DC Brown isn’t walking through that door. Joey Walsh isn’t walking through that door nor is Scott Savastano.

Dwayne Follette is and that’s been a blessing for Plymouth North baseball.

All-Scholastic players come and go, yet Follette annually has the Eagles in the hunt. Despite losing numerous starters from last year’s Division 2 state championship baseball squad, the Hall of Fame coach has Plymouth North sailing along with a 14-2 record.

“It’s been a real good season so far,” Follette said. “We’re not a dominant team like we were last year. In five of our wins, we had to come from behind late in the game. Against Pembroke, they took a 2-1 lead in the seventh and our guys put together four hits to win, 3-2.”

Plymouth North returned just two everyday starters, but they happened to be two star players at vital positions: shortstop Matt Nardone and center fielder Will Novak. Both of those guys came up huge in the postseason, supplying timely hitting and stellar defense.

One of the big surprises has been Connor McLeish. The junior catcher has stepped in nicely, working with an inexperienced pitching staff to get the job.

“Connor does a good job behind the plate,” Follette said. “He’s got a really good throwing arm, no one can automatically run on him. With Connor, Matt and Will, we are really strong up the middle.”

Left-handed pitcher Danny Kenney has emerged as the latest No. 1 star in Follette’s pitching rotation. Rhys Adair, Liam Pearson and Rian Gardner have provided the Eagles with quality innings game in and game out.

The players may change over the years and Follette has admitted that he’s changed with the times as well. He’s more at ease with putting things in its proper perspective.

“I think I am much a much different coach now that I am a grandfather,” Follette said with a chuckle. “For me, it’s more important that the kids on our team go on to become good kids. It’s not all about winning as much as it is about making sure our kids are happy and we can provide them with a positive experience.”

As he closes in on season No. 31 and 500 wins, Follette has no desire to step away from the sport any time soon.

“I’ve got a great family that supports what I do,” Follette said. “I’m lucky to have three great kids and my wife (Dori) works at the school. It’s been a great ride for me.”

One that doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon.

St. John Paul rolling

With a solid nucleus returning from a 16-6 team, St. John Paul entered the 2025 season feeling optimistic. The Lions have lived up to the early hype, winning their first 15 games before an 8-4 loss to Fairhaven last Wednesday.

“We really didn’t make any predictions or anything of that nature,” said St. John Paul coach Mike Young. “We knew coming into the season that this was a veteran group and most of our starters are juniors and seniors. They are a high character group of young men who work hard and they are seeing the fruitions of that hard work right now.”

The strength of the squad lies in a talented and deep pitching staff which allowed just 18 runs in 15 games prior to the Fairhaven loss. The rotation is led by Saint Anselm-bound Tyler Ross and future Naval Academy recruit Brian Mancinelli. BC High transfer Xavier Suero round out the starting rotation, while the trio of Logan Our, Colin Buckley and Henry Roy have been solid coming out of the bullpen.

The offense has cracked double-digits in 10 games fueled in large part by Our at the top of the order. He is batting close to .600 with 20 stolen bases. Mancinelli has excelled in the cleanup spot, hitting .500 and leading the team in RBI. Buckley and Ryan are the No. 2 and 3 hitters in the lineup, while Brandon Gomes is hitting .430 in the five-hole.

“The big focus was on limiting strikeouts,” said Young, who played on the school’s first state baseball title in 2014. “The emphasis was on putting the ball in play and everyone from 1-9 in the lineup has worked hard on doing that.”

Softball perfection?

Heading into the home stretch, there aren’t many softball teams who entered the past weekend with a perfect record. Here is a look at those who haven’t lost yet.

Division 1 power Taunton (15-0) appears to be well on its way to yet another state title, averaging more than 10 runs a game and allowing just 13 runs to date. Springfield Central (15-0) and Medford (9-0) both are ranked in the mid-20s in the latest Div. 1 power rankings.

In Div. 3, Tantasqua (14-0) is ranked in the top five. Uxbridge (15-0) is second in Div. 4, while Monomoy (13-0) checks in at No. 18. Lenox (15-0) is ranked seventh in Div. 5, while Excel (11-0) is in the lower half of the bracket.