The Granby baseball team is ready to get its revenge from last season.
Last year’s undefeated squad was upset in the Western Mass. semifinals; No. 1 Granby fell to No. 5 Ware 1-0 in a game that left the Rams stunned.
This year, they were determined to not let that happen again.
Led by Ray Toth’s outstanding offensive performance, the Rams galloped to a 16-2 Class D semifinal win against No. 4 Mount Everett. They’ll face No. 2 Pioneer in the sectional final on Wednesday at 4 p.m. at Westfield State University.
The Rams have never won a Western Mass. title in baseball. They came close in 2017, when they made the Div. 4 finals but fell 3-2 to St. Mary’s. Prior to that, the last time they made the final was 1992 when they fell 18-3 to Lee.
The Rams are the favorites again this season, and it’s thanks in large part to the Toth brothers, Ray and Michael.
“They lead by example – not only do they lead by example, but they’re great players, too. Everything they do, they do well, they do it 100 percent all the time…they’re entertaining to watch, too,” Granby head coach Jim Woods said. “The both of them have picked up our program significantly. We’ve had good teams, but these guys are what really pushed us over the top.”
Though the Rams didn’t have the same regular season success as last year’s group, they’ve proven to be a formidable bunch on the baseball diamond. They’ve accumulated a 16-4 record, and have outscored their Western Mass. opponents 29-3 over two tournament games.
They’re hoping to put it all together this year. They have a group of seniors who have been playing together for most of their lives, and whether they win or lose, it’s going to be a meaningful trip to the championship game.
“It’s huge,” Ray Toth said on going to the final. “We worked really hard last year and we just came up short. This year, we have a big core group of guys…. eight seniors. We’ve been here for a long time, and hopefully we can put this one together.”