Greg Tufaro ,
@GregTufaro
With just three seniors in the starting lineup a year ago, the South Plainfield High School baseball team, which won a state title in 2015, had some growing pains.
“We had a bunch of losses, but that gave us the experience we lacked,” said South Plainfield head coach Anthony Guida, whose Tigers finished 11-17 last season. “As young as we were last year, we are still young this year.”
The fourth-seeded Tigers, who enter Wednesday’s Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament quarterfinal against 12th-seeded Old Bridge, have started as many as four sophomores at times this spring.
The quartet of sophomores includes pitcher/third baseman Chris Shine, second baseman/pitcher Roberto Gonzalez, right fielder TJ Massaro and third baseman Mike Marrero.
Shine has emerged as the fourth sophomore to impress on the mound in consecutive seasons, following in the cleats of Billy Keane (2016), Jean Sapini (2015) and Jake Alba (2014). He has started several of South Plainfield’s key nonconference Saturday games including a victory over perennial state power Millburn.
Sapini, with five wins on the mound, remains the team’s ace with Keane and Gonzalez also figuring prominently in the rotation.
South Plainfield’s staff throws to a catcher Guida feels is among the conference’s best in senior Jared Marks.
“He’s been our leader on the field and excels in the classroom,” Guida said of Marks, who along with Sapini is a co-captain. “He blocks the ball well and is, if not the best, one of the best catchers in the county. He blocks balls in the dirt. He’s been a guy who is able to call his own game and has been able to throw runners out. He’s been a huge key to our success.”
Marks, who bats second in the order, epitomizes South Plainfield’s lineup in that he can bunt and is an excellent baserunner (even though the Tigers sometimes courtesy run for him).
South Plainfield, which has won five of its last six, plays solid defense, runs the bases exceptionally well, possesses team speed and has received solid pitching. The Tigers have parlayed those elements of the game into a 16-7 record.
Four of the team’s losses have featured an uncharacteristic and seemingly inexplicable complete collapse for one inning in which South Plainfield pitchers have been unable to retire batters and in which the defense has failed.
Among the most painful of those setbacks was a 13-10 loss to Piscataway in which the Chiefs rallied for nine runs in the fourth to erase an 8-0 deficit and a 7-6 loss to North Brunswick in which the Raiders rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh.
“We’ve made our share of mistakes (in those games), but the key to our success has been our defense,” Guida said. “We’ve (usually) been able to follow an error with getting the next guy out. Defensively, we’ve been able to make the routine play and when we need a big play we’ve been able to make it.”
Guida said South Plainfield has also been doing the little things right on offense, which has enabled the Tigers to perform well in close contests. South Plainfield owns a 7-3 record in games decided by two runs or less.
“We’ve been able to put balls in play, put balls on the ground and make things happen and put a lot of pressure on the defense,” Guida said. “Another huge key has been our base running. (South Plainfield batters) just hustle and run as hard as you can out of the box. We’ve been having success with guys on base.”
Left fielder Connor Adams, a left-handed hitter, who has been able to leg out routine groundballs for infield hits, is quick out of the box. A singles hitter, Adams epitomizes Guida’s philosophy of putting the ball in play to make things happen.
Most of South Plainfield’s team speed can be found in the outfield with Dylan O’Connor, a defensive standout and the team’s cleanup hitter, in center and with Massaro splitting time with Ricky Pellegrino in right.
O’Connor, who went 3-for-4 and finished a triple shy of hitting for the cycle in a GMCT first-round win over Metuchen, has a strong arm. With Massaro’s bat hot, he has received the starting nod in right of late. A senior who understands his role, Pellegrino is sometimes used as a courtesy runner, where he is a threat to steal.
Marrero, who is similarly hitting well of late, has earned the starting spot at third. He is batting around .400 and is also playing solid defense. Shine has played the hot corner, as well.
Junior Mike Stanczak has been a fixture at shortstop after playing third base last season. He has shown flashes of power at the plate and is among the smartest baserunners Guida has ever coached.
Gonzalez, who transferred from Dickinson before the start of the academic year, is a strong-armed second baseman with a solid glove.
“The kids are playing well,” Guida said. “We’ve been winning a couple in a row, and this is the time when you want to do that. We hope to go far in the counties and hopefully continue that when the states come up.”
Despite its rich tradition, South Plainfield has never won a conference tournament championship. The Tigers reached the final in 2011 against Old Bridge and in 2014 against St. Joseph, losing both games by one run.
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/sports/high-school/baseball/2017/05/16/fundamentally-sound-south-plainfield-rolls-into-gmc-baseball-tournament-quarterfinals/101766468/
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