By Michael Letendre  

When a sports reporter from a leading newspaper (BP) once asked what town the McCabe-Waters Pirates were from at the conclusion of a Bristol Little League Baseball City Series game on August 17, 2015, a little whippersnapper from the winning squad had the answer of all answers:  

“Toronto!”   

That quote came from a young man by the name of Andrew Lozier as he had just pitched his Pirates to a 9-3 victory against the Edgewood A’s. 

That was about six years before Lozier’s senior season at Bristol Eastern and it was that wit – along with a boatload of ability – that made the outstanding all-around athlete a star on the diamond for the Lancers this year.  

And just last week, Lozier was named to the 2021 Class L CHSCA All-State Baseball Team.  

It was a tremendous and well-deserved honor for the senior standout. 

“Andrew making the all-state team is so deserving,” said Eastern coach Steve Gaudet. “He worked so hard the past two years to make himself into an all-state hitter. Andrew led the team in average, hits, RBI’s and home runs.”   

Lozier, the heart and soul of the Eastern team, helped orchestrate an amazing comeback this season after a tough 0-7 start by the Lancers.  

He was one of the few athletes on the squad who played varsity ball in 2019 – under then coach Mike Giovinazzo – and simply exploded out of the gate from the plate as a senior.  

And as the regular season concluded in May, it was his pitching that helped Eastern get to the pay window over and over.  

This is a guy every team craves as his enthusiasm is infectious and he simply won’t quit until the final out has been recorded.  

Lozier’s batting average nearly reached .400 for the season while he drilled five of Eastern’s six home runs.  

Overall, the senior batted .396 which included 11 hits for extra bases – making himself an easy pick for All-State honors.  

“It feels good,” said Lozier of the honor. “I worked hard all winter. It was a grind all winter and it was my goal [to earn All-State] from the beginning. It’s nice to finally nice to be where I wanted to be.” 

Lozier was absolutely on fire to start the season at the plate, going 17-of-32 for a sweet .531 average over his first 12 games.  

He padded his stats with three doubles, three triples, and those five home runs – all team-leading totals at Eastern.  

In fact, Lozier accounted for over 42-percent of his squad’s extra-base hits in 2021.   

His on-base percentage of .568 was augmented by 20 walks while he collected 21 hits and 23 RBI, leading the squad in all those categories. 

He also added four sacrifice flies and four stolen bases over a very busy campaign.  

Lozier also dominated on the mound and late in the season, he was extremely tough to get a hit off.   

“He also led the team in wins on the mound,” said Gaudet. “He pitched four complete games to finish out the year, and won three of them, and the one loss was in the state tournament where he only gave up two hits [at Woodstock].”   

After an 0-2 start to the season, Lozier muscled his way to three straight victories from the hill as he quickly began piling up complete game efforts.  

He went 3-3 overall with a 4.17 ERA – well below the team average this year.  

Lozier pitched over 40 innings this year, allowing just 24 earned runs while fanning 23.  

Out of the 43 hits he allowed, only six went for extra bases as he made all the big pitches for his squad.  

Lozier was a defensive standout at shortstop and when he had to pitch, he was one of the top fielding pitchers in all the Central Connecticut Conference.  

And then there was the leadership aspect that he brought to every game, whether it was on the diamond or at the dish.  

He commanded respect from teammates and opponents alike and when the pressure was at its highest and there were ducks on the pond, Lozier was the man Eastern turned to – whether he was playing in Bristol…or Toronto.   

“Andrew was the leader of this team on and off the field, and he was such a great player to work with in my first season as head coach,” said Gaudet. “We all will miss Andrew next year.”  

Andrew Lozier – Game Log Highlights  

Batting  

*Opened the season with zest, going 3-of-4 from the plate over a tough 8-6 loss at Maloney. Lozier smacked out two triples and scored three times in the showdown against the Spartans.  

*Went a blazing 2-for-2 with two home runs, three runs scored and four RBI in Eastern’s 12-8 loss to Berlin on April 12.  

*In that first wacky loss at Plainville on April 24, went 1-of-2 with a double, three walks and three RBI as Eastern fell to the Blue Devils, 11-10.  

*Over a tough 7-5 loss to South Windsor on May 3, he posted three hits (in four at-bats), including a home run and three RBI.  

*Homered against Southington on May 7 – his fifth HR of the season – as he went 3-for-3 with a walk and a season-high tying four RBI in that 9-4 defeat to the top-rated Knights.  

*Had a hand in Eastern’s wild 11-10 win over Plainville from Muzzy Field on May 21, going 1-for-3 with two walks and an RBI.  

*In his final game of his scholastic career, posted two hits – including a triple – as the Lancers fell to Woodstock Academy by a 3-1 final in the first round of CIAC Class L play.  

Pitching  

*Threw at least six innings over five of his final six games, with the last four contests seeing Lozier go the distance.  

*In the victory against Platt on May 13, he allowed just two earned runs on three hits as he went all seven innings of Eastern’s 6-4 win.  

*Lozier sank Lewis Mills by a 5-3 final on May 19 – once again going the distance – while giving up seven hits and two earned runs, punching out three.  

*Then to help sweep Bristol Central, the senior allowed the Rams just one earned run, spacing seven hits, as Eastern defeated its crosstown rival by a 3-2 tally to earn the program its seventh and final victory of the year.  

*To wrap up the season, in a complete game gem against No. 4 Woodstock, Lozier allowed the Centaurs just two hits to go along with four Ks but Eastern fell by a 3-1 push in first round CIAC Class L play.  

*Fanned a career-high four batters in three games this season while yielding just nine base-on-balls over his final 36.1 innings pitched.  

2021 Class L CHSCA All-State Baseball Team 

Harrison Barnes, Woodstock 

Jean Colon, Hillhouse/Career 

Anthony DePino, Hand 

Zak Droukas, Brookfield 

Jackson Ferrigno, Farmington 

Kam Hartenstein, Maloney 

Andrew Lozier, Bristol Eastern 

Tyler Kipp, Masuk 

Drew Martin, Brookfield 

Jason Mazzaro, North Haven 

Cam McGugan, Fitch 

Gianno Merlonghi, Masuk 

Kenny Miller, New London 

Dan Orzech, RHAM 

Owen Pincince, North Haven 

Daniel Rodriguez, Bethel 

Isaac Rosario, Windsor 

Matt Scott, Barlow