Above: Jackson Memorial High School third baseman Kyle Johnson fields a ground ball during the Jaguars’ preseason scrimmage against Christian Brothers Academy on March 23 in Jackson. The Jaguars are getting ready for their April 2 season opener at Brick Memorial High School. Below: Jackson Memorial’s Joe Maio slides safely into first base ahead of the throw to CBA first baseman Joe Dudek during the scrimmage. PHOTOS BY ERIC SUCAR staff Matt Thaiss has played three memorable seasons at Jackson Memorial High School, including a trip to the NJSIAA Group IV finals in his freshman year. But the catcher, who is bound for the University of Virginia, realizes this year’s team will take a different route if it hopes to have another remarkable season.
“It’s no secret we lost a lot of guys,” Thaiss said, as the Jaguars prepare for their opening game on April 2 at Shore Conference A South Division rival Brick Memorial High School. “We lost some big hitters [and] some big pitchers. But we have a good group of young guys. We’ll mix and match a lot. We have multiple pitchers — six to eight, including some guys in the infield who can also pitch, but we can also come together and be a pretty good team.”
Coach Frank Malta feels Thaiss is ready for another solid season after leading the team in hitting last year at the cleanup spot.
“He’s where he should be,” Malta said. “He holds runners, punches guys out and hits the ball well. [He is] a special player.”
The pitchers Thaiss spoke about are led by Anthony Rocco, a left-hander who rejoined the team on March 9 after battling mononucleosis. He relies on a fastball and changeup that he mixes with a curve. Rocco is bound for Pace University.
“Now, I’m starting to get back,” Rocco said last week. “I’m feeling good.”
He also looks to be a designated hitter on days he doesn’t pitch. Other pitchers are seniors Jake Harlinski, who throws a fastball and slider; left-hander Brian Delesky, who throws a changeup and curve, and right-hander Chris Gehrsitz, who throws a fastball and changeup.
“It all looks good,” said Rocco, who won three games last year. “Jake Harlinski’s been a reliever, and now he’s a starter. We have a solid staff this year.”
Spencer Young is also looking to pitch and is moving over from second base to shortstop to replace Joe Ogren, one of the standout players last season who has gone on to a college career at Bucknell University. Brandon Holup is already in the rotation at East Stroudsburg University and another pitcher, Alex Daniele, also graduated. Other graduated starters are third baseman Mike Folk, who is at Temple University, and center fielder Nick Petrizzo, who is at Penn State University, but neither are playing at those schools.
Holup ended his season pitching five complete-game shutouts, including a 7-0 victory over Toms River High School North for his eighth victory of the season in Jackson Memorial’s fourth straight trip to the Shore Conference Tournament finals. The Jaguars also won a share of the Shore Conference A South title and its first Ocean County Tournament title in four decades after falling short in the finals two years earlier. Holup shut out Brick Memorial, 1-0, for that title. Its 25-3 season was marred by a 5-2 loss to eventual NJSIAA Group IV champion Manalapan High School in the opening round of the state tournament.
Young was an important part of that success and feels he is making a smooth transition defensively in the infield.
“I’m kind of back to where I was in my freshman year when I played shortstop and pitched,” Young said. “I’ve been playing shortstop a lot, including for my showcase team, and I’m a natural shortstop.”
Junior Matt Guarino is the starter at first base and freshman Kyle Johnson impressed at third base, where senior Ryan Trent also is looking to start. Brandon Janofsky and Joe Tucilla are top candidates for second base.
Senior Ed Guippone returns to center field and junior Nick Caprio plays in right field, while left field is wide open, especially after outfield hopeful Taylor Reynolds broke his leg early in the season.
“Things are not too bad; it’s coming along,” Malta said. “Defensively, we’re strong up the middle with guys who are coming back there. Now the other guys have to step up. That’s the key to our success in the past, and it has to continue.”
Young said he is ready to do his part.
“It’s definitely a lot different because we lost those older guys, and now [we] older guys have to show the younger ones what Jackson baseball is all about,” said Young, who also was one win away from being a state place-winner in wrestling during the winter. He went 30-10 at 126 pounds. “We’re definitely not the powerhouse we were last year, but we can put 20 wins together. We changed the style to a lot more small ball, and we have to be a lot smarter at the plate. We have to move guys on the bases to put more runs on the scoreboard.”
That approach helped Jackson Memorial beat Christian Brothers Academy in a scrimmage on March 23, when the Jaguars had a lot of stolen bases.
“We have to execute on the mound because we’re not a big home run hitting team like we’ve been,” Thaiss said. “We have to move guys over and play smart baseball.”
“We’ll have a lot more close games this year. We won’t blow anybody out,” Rocco said. “We don’t have the big hitters like Joe Ogren, [so] we’ll rely on pitching and defense.”
Malta said it’s hard to determine how far along his players are progressing until the season begins next week. The schedule becomes fast and furious in a few weeks when Malta will see whether this team has the right stuff for a fourth straight 20-win season.