By Mike White
Staff Writer
NEW EGYPT — As a first-year varsity program, the New Egypt High School baseball team finished with an overall record of 7-16 last season, which was not too bad considering there were no seniors on the team.
As New Egypt prepares to kick off the 2003 season, coach Rich Carroll is hopeful his squad can prove to be a formidable opponent in the Burlington County Scholastic League. Last year, New Egypt finished in third place in the Freedom Division, with a 4-6 mark.
"I thought we had a pretty good year considering it was our first full varsity season," Carroll said. "We feel the year of experience we got is going to help us this season. We have a number of talented players returning."
Senior pitcher/first baseman James Farrell leads New Egypt into the season. Farrell hit .370, smacked four home runs and led the team in RBIs last year. His impressive numbers resulted in the junior being an all-conference first team selection.
"He had a very good year for us," Carroll said. "We need him to duplicate or better those numbers this year. Right now he is coming off a knee injury, but we think he will be ready to go when we start the regular season."
Another key returnee is junior pitcher Justin Wilkins, a second team all-conference pick last year. Wilkins is the team’s No. 1 hurler.
"He is a power pitcher," Carroll said. "He is the guy we go to in a big games. He pitched all the key match-ups last year."
Other key returnees include junior shortstop Dave Lipay, seniors Adam Milosz, Dan Von Schmidt and Mike Magnotta, and sophomore Marcus Heredia.
Lipay will be the team’s No. 2 starter. Carroll says the junior has improved at the plate.
"He has worked really hard on improving his offense," Carroll said. "He has looked very good in scrimmages so far this season. He is swinging the bat much more confidently than he was a year ago."
Milosz has matured into a solid leadoff man.
"He understands what we need him to do in that spot," Carroll said. "He is the one who has got to jumpstart the offense. He needs to get on base and put pressure on other team’s defenses."
Von Schmidt was a second team all-conference selection last year. His ability to play a variety of positions makes him an extremely valuable asset.
"In the four years he’s been with the program, he has played every position," Carroll said. "We can put him anywhere on the field and feel confident that he can do a solid job. Having a player like that goes a long way during the season."
Newcomers sophomore catcher Mike Wendel and freshman Don Bunce need to make immediate contributions, Carroll said.
Wendel was an infielder last year. He made the transition to catcher with little problem, Carroll said.
"He’s done a great job so far," Carroll said. "It’s not easy to make that transition. He has worked hard on learning the position. We’ve been impressed with him."
Carroll feels this year’s team has a chance at qualifying for the state tournament.
"In the past we’ve made a lot of mental mistakes because we were so young," Carroll said. "We ended up giving away a lot of cheap runs. This year it appears that we’re taking better care of the ball. We’ve looked good in the scrimmages so far. We’re doing a better job of keeping our heads in the game."