From the start, his batting average has been consistently impressive. Richard Fecteau hit .357 as a freshman for the Salem State baseball team. Then .360 his sophomore year, and then up a tick to .363 last spring. Now, the senior second baseman from Newbury is swinging at a .381 clip as the Vikings (15-16-1) entered the final week of the regular season. A former three-sport athlete at Triton Regional, Fecteau is a three-time first-team All-MASCAC selection. Last summer, he delivered a walkoff line drive RBI single in the ninth inning to earn Most Valuable Player honors in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League All-Star game. Fecteau is scheduled to graduate this month with a degree in exercise science and minor in business administration.
Q. What’s your approach to hitting?
A. When I go up to the plate I really don’t think about much. I look for a good pitch to hit and try to make the best swing on it I can every at-bat. It won’t happen every time, but that’s the goal. I try to hit the ball hard and if I hit the ball hard off the pitcher, in my opinion I beat the pitcher in that at-bat. I might not have gotten a hit, but if I got good contact and hit a line drive it gives me confidence the next time up.
Q. What’s a good piece of hitting advice you’ve received?
A. Look for a fastball. And when you get the fastball, hit that one. You’ve got to have a short memory, too. If you miss a good pitch to hit, you’ve got to forget about it real fast and look for the next pitch. You’re not going to hit every single one of them.
Q. What’s your best athletic memory from high school?
A. Probably freshman year when I made varsity and was able to play with my brother, Andrew, who was a senior. That was the best time. I always looked up to him and loved playing with him. We were on the golf team together but we were never really paired up together. In baseball, I was basically constantly working with him. He was the catcher. I started out in right field and then they moved me into shortstop and we could make things happen. It was a pretty good experience.
Q. What about a highlight at Salem State?
A. We’ve won two conference championships our first three years and we’ve been able to make the NCAA regionals two of the three years. We made it freshman year, not sophomore year and made it again last year. That’s quite an accomplishment as a team. The expectations are definitely the same now, to get back to the regionals.
Q. What is your best tip for a young hitter?
A. Patience is important. Sometimes I have a tendency to get impatient and I like to swing early in the count and I like to chase some pitches. Patience is a huge factor in hitting. Go up with a plan and look for your pitch early in the count. For me, that’s middle in. That’s what I’m looking for. If I get a fastball middle in early in the count, I’m going to swing. If it’s away early, I’ll probably let it go. If you get your pitch early, take advantage of it.
Q. What do you think you’ll be doing five years from now?
A. I’d still like to be around the game of baseball, whether as a coach or something like that. Maybe being a strength and conditioning coach would be good.
Q. Your favorite player?
A. I like Robinson Cano. I like how he plays with a lot of swagger and a lot of confidence. He’s very, very relaxed and smooth. I really like Dustin Pedroia, too. He’s like on the other side of Cano. He’s going to get dirty on every play and work as hard as he can on everything. Both of them are very good hitters and if you watch them you can pick up on what they do.
Q. Do you have a secret talent?
A. I’m 5-foot-9 and a lot of people don’t know I can dunk a basketball. I did it one time in practice in high school. I learned how to do it pretty consistently when I got to college. I had never really worked out enough and I got my legs stronger here.
ALLEN LESSELS
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