Hartford’s Jordy Allard. (Valley News - Tris Wykes)
Hartford’s Jordy Allard. (Valley News - Tris Wykes)


White River Junction — Hartford High senior Jordy Allard has areas in which he’ll have to improve as he prepares for college baseball this fall. Social media awareness might be one of them.

Athletic director Jeff Moreno made the news obvious with an announcement in the wake of Thursday night’s 4-0 Hartford shutout of Rice in a Vermont Division I tournament opener at the Maxfield Sports Complex. Allard, however, admitted surprise when friends informed him on Tuesday that he’d been named the Vermont Gatorade baseball player of the year.

“One of my friends texted me in the morning, and they were like, ‘Congratulations,’ ” Allard said after tossing a three-hitter with 17 strikeouts to eliminate the 13th-seeded Green Knights (6-11). “I was like, ‘On what?’ They were like, ‘Have you checked Twitter? Have you checked any social media?’

“So they sent me a screen shot of the video that Hudl put out, and it said, ‘Congrats, Jordy Allard, on Gatorade player of the year.’ I’m just shocked and speechless. It’s just an amazing feeling.”

Few in Vermont high school baseball can produce better numbers this spring than Allard, a Woodstock resident who has tuitioned to Hartford for four years since graduating from Canaan’s Cardigan Mountain School in 2013. Thursday’s win brought the Hurricane right-hander’s season record to 7-0, with 78 strikeouts against just eight hits and two walks in 39⅓ innings. He owns an earned-run average of 0.18.

Allard can get through most high school lineups relying on a diet of fastballs and sliders. He will continue working on other pitches in the coming weeks when he rejoins White River Junction Post 84 for the Vermont American Legion campaign in advance of his departure for Southern New Hampshire University this autumn.

His senior high school season has also brought about change. Hartford coach Jarrod Grassi relied upon Allard as a closer the last two years, but graduation losses made an evolution to starter inevitable.

“We knew this year we were going to have a pretty good pitching staff with Dylan (Spencer) and Hunter (Perkins) also,” Allard said. “They put me out there on opening day, and I just continued to thrive while I was starting. It’s a different mindset, but I definitely like it.”

Grassi likes the fact that Allard rarely gets himself in trouble on the bump.

“He’s been good on the mound since his freshman year,” Grassi said. “Now that he’s been stretched out all year, he’s just dominated. He’s given up just one run. … He doesn’t hurt himself. He doesn’t walk guys. And the thing that makes him special is that when he makes a mistake or they get a couple of bloops and get a couple of guys on, he’s got the ability to get out without them putting the ball in play. And that’s huge.”

Allard also has starred for Hartford’s soccer and hockey programs for the bulk of his four high school years, but baseball has always been his first love. Although he doesn’t live in the Hartford School District, Allard’s parents made it possible for him to continue playing with teammates with whom he’s partnered since the age of 12.

“It’s really (about) individual skill, but not only individual, everyone has to play well,” Allard said of baseball’s appeal. “The next individual has to do well, and then the next individual has to do well. And if one fails, you have to pick him up.”

Allard is the sixth athlete in Hartford history to receive a Gatorade award and the first from baseball. Football has produced four (Michael Dulac, 2013; Mick Wong, 2009; Teddy Mock, 2003; Randy St. Peter, 1996), while girls basketball has provided one (Sarah Illingworth, 2012).

The fourth-seeded Hurricanes (11-3) overcame their propensity for leaving runners on base — 14 on the night — by using a four-run fourth inning to get the victory.

Riley Packard and Tyler Hamilton sandwiched singles around a Rice throwing error on a Nicholas Wright sacrifice bunt to load the bases on Green Knight pitcher Griffin McDermott. Spencer singled in a run before Perkins’ ringing double to right-center plated in two, with a perfect throw home narrowly catching Spencer for an out. Allard, a .463 hitter entering the night, then doubled to deep left-center to score Perkins for the 4-0 lead.

Rice’s only scoring threat came in the first. Dylan Beyor doubled, stole third and tried to score on a passed ball, but catcher Kyle Hamilton relayed to Allard for the out to close the frame. Only four other Knights reached base on Allard, who struck out the side three times and fanned every Rice batter at least once. The senior finished with 79 strikes on 103 pitches.

He will not, however, be available to throw in tonight’s quarterfinal with No. 12 Brattleboro back at Maxfield. Grassi said southpaw Perkins, who has battled shoulder issues this season, likely will start, with Spencer the first option as a reliever. Game time is 7 p.m.

Greg Fennell can be reached at gfennell@vnews.com or 603-727-3226.