Christian Brothers Academy third baseman Garrett Ivanicki reaches for an errant throw as Jackson Memorial High School’s Spencer Young slides safely into third base during the March 23 preseason game played in Jackson. This week, the Colts’ games will count, as the scholastic season gets started. On April 5, the Colts will host Middletown High School South in an A North Division game starting at 3:45 p.m. ERIC SUCAR staff I t’s impressive when a high school baseball team has one NCAA Division I recruit in its lineup. Christian Brothers Academy (CBA) has four with scholarship packages on its roster, which establishes it as a threat to surpass last year’s runner-up finish in Shore Conference A North and its exit in the NJSIAA Non-Public South A semifinals to St. Augustine College Preparatory School.
Three of those recruits are headed to Atlantic Coast Conference teams — first baseman and pitcher Joe Dudek to the University of North Carolina, pitcher Matt Tidich to the University of Pittsburgh and pitcher John McCarren to Wake Forest University. Add to the fact that middle infielder Anthony Critelli is going to Holy Cross, it jars anyone’s memory to think of the last time that’s happened.
“Not in my years,” Dudek said. “We never had athletes get opportunities on the next level like this. But it’s our last year, and we want to make the most of it.”
The pollsters aren’t looking back to last season either. They’re buying into the bumper crop of Division I recruits, as CBA ranks No. 1 in the Shore going into the season.
Last year’s team had two recruits — shortstop Sean Arnott, who has seen a little action at Temple University, and outfielder Zach Zupa, who is at Drew University. Second baseman Jim O’Brien and catcher Rob Lage also graduated. There are also big losses on the mound with the departure of Sean Clarke and Bob Byrne, each one a five-game winner last season.
But the rest of the starters are back, and Critelli is one of the keys, not only because he moves from third base to shortstop to fill the void left by Arnott, but also because he is batting cleanup on a team that suffered more than half of its losses in a 17-9 season because it lacked timely hitting at times. That was evident in a 3-2 loss to Toms River High School North in the second round of the Shore Conference Tournament.
“He’s got the temperament for shortstop and isn’t feeling a lot of pressure,” said Marty Kenny, who starts his 41st season as the Colts’ coach with 692 victories. “I’m hoping he and some other guys hit the ball in big situations.”
Critelli batted .338 with 18 RBIs in the No. 5 spot.
Kenny knows Dudek will take care of his end of the hitting as a .400 hitter with 20 RBIs and four home runs last season.
“The whole thing is, teams pitch around him, and our No. 4 and 5 hitters have to make them pay,” Kenny said.
“Some days, our pitching showed up and our hitting didn’t. Some days, our pitching didn’t show up but our hitting did,” said Dudek of last season. “It’s changed this year. In my four years, this is the strongest lineup we’ve had.”
It showed in a season-opening 5-2 victory over Colts Neck High School on April 1, as second baseman Mike Caputo powered a two-run homer that helped CBA take a 3-1 lead before Chris Cordova made it 4- 2 with a run-scoring single. Caputo had three hits and Cordova had two. McCarren let in two unearned runs over the first five innings and gave up four hits with six strikeouts and one walk.
Caputo batted a modest .277 last season but is off to a fast start this year despite the weather, which Kenny said has kept his team in the gym and parking lot for practice and off their playing field, except for scrimmages — all of them played on the road, and all but one a solidly-pitched game.
“It’s been tough, like it is for everybody else,” Kenny said. “We’ve been able to get our defensive work done, but doing the offensive work is tough. But I thought it would be a whole lot worse. We’ve been pitching well and playing good defense, and our hitting has come along a lot better than expected. Fortunately, with a veteran team, they pick up things. It’s more of a review.”
What that means for the long haul won’t be determined until after the first two weeks of the season, Kenny said. That’s when he’ll see how other players fit in, such as freshman Luca Dalatri and junior third baseman Steve Forlano. Junior Justin Poggioli’s arm strength gives him the edge at catcher over junior Rhys Dring, who will also see some innings.
“When he develops, Dalatri could be one of the better players to play at CBA,” Kenny said.
Poggioli and Dring have the luxury of catching Tidich, who was a victim of inconsistent hitting by his teammates last season as he amassed a 4-3 record despite a 2.14 ERA, and McCarren, who had a 5-1 record with a 2.04 ERA.
“We’ve been looking at this as seniors since our freshman year,” McCarren said. “We have four solid pitchers, which is our strength. And with the hitting and defense we have with this [team], we’ll be hard to beat. I’m just shocked with hitting. It takes a lot off our pitching.”
He’s ready to do his part on the mound.
“I feel a lot stronger,” McCarren said. “The mechanics are pretty good. My changeup and slider are good. My fastball is up there.”
Dudek is one of three lefties, along with sophomore left fielder Will Morgan, and junior backup outfielder and pitcher Ryan Ramiz. Kenny said Dudek “will definitely have an impact and contribute to our success.” “In our conference, most schools have people who can hit,” the coach said. “It’s who comes up with the better arms.”
Cordova, a center fielder, was on varsity since the middle of his freshman year and is ready to lead in his final season. He showed last season that he can hit for average, cranking out a .432 batting average with 12 stolen bases, making him ideal in the leadoff spot of the batting order. He drove in 14 runs last season.
Junior right fielder Pete Papcun “has the potential to be an outstanding hitter,” Kenny said.
“The bottom of the lineup can get us to the top [of the lineup],” Dudek said. “I’m confident in our pitching, and expectations are high from our coach.”
Senior Chase Stopyra can also fill in at shortstop, and junior Mark Mancuso can give the team a lift coming off the bench.
The Colts jump into the division race with games at Middletown High School North on April 3 and at home against Middletown High School South on April 5.