By MICHAEL PARENTE

Sports writer

Suffield Academy’s best football player is packing his bags for another new challenge next fall.

Story by Michael ParenteAfter an outstanding season on the gridiron, Brett Hereth — a former two-sport athlete at Burrillville High School — is transferring to Stonehill College in August to pursue his baseball career.
Hereth led Suffield with 209 receiving yards and three touchdowns this season in addition to his role as a linebacker, and was named the team’s Most Outstanding Player, but he’s leaving behind football to play shortstop for the Division II Skyhawks under head coach Patrick Boen.
“Baseball has always been my favorite sport,” said Hereth, who helped lead the Broncos to their first state title in 42 years as a senior last season. “I went to a game at Stonehill this year, and it’s a beautiful campus. Everything looked nice. They have a lot of stuff that’s brand new and the coach is really nice.
“It feels like a good fit.”
Hereth has also played an important role on Suffield’s baseball team this season. The 6-foot-0, 185-pound shortstop went 2-for-2, scored three runs and stole four bases in a 7-4 victory over Cheshire on April 16. A week later, he scored twice and stole home in a 8-2 win against Millbrook. Suffield entered the weekend with a 10-2 record in the Western New England Prep Baseball League with two regular season games remaining. The playoffs begin on May 17.
“The competition is pretty good,” Hereth said. “We’ve got a lot of kids going D-I (next season). A kid on my team is going to Sacred Heart. Playing against good competition always helps.”
With limited time to showcase his skills at Suffield, Hereth had to make a quick transition against a new level of competition, similar to his high school career at Burrillville. Hereth entered the Broncos’ starting lineup with three games to go in his freshman year and continued to play shortstop throughout the postseason.
“As I got older,” Hereth said, “I already knew what the competition was like because I got an earlier start than most people.”
Hereth remaining a starter for the next three years and helped lead Burrillville to four consecutive playoff appearances, including a state championship in 2007.
“We threw him to the wolves in the playoffs and he did a real good job for us defensively,” said Broncos head coach Skee Carter, who coached Hereth all four years. “There was never any question defensively that he could play at this level.”
Offensively, Hereth arrived as an unfinished product at Burrillville. Under the tutelage of Carter and assistant coach Peter Berthelette, he learned to hit the ball to all fields and was a Second Team All-State selection as a senior. 
“He wanted to pull everything,” Carter said. “When he settled down and went up the middle, he developed good power to right-center and came along as a hitter.”
Hereth showed off his opposite-field power in Game 2 of the state finals last year at McCoy Stadium, belting a two-run home run into the bullpen in the top of the first inning as the Broncos hammered Johnston, 15-3, to wrap up the title.
“We tried to get him to stop the pulling,” Carter said, “and when he did that, he became a Division II hitter.”
Hereth has also worked hard to improve his defense – particularly his arm strength. He’ll be competing against faster players at the collegiate level, so he’ll need to make stronger throws across the diamond.
“I worked out a lot this summer,” Hereth said, “and coming into the winter with baseball season around the corner, I worked on my arm strength. My throws feel a lot faster now.”
“When he started out, he was a scrawny freshman,” said Carter in reference to Hereth’s career at Burrillville. “He just got bigger and stronger as he progressed in high school.”
Only 17 years old when he graduated from Burrillville, Hereth spent this past year at Suffield – located approximately 85 miles west of his hometown – adapting to the college lifestyle.
“They get you prepared here,” Hereth said. “This gave me another year to mature and get away from home. The academics are very serious. They have a very good program, and they set it up like a college schedule, so you have a lot of time off. The hours are much different than a normal high school.”
His biggest adjustment next year will be on the baseball field against Northeast-10 competition, which includes Franklin Pierce, Southern Connecticut and UMass-Lowell.
“When I went to a (Stonehill) game this year, I noticed there are some similarities with what I’ve seen at Suffield,” Hereth said. “It took me a while to get used to it. The pitchers are more accurate and a lot faster, but it looks like good baseball.”
Hereth’s unsure what his role will be at Stonehill next season, but he’ll likely start out as a utility player before he gets the chance to crack the Skyhawks’ lineup. Considering how quickly he made an impact on his last two teams, it won’t be long before the former football star is back on the baseball field again.
“I’m a little nervous because I’ve got to restart,” Hereth said. “I’ve got to learn new coaches and prove myself again.”