Raiders baseball prepared for tourney games
By: Justin Feil
Mike Russo knew he’d have a bigger role this year for The Hun School baseball team.
He spent his freshman year adjusting to hitting at the varsity level and developed into the No. 2 starter on the mound behind Major League Baseball draftee Steve Garrison. With Garrison’s graduation, Russo understood he’d be one of the players counted on to keep the Raiders strong.
"We lost Steve-O and he was our ace pitcher," Russo said. "He could pitch and hit. He basically did everything. He was like a god here. We knew we had to step it up. A lot of people got better over the summer."
Russo returned to his hometown Hamilton to play for the Nottingham 15-year-old All-Star team, and he has come back to Hun showing all the signs of an improved veteran player.
"He and Jono (Chirumbolo) are our two aces," said Hun head coach Bill McQuade. "Mike is our foundation for the future. He was clearly our No. 2 last year. Mike has stepped up to the challenge. He’s gotten a little bigger and stronger. His fastball has gotten a little better. He already is a very, very good pitcher. In the next year or so, he’s the next outstanding pitcher to come out of this program and the county.
"He’s a work in progress (at bat)," he added. "You seem to forget when you look at size that this kid’s only 16. You forget that and the competition we face, we face everyone’s best pitchers. He’s going to be overmatched at times, but he learns from it. He works on his game. He’s our best defensive outfielder. He’s got the best arm. And he’s probably our fastest guy."
Russo was expected to be on the mound for Thursday’s scheduled game against Peddie. The game comes a day after Hun nearly came all the way back from a 10-3 deficit in a 13-11 loss to defending Group IV state champion Hillsborough on Wednesday. The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak in which the Raiders scored 90 total runs and never won by less than six runs.
"That gave us confidence," Russo said. "We didn’t hit at all the first couple games. We lost one game, 2-1, and the other game was 7-4. We were left with situations when we could have won and we didn’t. We’ve gotten better with hitting and being disciplined at the plate."
Russo was 3-for-4 with 3 RBI in the loss to Hillsborough. This year, he’s been helping the offense as much as he’s helped the defense.
"I hit last year, but I didn’t actually hit," Russo joked. "I was in the lineup, but I didn’t hit that much. Last year was mainly pitching for me."
The Raiders’ high-rolling offense has made it easier on the pitching staff which is largely new behind the right-handed Russo.
"When you have runs and you jump on them early," he said, "you know you have a cushion and you won’t be as nervous. Of course it’ll be more relaxing."
Russo doesn’t feel nerves too often on the mound, but he does feel a little more pressure without Garrison around anymore. But Russo also believes that the Raiders still have the sort of talent to top anyone.
"We have to play our level of baseball," he said. "We can compete with any team around here. It’s up to if we play up to our level or down to their level."
The Raiders feel they can win every game but found out last year is just how difficult that task is at the end of the year. Hun had hopes of winning the Mercer County, Mid-Atlantic Prep League and state Prep A Tournaments last season. Even with Garrison, it couldn’t be done.
"No one in the entire county has enough pitching to play three tournaments," McQuade said. "We had to juggle Stevie and a couple others and we didn’t win any of the tournaments. Our priority was to win all three. Now, I’m not sure how we’re going to approach it."
Hun will try to prioritize its tournaments this year. The Raiders host Hightstown on Saturday in the first round of the MCT in which they are the No. 1 seed, but they can’t play with their post-graduates like Jono Chirumbolo and Billy Swenson.
"Everyone else has to step up," McQuade said. "The younger kids who haven’t played as much have to get in the game. We’ll spend the next couple days getting those kids ready."
Thursday, the Raiders were scheduled to face Peddie in a game with MAPL Tournament seeding implications. The MAPL Tournament has a double-elimination format and Hun is on target for one of the top two seeds. Hun plays Mercersburg in the final MAPL regular-season game Sunday, but then has to open the Prep A Tournament on Monday, possibly hosting Peddie if the Falcons beat St. Benedict’s today.
"All the games coming up are state, MAPL and county," McQuade said. "This is what it’s all about."
Russo, too, is excited to get into tournament play and help the Raiders redeem themselves after coming up short last year. His approach isn’t much different from a regular-season game, which is another reason he’s so valuable to Hun.
"He’s got that same enthusiasm that I saw in Steve all those years," McQuade said. "He loves coming down to play the games. As long as he does that, it’ll always be a game. It really is a joy for him."
Particularly if the Hun baseball team can win even one of its upcoming tournaments.

