Astros’ Horne commits to VCU
Pinkerton Academy infielder Brendan Horne announced over the weekend that he has committed to play at Virginia Commonwealth.
The middle infielder had originally committed to Vanderbilt back in 2023.
Horne, who has played in three Division I state finals for the Astros and won a pair, batted .301 with 14 homers and 14 RBIs last spring for the Astros.
He joins Pinkerton senior classmates Leo Boucher, who signed to play at Penn State; and both Preston Libby and John Hanlon, who are heading to Husson.
Doyle now at Tennessee
And while we are on the subject of Pinkerton Academy baseball, lightning-armed lefty Liam Doyle, who pitched as a freshman at Coastal Carolina and then at Ole Miss as a sophomore, will stay in the Southeastern Conference this spring.
Doyle is now one of the top arms on the Tennessee staff.
The two-time Eagle-Tribune Baseball Player of the Year is one of six Vols on Major League Baseball’s list of “Top 100” prospects for the 2025 draft.
Doyle struck out 84 in 55 innings for Ole Miss last spring, posting a 3-4 mark with a 5.73 ERA.
NECC hoopster turns pro
Northern Essex Community product and Central Catholic grad Daniel Almarante has signed his first pro contract in Germany with the Eisbaren Bremerhaven.
Almarante had been working on his undergrad degree in Spain while playing for Madrid in the Spanish National League.
Lawrence’s Almarante, a point guard who earned all-Region 21 honorable mention status for coach Darren Stratton’s Knights in 2022, is one of the great stories in our region.
In high school, he was a wrestling captain for Central Catholic.
My apologies, Raiders
Hey, we all make mistakes, right?
Sending a sincere apology out to coach Chuck Adamopoulos and the Central football team, who for some reason I ignored in Sunday’s “Under the Lights” as the last Merrimack Valley Conference football team to play in the Super Bowl.
The Raiders made the Super Bowl with standout QB Ayden Pereira in 2021, falling to Springfield Central in the title game.
As mentioned in the note on Sunday, four teams from the old “North Sectional” made the Super Bowl in 2021. For some reason, I had counted Central, but not included them.
So, I’m sorry, Raiders.
And finally …
What is up with the sudden swell of popularity for former Patriots offensive coordinator and twice-failed NFL head coach Josh McDaniels to return to Foxborough to take over the Patriots’ offense.
I get it. He lives in Westwood, and owner Bob Kraft likes him.
But why should we?
McDaniels, unless you count his building Mac Jones into the fourth alternate for the AFC team in the 2020 Pro Bowl, has never succeeded with a quarterback not named Tom Brady.
He failed in Denver miserably, and he was run out of town in Las Vegas.
You can make the case that as the St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator in 2011, McDaniels broke Sam Bradford in his second year as a pro.
He’s the last person — short of Joe Judge and Matt Patricia — that I want to be anywhere near Drake Maye.
So, please, look elsewhere Patriots. I’m begging you.