Durfee pitcher commits to play college baseball. Before then, he plans to win a state title

FALL RIVER — Baseball is the premier activity on the island of Puerto Rico.

So it came as no surprise that Joshua Boria's love for sport began to blossom in San Juan at a young age.

He honed his skills on the diamond until moving here at age 13.

From there, the rest is history for the Fall River resident.

"I started playing baseball when I was 3 and since then, I have not stopped," Boria said.

The Durfee left-handed pitcher recently committed to NCAA Division III school Nichols College.

The Hilltopper junior will play under the direction of Bison head coach Timothy Mayo, whose team finished with a 15-9 record and .625 winning percentage (highest for the program since the 2005 season).

"I liked Nichols College for their campus, the coach, and his staff," said Boria, who received a partial scholarship. "The major (sports management) I wanted was being offered too."

Hilltopper head baseball coach Mike Martin said Boria has grown leaps and bounds as a player and a person from the first time he saw him at North Park in fall workouts during the COVID year.

"I could not be more proud of his development," Martin said.

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Tough as nails

Boria was brilliant on the hill and at the plate for the Hilltoppers in the spring. He was named a Southeast Conference all-star for the second straight year. Boria posted a 4-3 record with an earned run average of 2.89. The lefty fanned 28 batters in 36.1 innings.

Offensively, Boria was a tough out, batting a team-high .396 with 19 hits in 48 at-bats.

He had a home run, drove in 14 runs, and scored 15 times. Boria led Durfee with 17 singles and had a team-high .537 on-base percentage. He helped lead Durfee to a Division I Sweet 16 berth.

"We were close," he said. "I feel this past year was more than a team, it was a family. We all knew that we can go far. It was a good game and faced the best team we face all year. We came up short."

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Boria said he receives a lot of support at home from his mom, Zeilyn Carrasquillo, and dad, Joel Boria.

"They've always been my biggest fans and motivators," he said. "My parents have always been to every game and have made sacrifices to buy my sport [equipment] and other things. I am forever thankful for my parents because from day 1 they have supported me."

Boria, who suited up for three seasons in Durfee,  played for Brian Rose Baseball, team Boston and currently the Rhode Island Devils AAU program. The Hilltopper star also plays centerfield.

Before moving on to Nichols College, Boria is making sure this offseason that his senior season next spring is one to remember.

"I expect to bring the trophy to Durfee and be my first state championship," he said. "We got the potential and the team to bring it home next year. We need to work hard and bring the same energy from this past year."

Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette sports editor Steven Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@heraldnews.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Chezsports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Durfee pitcher Josh Boria commits to play baseball at Nichols College