By Matt Hylen

With the 2026 season right around the corner, the Natick High School Baseball team will look to build off last year and reach new heights. 

Led by Manager Jason Hoye, the team’s expectations are high after what was a 14-9 season.

“We had a really great year last season,” Hoye said. “They worked really hard and they put themselves in a position to compete with the top-notch competition.”

Reflecting on last year, Hoye believes a lot of positives can be brought over into the upcoming season. “We showed last year that we can really hang with anybody,” he explains. “The question has never been the talent on this team.”

Speaking of talent, the team will be led by a number of senior players, including five captains: Catcher Alex Jacques, Shortstop Cam Gobeille, and Outfielders Luke Dougherty, Braeden Homer, and Jack Weierman.

Hoye believes the senior leadership, captain or not, will be crucial coming into the season. “We have expectations of our seniors that are not captains to be senior leaders as well,” he explains.

The Natick skipper pointed to players such as Cole Miceli, Max Bonavire, Gavin Weddle, Alan Steinman, Landon Sullivan, Will Wright, Henry Kinchla, Brauer Malcom, Jesse Gagliardi, and Henry Claudio all as players that could make a serious impact in terms of leadership on and off the field.

As for the season itself, the team has made sure to spend their offseason working as hard as possible to prepare for what’s ahead. “They know the competition level and what it takes to get to the playoffs,” Hoye explains. “I think the guys are chomping at the bit and they’re ready to go now.’’

Hoye is confident in his players, knowing this year could be a huge one for everyone involved. That being said, Hoye emphasized the importance of remaining focused on one game at a time.

“The motivation and talent level is there…This group is as poised and ready to go as any group we’ve ever had here,” Hoye said. “But we have to be mindful. I just don’t want to let that excitement build into us, losing sight of what we need to do each day. It’s great to be excited, but we all know we still have a lot of work to do to get to where we want to be.”

With a team that is so senior-heavy, Hoye also acknowledged the challenge of the natural distractions that come with being a senior. 

“Spring is always super tough in that way. So one of the challenges we’re going to have to navigate is making sure they stay focused while enjoying the events the seniors will have in the spring.”

Running the bases. Photo courtesy Faisal Betti

Throughout his time coaching for Natick, building connections with his players has always been something Hoye tries his best to do.

“I work in the building every day, which I am fortunate to do,” Hoye discusses. “So I am able to see them in the hallways every day and check in on how they are and how classes are going. They’re not just baseball players to me, they’re young men that I care about deeply and want to see succeed in all aspects of life.”

Hoye’s hands-off approach to coaching stands out as quite unique and a big contributor to the success of his teams. He said, “Ultimately, it’s their team. It’s their experience. My job is not to get in the way of what they are trying to do, but rather to help them steer it. Of course, there are boundaries a coach and his players have to draw, but at the same time, it’s important to listen to the players, who are the pulse of this team.”

With the season just a few months away, time will tell what the 2026 season will look like for Natick Baseball. Yet, regardless of the result, Hoye hopes that the players are able to remember why they started to play the game in the first place.

I want to make sure they have a blast out there playing for themselves and each other… because at the end of the day, it’s just a game. So I hope they have as much fun playing as I do coaching them. We as a team have to make things fun, but also compete our tails off at any given moment.”

Natick will begin its season against King Philip Regional on Friday, March 20.