By: Justin Feil
Dan O’Brien has always been a big contributor to whatever baseball team he has been on, but he never expected to play such a major role for the Princeton High baseball team this season.
After all, he’s just a freshman.
"Coming into it, I was just hoping to play at all," the Cranbury resident said. "It’s great I’m playing here, but I didn’t expect it at all."
It didn’t take long for O’Brien to adjust from the Babe Ruth 14-year-old all-star competition that he saw last summer to the next level, high school. After last week, he was batting .448 and led the team with three home runs, nine runs batted in and two triples.
And, seemingly, every one of his hits has proven important. He slammed a two-run home run in Princeton’s 10-8 win over West Windsor-Plainsboro High North last Wednesday, then he sent a mammoth shot over the fence in a 9-8 win over Montgomery High on Friday. He followed it up by picking up his first win of the season on the mound while scoring a run in the Little Tigers’ 6-4 win over McCorristin in the first round of the Mercer County Tournament on Saturday.
"Any time you can have a freshman producing at a consistent level," began PHS head coach Greg Short, "Getting a couple hits, making plays it’s a surprise. But he’s done it from the start. First game, we gave him the ball and he pitched great and we lost, 4-2. Then in the second game, we played Toms River South, who’s No. 1 in the state, and he hit his first home run."
Short has had perfect prophetic ability so far this season in calling O’Brien’s long balls. In all three instances, he’s talked to O’Brien just before the at-bat and told him to look for a fastball to hit for a homer. It’s worked each time.
"I was just going out there and trying to help the team win," O’Brien said. "It was great that I did well, but it was better for the team."
Since starting the season 1-6, the three straight wins last week helped the Little Tigers climb back into contention for a state tournament berth. PHS must reach the .500 mark and, despite an 8-2 loss to Hun on Tuesday that dropped them to 4-7 this season, it could still pull off the turnaround.
"We’ve really pulled together mentally," O’Brien said. "When we come to play, we win. Sometimes we have lapses."
O’Brien has helped try to overcome those lapses by doing all that he can. He’s showed that he can play a number of positions from outfield to pitcher to third base and, most recently, first base. He even played as the designated hitter early in the season. For the 14s, he played shortstop, but he’s had to make a transition to the high school level and so far, it’s gone well.
"I’m pretty comfortable now," he said. "There are still some times when I lack experience. My pitching is getting better with more experience. Joe (Aprigliano, the PHS catcher) is really helping me. I think pitching has been tougher. I’m seeing a lot better hitting now."
It didn’t help that O’Brien had to earn his first win of the season with almost no warm-up. After the Little Tigers’ team bus picked them up late, they were forced to start against McCorristin just after they arrived. It showed in the first inning as O’Brien gave up three runs, aided in part by an uncharacteristic two balks.
"The first inning was a little crazy," the right-hander said. "I was a little shaken up the first time (the runner) went. I was missing my spots in the first inning. After that first inning, things went pretty smooth. The last two innings, I was definitely stronger."
To prove it, O’Brien notched the final five outs via strikeouts. That kind of performance is something he feels capable of whenever he has his best stuff. It’s just been a thrill to get the ball in big-game situations like the MCT, which PHS continues when it plays fourth-seeded Ewing 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Mercer County Community College. Those same two teams meet today in a regular season Colonial Valley Conference game.
"It’s a great experience," O’Brien said of pitching. "I didn’t expect it, but they gave it to me. It’s awesome."
It’s just like the start to Dan O’Brien’s first season of varsity baseball. Unexpected perhaps, but so far pretty awesome.
"I hope he continues to do this," Short said. "I hope we don’t put too many expectations on him. I hope he doesn’t feel the pressure too much. I knew (he and fellow freshman Robby Begin) were successful in Babe Ruth. I don’t think anyone could have predicted this success."
