Baseball was one of many sports that Brady Wajda played as a youngster growing up in Hopedale, but now, as he nears his final few months as a Blue Raider, the senior is hoping to be able to capitalize on his last baseball season.

T-Ball was definitely part of his life beginning at the age of six, but baseball wasn’t  the only sport he was looking at.

“At that age, I was playing everything that I could trying to find out what sport I liked and where I best fit in,” Wajda said. “Overall, I’d basically do anything for my team; I just wanted to find a way to get on the field.”

Upon entering the Hopedale Jr/Sr High School, Wajda had his interests cut down to two sports: baseball and golf with baseball taking the top spot. During his first year, he would play for the freshman team, but when he returned the following year he was set on trying out for a position on the varsity squad. 

Wajda made the varsity team as a sophomore and when the coach asked him if he had ever played first base, he could positively answer yes. Wajda would primarily be a DH that season but would also see occasional play as the team’s back-up first baseman. With minimal playing time that season, Wajda batted .383 with 23 hits and 19 RBI.

“Having played the position, I was given the opportunity to show what I had,” Wajda said. “I was more of a DH that year and saw my plate appearances coming lower in the lineup. I worked hard to move my way up the lineup and eventually found myself hitting from the clean-up position.” These days, he hits third for Hopedale.

While getting his chance that season, Wajda just wanted to get onto the field and have fun. He wanted to meet his teammates and find out about them while staying humble to himself – he just wanted to play baseball.

The biggest highlight of his young career came against Milford, a top-notch baseball team, when he went 3-3 at the plate with 3 RBI. It was this game that not only boosted his confidence at the plate, but helped him realize he could probably play the game of baseball on the next level. 

As a junior, he would once again see time in the field but his time on the mound would also increase, and he would move up to the team’s number two pitcher. 

“He’s been doing a great job for us since his sophomore season; that year he played a lot of first base while only pitching 10 innings for us,” Hopedale Coach Kevin Bresciani said. “During his junior year, he was moved up to where he pitched 40 innings and stepped into a larger role. He was definitely a big part of us getting to the Final 4 that year.”

That season the Blue Raiders went 13-7 and were awarded the number four seed in the Division 5 State Tournament. Hopedale would defeat Hull, Carver and Ware before eventually falling to Pioneer Valley, the number one seed , in the Final 4. At the plate, the junior had 19 hits and 220 RBI. When he took to the mound that campaign, he allowed 31 hits and 13 earned runs over 40 innings of work, while striking out 35 batters and walking 12, posting a 2.28 ERA. 

“That year, I had success on the mound,” Wajda said. “I’d go out there, keep my head down, throw hard and just be myself.”

With the extra work that he received pitching that year, he set a goal for himself to work harder and make himself better for his team as well as himself. As his senior season began, he found that he was named the team’s top hurler, however he was having some problems with his efficiency; something he believed was in his head mentally and just needed to do his job and regain his confidence.

“As the team’s ace, there was definitely pressure on him to succeed,” he said. “I wanted to go out and support my team on the mound, but as a captain, I also wanted to be a good role model to the younger players.”

Bresciani noted that, although Wajda had taken over the number one spot and was seeing more of the tougher teams, he was still giving the team an opportunity to compete, as well as a fighting chance to walk away with a win.

Last year, while playing for his club team, the Northeast Longhorns (out of Holliston), Wajda and his teammates were playing in a tournament near the end of the season. The Hopedale athlete was pitching when a handful of college coaches happened to be at the game. A few days later, he was contacted by Lasalle University in Newton to come to a prospect camp.

“After the camp, Lasalle called me and told me I had a presence on the mound and a good fit for the [Division 3] school,” he said. “While it will once again be a different environment, much like my sophomore year at Hopedale, I am going to give it my all and work hard.”

The team opened the year with a slow start and found themselves sitting at 3-6 at the time of this writing, but according to the Hopedale coach, they have been involved in some winnable games that could have gone either way. Wajda has been given the majority of the stronger teams and thus, through 21 innings, has allowed 19 hits and 7 earned runs, while striking out 27 and walking 16. Over that time, the now-senior has gone 1-1 with a few no decisions and a 2.33 ERA.

“Brady has been a great player for Hopedale and over his years he’s continued to improve and I’m sure he’ll take the same trajectory in college,” Bresciani said. “He will be a good fit for Lasalle.”

Although Wajda has everything lined up following his high school graduation, the senior and his teammates still have work to do on the diamond. The Blue Raiders are hoping they can go out and play good baseball the remainder of the season and end on a high note. If they can turn things around, and earn themselves another high seed in the Division 5 Tournament, Wajda and his teammates firmly believe they can make some noise and go deep into the tournament.