There have been two constants for the Bishop Hendricken baseball team over the past three seasons: winning a state championship and Dante Baldelli playing center field. 

Baldelli is this year’s Beacon Baseball Player of the Year after a season in which the senior captain capped his career with a third varsity crown. 

Batting out of the leadoff spot, Baldelli sparked the Hawks’ offense with his consistency and patient hitting. 

“He had a great year for us,” Hendricken head coach Ed Holloway said. “His stats were really good. The only low spot were his RBIs, but I felt he was our best hitter so I put him at the top of our lineup. But his runs scored, his on-base percentage, everything was good. Off the top of my head, I think he hit .409 and he chased down everything in center field.” 

This season, Baldelli was the biggest name returning on Hendricken’s roster, and he didn’t disappoint. 

During his sophomore and junior years, Baldelli played alongside stars such as Gian Martellini, John Toppa and John Willette. This year, Baldelli was Hendricken’s top player and he got the recognition he deserved. 

“The first two years he played, he was very good too, but he had stars ahead of him so he kind of got overshadowed,” Holloway said. “Those years we had Gian and John Toppa and on and on. This year was his time to shine and be our star out there. I was happy for him that he had a great senior year.”

Baldelli will continue his baseball career at Boston College next year, where he’ll be reunited with former teammate Martellini. 

He’ll become an Eagle after helping Hendricken to its 19th, 20th and 21st state crowns. 

“It’s unreal, I think this is the first time ever for a five-peat for baseball,” Baldelli said after the title-clinching game against South Kingstown. “We couldn’t ask for a better last five years for the program. All of the teams that we’ve had, it has just been unreal playing for Hendricken.” 

-M.M.

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