Jul. 23—Two years ago, he was a raw rookie and the youngest member of the Kingston Night Owls of the North Shore Baseball League.
He was, in fact, still playing for the Haverhill Post 4 American Legion team that summer, squeezing in as many baseball games as he could between the two teams.
And now, Haverhill’s Kyle O’Neill is still with the Night Owls, but he’s got so much more experience as the team’s starting third baseman that he’s almost like a grizzled veteran.
“He’s matured so much as a player and plays with more confidence,” said Night Owls head coach Paul Sartori. “When he first started, he wouldn’t go for a lot of balls in the hole — he’d leave them for (shortstop) Nick (Comei).
“Now he goes for everything and, when he gets it, he’s got a gun for an arm.”
O’Neill, who played mostly shortstop growing up and still plays there for Wentworth Institute of Technology — where he just completed his junior year — agrees that he’s become a more complete third baseman.
“I’m more aggressive going to the ball and I’m definitely playing the position with more confidence,” he said.
Offensively, O’Neill has become a dependable bat in the order, hitting a consistent .306, far better than the .228 he hit this past spring for Wentworth.
“It was a tough season at Wentworth,” said O’Neill. “We had COVID cases, so we had to take a lot of breaks. It made for a choppy season. It was hard to get in a groove.
“(Then) one of my friends at Wentworth was talking about hitting and he gave me some suggestions. I’ve been following them. Plus, I’ve been seeing the ball really well.”
Sartori has certainly noticed and, when you put everything together, said: “There are a lot of good third basemen in our league but, for my money, Kyle is the best.”
Part of the explanation for O’Neill’s greater consistency at the plate could be just that the team plays home games at Haverhill Stadium, his home field while at Haverhill High as well as with Post 4. His last year with Post 4 (2019), he hit a team-leading .364.
O’Neill will be a senior at Wentworth next year and he figures that, even with another year of eligibility available due to COVID, it will be his last collegiate season.
But his tenure with the Night Owls should continue for quite some time.
“I definitely plan on playing a few more summers,” said O’Neill. “We’ve won (the NSBL championship) every year I’ve been there. I kind of expect it and that’s a good feeling.”
And it’s a good feeling for Sartori knowing that O’Neill will be sticking around.
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Five ex-Hillies
There are five former Haverhill High players on the Kingston Night Owls this summer and they’re all playing a key role.
In addition to third baseman Kyle O’Neill are veteran Nick Comei, who is widely accepted as the premier shortstop in the league, pitchers Evan Penney and Tyler McDonald and utility player Nick Skafas.
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“There are a lot of good third baseman in our league but, for my money, Kyle is the best.”
Night Owls’ coach Paul Sartori