By: Ken Weingartner
If Jarrod Jimenez is any barometer, losing hasn’t taken a severe toll upon the Monroe High baseball team.
A freshman, Jimenez is among a young group of players around which MHS’ future will be built. Jimenez has batted around .300 most of the season, which has seen the Falcons go 1-17-1 through Tuesday.
"It’s actually been a fun year," Jimenez said after MHS dropped an 8-3 decision to Spotswood Tuesday. "It’s been all right. We’re a young team. People just see our record and don’t know how many games we’ve been in. I think we’ll be a lot better next year. Next year, we’ll have a real good team."
Jimenez said the Falcons need to improve their defense to improve upon their record in the future. Monroe has half a dozen losses by three runs or less, several in extra innings, in which defense was the primary culprit. With any luck, it’s a team that could be more like 8-11 rather than its current record.
On Saturday, Monroe lost 5-3 in nine innings to Perth Amboy in the preliminary round of the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament. The Falcons had several chances to score the winning run twice Anthony Viani was robbed of base hits with runners in scoring position.
And Jimenez’s reaction?
"That was a fun game," he said. "That was a great game."
Coach Greg Beyer said Monroe "played well" Saturday.
"We had some opportunities, and when we had those opportunities we hit the ball on the nose," he said. "That’s just the way it goes."
Jimenez said he understands about the way it goes.
"I’ve been hitting pretty well," he said. "But sometimes, they make the plays against you. What are you going to do? It’s varsity baseball. You expect them to make plays."
Jimenez is accustomed to success on the field. Last year, his travel team finished second in the state. Yet he knows jumping up to varsity as a freshman is a big step.
"It’s a big transition," he said. "Probably the biggest thing is the pitching. I’ve had some good games, and some bad games. I’ve been off and on since the season started. But I respect Mr. Beyer a lot for giving me the opportunity to play varsity this year. He’s a great guy. He’s been great through this all. He never puts anyone down."
Jimenez said he would like to improve on his arm strength for next season. His greatest asset, he added, was his work ethic.
"Without a work ethic, you’re not much of a player," he said. "You’ve got to do all you can to contribute to the team."
Jimenez had two hits Tuesday against Spotswood. A.J. Morabito went 3-for-3 with a run scored. Against Perth Amboy, Viani drove in two runs. Scott Basarav pitched all nine innings and yielded just two earned runs.

