Edison baseball has different team, same goals

Squad went 19-8 in ’07, looking for familiar results with new faces

BY SHAWN LAYTON Staff Writer

The Edison High School baseball team will have a new look when the season opens in April in a match-up with cross-town rival J.P. Stevens. Last year’s 19- 8 team went on to win both theGreater Middlesex Conference Red Division and the NJSIAANorth Jersey 2Group IV state title, but much of the personnel is gone.

Catcher Cal Costanzo is currently playing for Monmouth University, while second baseman Julian Laguna and centerfielder Alberto Ruiz are playing for Middlesex County College. Also gone from last year’s title team are pitching ace Gary Thompson and shortstop Kevin Ryan.

"We lost quite a bit," Edison head coach VinAbene said. "We lost two outfielders, our middle infield, and our two best pitchers.We don’t like to use the word rebuild around here, so our new guys will need to step in and pick up where we left off last season."

The good news is that last year’s junior varsity teamran the table at its own county tournament and brings loads of talent to the varsity level this spring. To complement the incoming talent, Edison will also return its fair share of talent from last year’s lineup.

Heading the list of returnees is pitcher Shawn Renner.At 6-foot-3, the senior righthander should fill the vacancy left by Thompson. Last year Renner posted a 4-1 record for the Eagles.

Joining Renner in the starting rotation is junior Jared Shukis. Shukis is also expected to provide plenty of offense. Last season he hit close to .440 and was a First Team All- County player.

"Jared is our big stick,"Abene said. "He’ll either play at first base or in the outfield when he’s not pitching."

Also likely to see significantmound time this spring is Chris Virag. Virag got one varsity start last season but was a big reason the junior varsity went on to claim the county title.

"We will look to Chris to be themainstay atNumber 3 in the pitching rotation,"Abene said. "He did a nice job for us last year when we needed an arm."

Three-year starter Dylan Laguna returns for his senior season in left field. Laguna is expected to bring plenty of speed atop the Edison batting order once again. Junior third baseman

Steve Nappe should find himself batting in the middle of the order. Nappe joined the starting lineup nearmidseason last year and made an immediate impact with his bat.He hit the go-ahead home run in last year’s state title game.

"We have a number of positions that are still up for grabs,"Abene said. "Our big question is at catcher. Replacing Cal is a tall order, but seniors David Goodman and Nick Errico are currently battling for the job."

Senior Matt Rohal is expected to fill one of the middle infield positions after getting plenty of varsity experience last year. Classmates Bob Stalling andDan Shymanski are also competing for a spot in the middle infield. At first, Renner and Shukis will share time depending upon who is pitching.

"First base is kind of crowded right now," Abene said. "We also have senior Frank Lanza and junior Dan Lungo. Both should see time for their solid defense, and Lungo should see time at DH. He’s hitting the ball pretty well."

While the infield is yet to be determined, the Edison outfield appears solid with senior Steve Loriot ready to take on center. Junior right fielder Andrew Rivera gives the Eagles a left-handed hitter and a strong arm while senior Anthony Caiola is likely to see action in left.

"Steve played a bit last year and came up with some pretty big hits,"Abene said. "Andrewis the fastest guy on the team, and putting him near the bottom of the order gives us a second leadoff hitter. I’m thinking we’ll be competitive and it should be a fun couple of weeks to see where we’re headed."