Follow on Twitter: @pbr_newengland
Follow on Instagram: @pbr_newengland

2022 New England High School Team Previews

• To view our complete list, please CLICK HERE.

2022 Spring Team Preview: Westhill

STAMFORD, Ct. - After finishing sixth in the league during the regular season last year, Westhill put it together in the postseason to advance to the State Class LL Championship Game.

With just two starters gone from a team that was defeated by Norwalk 1-0 in the final game of last season, Mike Riveles anticipates even more out of this year’s squad.

“We started slow last year but hit our stride midway through the season,” the Westhill coach reflected. “We got hot and came up one run short. But we only lost two starters and we return all our key arms.”

Boston College commit Kyle Kipp, the 12th-rated junior right-handed pitcher in New England, Northeastern signee Craig Ottaviano, the 12th-ranked senior RHP in the area, and Eric Osterhus, the number 36 New England junior right-handed pitcher, will anchor the staff along with closer Jake Benner, an all-state two-way player rated 13th among 2022 third baseman in New England who is back to play infield and pitch.

Leadoff hitter Mike Petersen, the 27th-ranked senior outfielder in New England and a Brown commit, returns bringing “speed, power and brains” to the lineup according to Riveles. Fellow senior Connor Sullivan, a catcher headed to Wesleyan University, will supply a middle-of-the-order bat to the Vikings.

“Pitching and offense are our strengths,” Riveles said. “I think we play a pretty complete game. We get hits when we need them and we have guys that throw strikes.”

Senior Mike Edwards returns in right field with senior Nick Montagnese back in left. More experience comes from senior third baseman Wyatt Lisack and junior second baseman Kieran Hackett.

“I like the way this team plays for each other,” Riveles noted. “They grew up together and they’re all extremely selfish. They legitimately want to see others succeed. 

“They’re confident and don’t panic when they’re down,” Riveles added. “They know they’re capable of coming back.”

There is more that stands out to the third-year head coach of a program that has had a lot of success over the years, winning a state title in 2008, losing 11-10 in the state semifinals to the eventual champion in 2017 and having two players get drafted out of high school in 2019.

“This is an extremely high-academic team,” Riveles said of his squad, which has a 3.5 accumulative GPA. “They put a lot of hard work into the classroom and that translates into the weight room and onto the field in trying to get better. They’re all self-motivated.”

Injuries are the biggest concern.

“It sounds like we’re very deep but if one guy gets hurt it could affect us,” Riveles pointed out. “The key is for everyone to stay healthy. We’ll be in good shape to compete if that happens. Last year there were a lot of unknowns. This year we’ve got a little target. The guys expect to get there and are willing to do the work.”

Recent Articles