“It was a wonderful season,” said coach Mark Domenichelli after the Healdsburg High 2025 season came to an end. “And the boys, the school and the community have a lot to celebrate.”
Although the Greyhounds were able to knock off the #1 seed Arroyo in the quarterfinals, they lost in the semifinal round to Las Lomas, the eventual winner of the NCS Division 4 championship series.
Still, it was a tough one to swallow—12-0, a wide enough margin that the full seven innings were not played due to the so-called “mercy rule.” The Hounds put all three of their top pitchers on the mound—senior Eric Nielsen, junior Alex Mauro-Manos and sophomore Noah Wong—and each played roughly the same amount of time.
Nielsen, who started the game, was charged with his first loss of the season, ending with a still-stellar 10-1 record.
But it was the Las Lomas pitchers who had the better game, handcuffing the Hounds to just two hits.
Domenichelli was nonetheless proud of the 2025 varsity team, and the numbers bear him out. They won 20 games for the first time in the program’s history (Although MaxPreps only lists 19 wins; it does not record an early-season non-league game, said the coach.)
The release of the North Bay League-Redwood All-League selections support the coach’s boasts, with three first team players (Nova Perrill II, Isaiah Robles and Hayden Mariani), three second team players (Damon Smith, Henry Smith and Xander Harms) and two honorable mentions (Noah Wong and Johnny Wallace).
Pitching Prize
For the second year in a row, a Greyhound won the Most Valuable Pitcher award as Eric Nielsen followed 2024’s co-winner Mauro-Manos into the exclusive circle. Nielsen’s finishing record of 10 wins and 83 strikeouts led in the league and placed him among the top 10 high school pitchers statewide.
Last year, as a junior on the varsity squad, his numbers were not as impressive, one win against four losses. The secret to his improvement? Throwing every day. “I still consistently throw, and try to keep that routine of throwing every single day,” the young athlete said this week, during his last week of classes at Healdsburg High.
“It didn’t really matter if I threw a lot,” he added. “I just wanted to constantly throw so that I continuously have the same mechanics throughout the entire season.”
He plans to attend the University of Colorado in Boulder next fall, although the college doesn’t have a Division 1 team. “But they have club teams, so I plan on trying out for their club baseball,” Nielsen said. “I’d still be playing against other schools for club, but I’d still be playing.” And throwing every day.
“The future is bright at Healdsburg High School,” Domenichelli said. “I feel we have built something special here the past three seasons.” To prove his point, he listed some numbers: 50 total wins, 10 All League First Team Players, two Pitchers of the Year and one Player of the Year—Sam Vanden Heuvel, in 2023.
As well as the talented players that the coach has worked with over the past few years, he also called out the other coaches—Wesly Hunt, Susie Cavalo and Zoila Richardson—and the parents of the student-athletes he’s worked with.
“Healdsburg is a great place to play—Rec Park on Friday night under the lights! There is nothing like it,” Domenichelli said. “Now it’s time to keep working hard and get ready for another great season.”
