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

To view the full list of 2023 Team Previews that we have already completed, please click here.

2023 Spring Team Preview: Trumbull

TRUMBULL, Ct. - Pitching must be found if this is to be another solid season for the Eagles of Trumbull.

“We should be strong defensively, and we have a decent lineup,” pointed out head coach Phil Pacelli. “Our main concern is the lack of pitching experience as far as varsity innings. Sean Francoeur is the only returning pitcher with varsity innings under his belt.”

The 16th-rated 2023 left-handed pitcher in New England, Francoeur is signed to play at Wesleyan University.

Two other returnees are college commits for Trumbull and being counted on heavily in an effort to follow up last season’s 18-8 season that included losses to Fairfield Warde in both the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference semifinals and the Class LL semifinals.

Scott Gell, the 12th-ranked senior catcher in Connecticut, is back to help out behind the plate for whoever is on the mound while Jack Durland returns in the infield. Gell is a Stoneybrook recruit while Durland is headed off to Hartford after this season.

Senior outfielder Ryan Warner rounds out the returnees for Trumbull, which has captured two state titles in school history, 1986 and 1998. 

The last FCIAC championship came in 2012, and if this is the season to end that drought Pacelli needs newcomers Ryan Paine, Ryan Johnston and Jack Larkin to make an impact. All sophomores, Paine is the seventh-rated 2025 shortstop in Connecticut while Johnston, who will play in a utility role with Trumbull, is ranked 21st among sophomore shortstops in New England. Larkin is penciled in to play infield and pitch for the Eagles, whose biggest loss from last season is pitcher Connor Johnston, now at Rhode Island.

“I like the mix of younger players and returners, and I also like our good senior leadership,” explained Pacelli. “Figuring out who our strike throwers are after Francoeur will be the key.”

As always, the conference will be a challenge according to the veteran Trumbull head coach, who has a 225-148 record entering his 17th year at the helm of the Eagles.

“The FCIAC is always strong, and I’m expecting deep postseason runs by a few teams,” Pacelli concluded.

Recent Articles