By Mike Mack, Special Writer
Though the weather may not be showing it, Spring is here.
And that means baseball is back. Three local high schools are looking forward to getting back onto the diamond and kicking off this 2013 season.
Florence Memorial High School will be looking to build off its impressive 2012 season, in which the Flashes captured a Central Jersey Group One State Championship.
While the team was anything but dominant last season, the young Flashes roster was able to string wins together just when it needed them.
”We finally got healthy and got our full complement of players for the end of the season,” said Coach Joe Frappolli. “We were playing well toward the end, which carried us into the playoffs and we got hot at the right time.”
From the looks of it, this is a team that is well equipped to improve on the previous season.
”We have seven out of nine returning starters who have some big game playoff experience,” Coach Frappolli said. “We will look to compete in a tough division and again make the playoffs.”
Of those returning players, Coach Frappolli will look to seniors TJ Karwowski and Ben Horner for leadership, while also counting on juniors Austion Minton, Louie Potts, Kellen Groover, and Joe Sensi.
Florence opens up on Tuesday, April 2, at Palmyra.
Bordentown Regional High School is another team that found some success last season. But even with a 15-9 record and a playoff win, Coach Chris Glenn is only half satisfied with the results.
”Our main goal at the beginning of each year is to qualify for the state tournament, which we did, and to win the division,” Coach Glenn said. “Although we did not reach that second goal, it came down to our final game against Holy Cross, and we lost 4-2 on a homerun in the top of the seventh.”
Bordentown was able to defeat Holy Cross in their first meeting last season, something the school had not done in a long time, according to Coach Glenn.
The Scotties will go into this season with the same goals, and this time they will look to get the job done.
”This year we return a good core group of players with varsity experience,” Glenn said. “And our main goal is to finish what we were not able to last year.”
That core group includes seniors Patrick Donohue and Austin Papp, who pitched in some big games last season.
At the plate, Bordentown will rely on senior Cullen Carter and junior Tommy Walters to put runs on the board. Both of those players could possibly reach the 100 hit plateau this season, a feat that has only been reached once in the school’s history.
Bordentown also opens up on the road on Tuesday, against Seneca.
Northern Burlington County Regional High School has a very different story going into this season. This is a team that did not have much success last season, mostly because of its young roster.
”We did not reach any goals last season,” Coach Richard Doppler said. “We were below average but started three sophomores and two freshman most of the season.”
Unlike Florence however, the young returning roster does not necessarily mean the team will lean on these returning players. Coach Doppler is pushing for his players to fight for their starting spots, hoping that will light a fire under them that will translate into the maximum effort on the field.
”There will most likely not be a predictable lineup as players are very close in ability,” Coach Doppler said. “Competition breeds excellence is our motto this season.”
Coach Doppler believes that the competition for starting spots will lead to a much improved team this Spring, and he is emerging to the plate with high expectations.
On Tuesday NBC travels to Delran to open up the season.
