Montville Baseball Alive and Well In States

This was not a vintage Montville High baseball season this spring.

The Indians hovered around the .500 mark early, reaching their nadir in a rare loss to tiny Tourtellotte. Once they picked up the pace in May, they faded in the regular season finale in a 12-3 loss to Bacon Academy, costing them a berth in the eight-team Eastern Connecticut Conference Tournament.

Montville, state champs in 2006 and 2010, not one of the top eight in the ECC?

"We have been in some places, some really dark places, that his program has never been in," Montville coach Phil Orbe said.

But now that June has rolled around, Montville finds itself in a familiar place ... the Class M state tournament quarterfinals. The Indians have erased two months of inconsistent, frustrating play with two decisive tournament wins to reach the quarterfinals for the ninth straight season under Orbe. One day after Tre Gonzalez struck out 13 in a 5-2 win over Ellington, Montville blasted Griswold, 14-1, behind the pitching of Corey WilcoxWednesday.

"I feel very good for the kids that they've maintained the standard that we've set as a program," Orbe said. "In baseball, you are judged by what you do in June. I still think there are more judgments to be made."

The Indians (14-8) play fifth-seeded Enfield (17-5) at New Britain's Beehive Stadium Saturday at 3:30 in the quarterfinals. Montville and Stonington, two teams that ironically did not make the ECC Tournament, are two of the three ECC teams alive in state play with Bacon still playing in Class L.

The Indians, whose pitching is a bit thin behind Gonzalez and Wilcox, probably benefitted from missing the ECCs. During its state title run last year, Montville lost in the ECC first round. That allowed Orbe to rest his pitching, primarily Justin Brachas, for the states. After Montville won its opener last year, Brachas started the next four en route to the championship.

"If we advanced in the ECCs last year, I don't think we win the state title," Orbe said. "We try to adapt to the schedule and exploit it to our advantage. Yes, not making the ECC Tournament probably helped us line our pitching up for the states again this season."

Against Griswold, an ECC Small team which nipped Montville as the No. 8 seed to make the conference tourney, Montville took advantage of numerous bases on balls by freshman pitcher Justin Davis. Wilcox contributed offensively with two hits and three RBI. Nick Kinder went 4-for-4, while Jordan Volpe and Tyler Guetens each scored three runs.

"Cory has been an All-State player and our most consistent player all season," Orbe said. "Our offense has been a work in progress but the kids are starting to buy into what we're trying to sell them."