On the trail of Troy

The Waltham Connie Mack tournament team is headed to the Rhode Island border this weekend looking to book a return trip to upstate New York.

Waltham coach Brooks Cranmer seems pretty confident about his squad's ability to get there as well.

``I think this team is a little better than last year's team,'' he judged, ``which is a team we ended up winning that (New England) tournament with.''

Waltham will take part in the New England Regional Connie Mack tourney in Blackstone and Upton starting with tonight's 5:30 game at Nipmuc Regional. The rest of the double-elimination tourney will take place at either Nipmuc or Blackstone's Roosevelt Park with the winner's bracket bound for Blackstone.

``We are starting at Nipmuc,'' Cranmer said. ``If we lose, we stay at Nipmuc. But I don't intend on staying there long.''

The winner of this weekend's tourney is bound for the Northeast Regionals in Troy, N.Y. starting next Thursday.

Cranmer seems to have good reason for optimism. The squad is stacked with players from this spring's Greater Boston League champion Waltham High team with some help from Newton and surrounding towns.

In a recent scrimmage, Waltham beat the New England host Blackstone team, 22-5, at Jake Dennis Field. Cranmer has held only one other practice, but doesn't anticipate there being any problem with the players getting used to each other on the field.

``They've been playing high school baseball, now Connie Mack, and some of them have been playing different Legion teams,'' he said. ``They are all pretty adept with the bats and what they need to do.''

The team includes 2008 Tribune Player of the Year Steve Hopkins, as well as Tribune All-Stars Chaz Agrillo, Ivan Colon and P.J. Bandini. Waltham High varsity players Phil Terrasi and Will Whittemore are also on the squad, along with Nick Cranmer, John McGrath, Keith Roop, James Auditore, Steve Cobb and Cameron Owens.

Coach Cranmer said there will likely be two or three additional players on the team as it heads to Blackstone this afternoon.

Waltham is slated for one game tonight with the following schedule determined by how it fares in either the winner's or loser's bracket. The championship games will be played Sunday with the winner's bracket survivor facing the loser's bracket survivor at 1 p.m. A second game, if necessary, will be at 3 p.m.

``We don't know too much about the other teams but they are usually all pretty good,'' Cranmer said. ``We have won this the last two years. We won our first game last year (in Troy, N.Y.) against New Jersey, which was a pretty big thrill for these kids. Hopefully, we can beat a couple of more teams here and then head back.''

With solid pitching options and a team stacked with players who mostly hit over .300 in wood-bat leagues this spring, Cranmer knows his squad has promise.

``Throw strikes, play good defense and not let the other team get into our heads,'' he said of the keys to victory.