BY SHAWN LAYTON
Staff Writer
EDISON — The Edison Boys Baseball League’s 10-year-old All Stars were hoping to return to form once the district tournament got under way.
The team began the summer with a rough start in the South Plainfield Tournament over the weekend.
The EBBL All Stars dropped two games in the season-opening tournament. The first of the two was a 14-0 loss at the hands of East Brunswick, followed by a 5-1 defeat to Colonia.
"Our weakness right now is that we are not hitting," head coach Chris Jennings said. "We will work on our hitting this week to prepare for the districts. I attribute the slow start to preseason jitters. The kids have nothing but positive attitudes."
Jennings and his coaching staff of Glen McGotty, Brian Prongay and Joe Wade look to tap into the enthusiasm of the young players to turn things around. This same group of players won their districts last summer, which qualified the team for the state tournament. This spring the team also placed third in the Shore Invitational Tournament.
"The kids on the team have pretty much been together for four seasons," Jennings said. "They are a happy group that can’t wait to get to practice and play with each other. Their positive attitude for playing baseball will work well as the season continues."
Jennings has rejoined the team after a summer off and is embarking on his third season with the team. He attributes much of the success the team has enjoyed to his staff.
"Brian is our bench coach and he does a tremendous job," Jennings said. "Joe Wade is our bookkeeper and he keeps track of the playing time of each player. Glen is my assistant coach and left-hand man. He is the guy that runs my soundboard."
McGotty took the reigns last summer while Jennings was away from the sport. The coaching staff is ready to put this weekend’s losses behind them to get ready for the districts and hopefully the state tournament in Mount Olive in mid-July. The team is also slated to battle for a crown in the North Edison Tournament also in mid-July.
Expected to see action from the pitching mound this summer is Kevin Luckenback, Christopher Jennings, Kevin McGotty, Frankie D’Agostino, Greg Scurillo and Brian Bobal.
"Kevin Luckenback should be back in the lineup around midseason," Jennings said. "He is recovering from an injury, and we are looking forward to his return. He is our main pitcher and he plays shortstop for us too."
D’Agostino will also play shortstop as well as third base, and Jennings will play second base and see plenty of action behind the plate. McGotty will play first base and fill in where needed in the infield, and Ryan Callinan will also play first and do some catching.
Jennings will share time at second with Kevin Prongay, and Bobal will share duties at third with D’Agostino and Scurillo.
Scurillo will also see time in the outfield along with Matty Suydam, Michael Gabriel, Ricky Sudnick, Vinny Montecino and Scotty Wade. Suydam will also catch when needed, and Wade will fill the center field position.
"Scotty is off to a great start," Jennings said. "He had a dynamic game against East Brunswick with two diving catches to prevent them from scoring."