Kevin Penny was dodging Goldfishes. Small and orange they flew in, along with some sunflower seeds, as he cracked a smile bracing for the impact.
Not quite the live ones with gills, but the cracker variety. As a reporter interviewed the South Plainfield pitcher after last week’s Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament semifinal win, his teammates surrounded him and playfully put the tease on as he answered questions.
“I didn’t know I was in the middle of a war zone right now,” Penny deadpanned during a pause in the oncoming fire.
Hey, that’s just part of the team’s personality. They’re a fun, close bunch always sticking together, with the occasional needling, and keeping it light.
“I don’t put pressure on them as a coach,” manager Scott Gleichenhaus said. “We have a loose environment. We have fun practices. The kids don’t want to leave. We have a family atmosphere. Whatever they want, I try to provide for them as a coach just to keep them wanting to come back the next day and wanting to perform and play at a high level for the community, for themselves, for one another; and it’s paid off. It works. It’s the right formula.”
That formula – along with quality players, of course – helped the Tigers win the tough GMC Red Division and reach Saturday’s GMCT final as the top seed.
South Plainfield (19-3-1) will play third-seeded Old Bridge (17-6) at 2 p.m. at host East Brunswick Magnet.
South Plainfield has a 14-game unbeaten streak (including a tie when a game was called for darkness) and has outscored opponents 29-13 in the three-game run to the final.
“Just from the beginning of things, I just knew we had a special squad and I think we all love each other and work hard for each other,” third baseman Jayden Alvarez said. “So I knew we were going to come together. We all really pretty much grew up with each other, so it makes it easy.”
So, what’s been working well this season?
“Everything,” Penny said. “Everything. Everybody in the rotation has been throwing really well. Offense has been stellar – put up about 30 so far in the GMC. There’s a lot of good things to talk about with this group of guys. This is a special group here. We’re out for vengeance this year after losing last year on this field (GMCT semifinals and finals host EB Magnet).”
The Tigers returned a bulk from last year’s 15-14 team that lost by a run in both the GMCT and North 2 Group 3 semifinals. Gleichenhaus noted the staff has made sure “to keep these guys nice and loose.”
You want no panic?
They trailed South Brunswick 9-3 in the GMCT quarters and scored six times in the seventh to cap the walk-off.
“It’s easy when you like each other,” he continued. “When it’s a close-knit group it makes things a lot easier. These guys are tight. They have each other’s backs and I think that’s ultimately what puts us over the top in tight games just knowing that, all right, next man up. It just works one guy to the next.”
South Plainfield has played without leadoff hitter Dom Massaro (So., CF, .315 BA, 18 runs, 10 SBs), who injured a leg running to first against St. Joseph on April 30. Gleichenhaus is hopeful he’ll return soon. He hit .402 last season as a freshman.
Enter Nick Irizarry (.298 BA, 30 SBs, 19 RBIs, 27 runs) moving to center and Ryan Balent (.298, 8 RBIs) playing every day in the outfield, along with his pitching duties (20 IP, 0.70 ERA).
Senior shortstop Zach Robinson (.479 BA, 3 HRs, 7 2Bs, 23 RBIs, 33 runs, 16 BBs, 21 SBs) and the third baseman Alvarez (.386 BA, 24 RBIs, 2 HRs, 7 2Bs, 23 Rs, 20 SBs) have had monster seasons and are slick fielders on the left side.
Second baseman Dan Kapsch (Jr., .410, 12 RBIs, 26 runs) and first baseman Brandon Bickunas (Sr., .268 BA, 14 RBIs, 13 runs) rounds out infield. Sophomore Aiden McCarthy has emerged with a .308 batting average and nine RBIs and catcher Steve Studlack chipped in a couple RBIs in the GMCT run to give production from the bottom of the order.
Then, there are the Tiger arms with a team 2.54 ERA. The deep staff includes Penny (29 1/3 IP, 25 Ks, 1.67 ERA), Mike Castagna (26 1/3 IP, 23 Ks, 1.86 ERA), McCarthy (13 2/3 IP, 12 Ks, 2.56 ERA), Chase Donovan (19 2/3 IP, 17 Ks, 3.20 ERA), Aldo Pigna (27 2/3 IP, 41 Ks, 3.29 ERA) and Andrew Csordos (17 IP, 14 Ks, 3.29 ERA).
So, there’s talent but how does the team go about having fun?
“We just do what we do,” Gleichenhaus said. “We listen to our heavy metal music. We take our ground balls. We take our batting practice. We go through our situations. We chirp at each other. You can’t have thin skin in our clubhouse. We just have a great, great group of guys in our clubhouse. Our captains, Jay Alvarez, Danny Kapsch, they’re just the epitome of what we want in leaders but I think all these guys are leaders in their own right.”
And that thin skin includes even having to duck the occasional food object.
“It’s a very tight-knit club,” Penny said. “We’re just a bunch of dudes who just love playing baseball together. … We’ve obviously been rolling for a while now, so like the boys keep saying after every practice, let’s keep the ball rolling and we’ve kept the ball rolling all year long.”
NJ Baseball: South Plainfield wins GMC Red Division, in championship (mycentraljersey.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment