With a combined 15 years of experience on the team, Andover Baseball’s Co-Captains Tim Salvadore ’15, Thomas Lane ’15, Matt Hosman ’15 and John Festa ’15 bring thousands of at-bats and pitches of experience to a deep lineup and rotation.
The Co-Captains quartet all hail from Massachusetts and each supports an important piece of Andover Baseball’s framework. Salvadore and Lane comprise half of Andover’s star-studded and Division I-bound pitching rotation, while Hosman starts at third base and Festa in left field.
While having four Co-Captains is unusual, they each complement each other and combine to be one strong voice of leadership.
Salvadore wrote in an email to The Phillipian, “I think having four Captains is an advantage. Each day we all have something different to contribute, and when one is having an off day the others can step it up. The entire team is a family this year, and I mean that. I know that [Hosman, Lane, Festa] and I don’t think of ourselves as better than the others; we are all equal. As a family we work best. I wouldn’t change a thing about this year’s team. We would go to war for each other.”
The leadership extends even beyond the four Captains as well, as they are part of a big group of Seniors on the team.
Head Coach Kevin Graber said, “Collectively, I would say that they’re part of an amazing Senior class. Three of them, [Hosman, Lane, Salvadore] have been with the Varsity baseball team and with me for four years, and [Festa] has been with the team for three years. They’ve all had a taste of success and got a taste of success and winning right off the bat. This group of Seniors is one of the strongest ones we’ve had in my seven years here.”
In addition to their important positions in the field, Festa and Hosman are consistent bats in Andover’s lineup.
Lane added, “Our group of Captains is a special one as we all lead in very different ways. I think the mixture of leadership qualities between the four of us benefits our team greatly. All four of us have the same goal, and we are very active in our pursuit of a championship. So far this year, I love what I have seen from the team. We bring energy to every single at-bat and that is apparent when you watch us play. Everybody on the team is into the game, and we all want success for one another. Being around the guys on the team is very fun, and the energy we bring every day is really exciting for our future.”
For the Captains, it is their last season playing for Andover Baseball, and they wish to end it on a strong note.
Lane wrote in an email to The Phillipian, “This season is one that I’ve been looking forward to for a while. We have a lot of talented, hard-working players on the team that all really care about the game. We’re all extremely excited for the opportunities we have this season. Winning a league championship is our ultimate goal, and I think it benefits us to have a group of returning players on the team that have done so before.”
Lane, Hosman, Salvadore and Festa will continue to lead the way as Andover plays BB&N on Friday.
