CLAREMONT — Bill Bundy has certainly paid his dues to the Stevens High baseball program.
The 1992 Stevens graduate was a captain for the Cardinals and has stayed in Claremont for his entire adult life, coaching at the recreational and junior high levels before joining his alma mater’s staff as the junior varsity head coach and a varsity assistant.
So when longtime coach Paul Silva stepped aside after 15 seasons to focus on coaching the Cardinals’ football team, Bundy was a natural choice to replace him.
“I don’t know if there are any guarantees, but I have definitely put my time in,” Bundy said. “I ran Babe Ruth leagues; we put a varsity baseball team together for the summer, and I ran that. I would like to think I was next in line. I think I’m the right guy for the job.”
Bundy has his work cut out for him in his first season — this is Stevens’ third and final year playing in NHIAA Division II, where the Cardinals are one of the smallest schools, before they transition back to Division III next year, where they will be one of the largest. Stevens just missed the playoffs in 2019, its first year in Division II, then went 8-6 and lost in the first round in the pandemic-shortened 2021 season.
The Cardinals have lost their first two games this year, a 6-2 defeat at defending state champion John Stark last Thursday and a 14-0, six-inning defeat to Bow in their home opener on Monday. In both games, giving out free bases and leaving too many runners on did Stevens in.
“You’re going up against larger schools, and with all the sports that Stevens does offer, you’re competing for athletes within the school,” athletic director Doug Beaupre said. “It’s not like some of the smaller schools, where you just have maybe track for boys in the spring.”
Bundy said the Cardinals’ roster size relative to the rest of Division II especially hurts them when it comes to pitching depth. Stevens has four pitchers, including Bundy’s son Zack, a senior who threw a complete game against John Stark. Junior Ty Theriault went the first four innings against Bow, with senior Sean Adams struggling mightily in relief.
Zack Bundy has been coached by his father ever since tee ball, but he said his dad doesn’t coach him any differently from his teammates.
“He’s really on you on the mechanics,” Zack Bundy said. “He’s going to pound ground balls at you, and he’s really hard on that. He’s preaching defense, and we just got a new pitching machine, so we’re hitting all the time.”
The coach is also the father of Stevens sophomore Kiley Bundy, a multi-sport standout who played varsity soccer, basketball and softball as a freshman. She led the Cardinals in scoring this winter in basketball and also plays AAU ball with the New England Jayhawks.
Bill Bundy still talks frequently with Silva, who he said is a frequent presence at games and scrimmages. Silva has been helping his successor navigate his new responsibilities, from planning practices to watching pitch counts to tracking statistics.
Now that Bundy has the job he has long coveted, he plans to stick around long-term, already building relationships with the kids playing in the Claremont recreational and junior high programs who may play for him in the coming years.
“I waited a long time to get this job,” Bundy said. “We’re going to battle in Division II this year and do the best we can, and we’d love to get out of here .500 and make something happen.”
Benjamin Rosenberg can be reached at brosenberg@vnews.com.