WESTERLY — Following a dominating run to a Division 2 baseball championship in 2024, Westerly made the jump to Division 1 this spring.

And the Bulldogs found out quickly that one little miscue and one opportunity lost at the plate against Division I opponents proved costly.

“You learn pretty quickly that you have to take advantage of those chances,” Westerly coach Ron Sposato said. “I thought we did pretty well for our first year in Division 1. I know that the kids were really excited for the challenge throughout the season.

Evidence of that came in Westerly’s D-1 preliminary round single-elimination game at home against Smithfield.

The Bulldogs dropped a 6-5 decision in a game that saw them commit seven errors.

Westerly finished 14-9 overall that included a 10-game winning streak following a 2-4 start.

That stretch saw the Bulldogs outscore their opponents 69-18.

Individual honors for the postseason saw senior Michael Poole and junior Grayson Simmons named first-team All-Division in Sub-Division A.

Poole, who is headed to play at the University of Maine, got the ball against many quality teams throughout the year and pitched well. He finished 2-4 overall with a 2.90 ERA with 12 of his 22 runs allowed were unearned.

“Mike still had a solid season even with his numbers not as gaudy as they were in previous sesaons,” Sposato said. “He had quite an unbelievable high school career.”

Poole finished his career at Westerly with an overall record of 17-9.

Simmons finished second on the team in hitting (.310) with 10 runs scored and 9 RBI. He finished with three doubles and one home run – a solo shot – in the preliminary-round loss to Smithfield that put Westerly ahead 4-3.

“Grayson was one of our leaders, one of our hardest workers and a great teammate,” Sposato said. “He caught almost every inning.

Simmons will not be back for his senior season, opting to attend prep school in Connecticut.

Senior Zack Miner and junior Tom Fiore each were second-team All-Division selections in Sub-Division A.

Miner was dominant once again on the mound and primarily was used as Westerly’s closer. He finished 4-0 with two saves in 13 appearances with a minuscule 0.34 ERA.

And in his final two seasons of high school baseball, Miner allowed one earned run – that coming this season against Bishop Hendricken.

“We felt so good with him on the mound,” Sposato said. “If he was available to pitch and we had the lead going into the seventh inning it felt like there was no reason not to put him in. Closer-wise, Zack was one of the better ones in the state.”

Miner also had a strong year at the plate, batting .292 with 12 RBI and 11 runs scored. He hit six doubles with a home run.

Fiore also provided a solid punch on the mound – finishing 4-1 with a 1.08 ERA. Over 32.1 innings he struck out 40.

And at the plate, Fiore hit .295 with eight RBI, six stolen bases and scored 17 runs.”

“We’re excited to have Tom back for his senior year – one of only two seniors,” Sposato said. “Overall he was one of our better players.”

Westerly put together its best game of the season in a 5-0 shutout win across the border in Connecticut against perennial Eastern Connecticut Conference power Waterford.

Sposato knows how valuable Poole and Miner were over the course of their high school careers – being part of a pair of state championship teams. As freshman, they were part of Westerly’s D3 title team.

“They helped make me a better coach and were instrumental in two state championship teams,” Sposato said to Sun correspondent Larry Kelley following the post-season loss to Smithfield. “They helped put Westerly baseball on the map. They’ll be talked about for years and will likely end up in the Athletic Hall of Fame. They will be missed.”

Simmons, Jayden Parker and Nikko Nastasi all received All-Academic honors.