Worcester Bravehearts sign 9 local products for upcoming season

Joe McDonald, Telegram & Gazette
·1 min read
Former St. Peter-Marian and Anna Maria standout Kosta Drosidis, left, will return to the Worcester Bravehearts this summer.
Former St. Peter-Marian and Anna Maria standout Kosta Drosidis, left, will return to the Worcester Bravehearts this summer.

WORCESTER — The Hot Stove is heating up for the upcoming baseball season.

The Worcester Bravehearts signed nine local players Monday, including six returnees. Assumption University will be well represented on the 2023 Futures League team with pitchers Austin Stone, Griffin O’Connor and Evan McCarthy back on the mound at Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field.

Stone, who starred at Tahanto Regional, came out of the bullpen last summer for the Bravehearts until a shoulder injury ended his season. O'Connor is another key bullpen piece for for Worcester, as he posted a 0.76 ERA for the Bravehearts in 2021, while McCarthy, a former Leominster High star, pitched out of the pen for Worcester in 2022.

Austin Stone throws a pitch for Tahanto in the D4 Central championship in 2021 against Hopedale.
Austin Stone throws a pitch for Tahanto in the D4 Central championship in 2021 against Hopedale.

Anna Maria shortstop Kosta Drosidis, along with pitcher Nick Choate, also return to the Bravehearts lineup this summer. Drosidis is the reigning GNAC Player of the Year for the AmCats and is the all-time home run leader at the school. Choate struck out 64 in 41 innings last spring for Anna Maria. His older brother Jack also pitched for the Bravehearts in 2021 and is now in the San Francisco Giants system.

Axel Johnson, of Grafton, also returns. A graduate of St. John’s, the left-handed pitcher posted a 3.57 ERA for the Bravehearts last season.

Evan McCarthy celebrates after striking out a St. John's batter to seal a win in a Division 1 Central quarterfinal in 2021.
Evan McCarthy celebrates after striking out a St. John's batter to seal a win in a Division 1 Central quarterfinal in 2021.

Pitchers Vinne Purpura, Tade Riordan and James Clark have all been added to the roster. Purpura, of Hopkinton, plays at Bryant University. Riordan, of Northbridge, is a senior at Blackstone Valley Tech and has committed to New Jersey Institute of Technology. Clark, of Southborough and a former Algonquin star, is a freshman at Babson College.

The Bravehearts open the 2023 season May 24.

For tickets and information go to worcesterbravehearts.com, or call 508-438-3773.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester Bravehearts sign nine local products for upcoming season