect we’d get off to such a great start, but in a way I’m not surprised. We have the talent, but we also work hard.’’
He is joined on the roster by junior pitcher Jon Massad of Shrewsbury (St.John’s) and two former Algonquin Regional teammates, freshman Kyle McGinnity, an outfielder from Northborough, and sophomore Mike Speranzella, a pitcher from Southborough.
Massad was 3-0 with a 2.43 earned run average, while McGinnity had appeared in 15 games and hit a 9th inning pinch-hit homer against Mercyhurst that sparked a come from behind win going into this week’s action. Speranzella had appeared in one game.
“Jon has had an awesome season and has become one of our five starters after playing mainly in the infield last year,’’ added Loiseau. “Kyle will be a really good player for us before his career is over, and Mike adds depth to our staff and is working hard to improve.’’
