CUMBERLAND, R.I. (WPRI) — This week’s Cardi’s Furniture & Mattresses Hometown Sports Hero is Michael Bradshaw.
The Senior picked up his 6th win of the season, Cumberland’s sixth straight win, an 8-1 victory over Mt. Hope. The righty now has 14 wins over the last two seasons as the Clipper ace.
“His intensity, and his focus,” said Cumberland Head Coach Jared Cardoso. “He’s got high energy, but it’s one of those where he doesn’t want to know his pitch count, or anything like that. Because his plan every day is to go the distance no matter what. Put the team on his back and do everything he can to win.”
Baseball was the first sport he picked at age 4 and he developed by climbing through all the Cumberland Youth programs.
“Baseball is the sport in Cumberland, you grow up wanting to play baseball for Cumberland High School,” Bradshaw said. “The Cumberland Little League teams, teams going to Williamsport, teams going to Bristol, that’s what your goal is. We’re held to a high standard and it’s great. I love it.”
Bradshaw will continue his career at the Division I level at Merrimack, but his main focus is to help the Clippers clinch the top spot in their Division and make a run at their first State Title since 1993.
“Really excited to see him go on to Merrimack,” Cardoso said. “We have a little unfinished business here, so I know he has his eyes set on that, but then all Summer long, he’s going to work his tail off and go on and try to prove a point at the next level as well.”
“You know we’ve been playing together since we were 7-8 years old, played Little League together, North Cumberland Middle School, we were one win away from a State Title, and now it’s our last ride together.”
If you have a Hometown Sports Hero you’d like to nominate, email sports@wpri.com.
