Allentown High School pitcher Thomas Malik, center, had quite a year with the Allentown American Legion team. He was the Mercer County Pitcher of the Year after going 7-0 with a 0.19 ERA. He even authored a no-hitter during the season. Above, he is pictured with his Allentown coaches, left to right, Brett Miller, Jeff Pierro, Malik, Matt Zagari and Mike Kibidis. Tom Malik of Allentown played up to the challenge issued by some of his friends while having a great summer pitching for Allentown’s American Legion baseball team. At times, he was perfect.
“I was 4-0 with a 0.51 ERA last summer, and they dared me to do better,” Malik said. “I said, ‘You’re kidding. No way.’ ”
Still, with a 7-0 record and 36 strikeouts in 45 innings for the Legion team, Malik believed he measured up to that challenge. His efforts helped Allentown finish 18-9 and get two shots at making the eight-team state championship round before falling short.
“It definitely was better,” Malik said of this summer. “It was just more fun. I knew every day we had a chance at winning. It was a great group of kids.”
Malik is one of three integral players from Allentown High School’s baseball team who made strides over the summer. First baseman Tom McCarthy and outfielder Zack Ruetsch were also key players.
“And Tommy McCarthy played a little second base, too, so he’s a true utility infielder,” Malik said. “Both of them got big hits and were great defensively. [They were] great all-around players. We definitely had a good season. We were one hit away in some games, but I can’t complain. Against Gibbstown [in the Legion district loser’s bracket finals], we gave up two runs in nine innings and got the loss, [2-1].”
Many other players from the Legion team recently graduated from Allentown, and there were also some graduated and returning players from New Egypt High School.
Allentown won its first two games in the district tournament, but it lost in the winner’s bracket game for a berth in the state championships when Brooklawn broke away in the late innings for an 8-2 victory. With the top two teams from the district advancing into the state finals, Allentown had another shot against Gibbstown.
The steady improvement of Allentown’s returning players is reassuring news for varsity baseball coach Brian Nice, who is looking to build off last spring’s 15-9-1 season that ended in a 12-7 NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III quarterfinals loss to Steinert High School. Malik was the losing pitcher and finished the spring 4-4.
“That was one of my less impressive outings, one of the few times I did not pull through for my team when they really needed it,” Malik said.
“I expect good things from them,” Nice said of his players. “We have a lot of returning juniors and seniors, so I expect good things in the spring. One of the things you try to do in high school ball is to get kids to play together over the summer. Some played Legion, and some were on travel teams and in showcases. If guys have success, more and more want to play [beyond the varsity season]. Success breeds success.” “They most definitely improved. Brian Nice will have some good players to work from at Allentown next season,” Legion head coach Brett Miller said.
For Malik, the summer season included a perfect game that came in a victory over West Windsor, 10-0, and he did not realize he had a shot at his first perfect milestone until the fifth inning. His team padded the lead to 10 runs, and he realized he only had to close out the bottom of the inning because of the 10-run mercy rule. Malik said he had “mixed feelings” about the outing.
“I was very lethargic. I didn’t throw with much speed, but mostly off-speed,” he said.
Malik said his curveball is his best and most thrown pitch with two strikes, but Malik also has a changeup and a fastball that can’t be underestimated. He said all of his pitches worked effectively when he pitched what he regarded as his best game in a shutout against Hamilton West Post 31, an Allentown rival that finished second in the Mercer County Division standings.
Malik showed some torque on his fastball when it reached 86 miles per hour in a recent showcase in Trenton. Malik pitched another showcase on Aug. 9 at the Best in Class event at Mercer County Park, where he pitched on a team in a simulated game with Gallagher Baseball.
“I was getting it over the plate for strikes, but you can’t always do that, so I was trying to brush both sides of the plate and jam guys inside,” Malik said of his fastball. “My changeup definitely improved in the spring. It was more accurate and had more spring to it.”
Malik realizes he will have to adjust to throwing to different catchers with the graduation of Pete Marsicano from Allentown in June. Marsicano caught for most of Malik’s high school and summer games.
“We’ve grown together since freshman year,” Malik said. “He gets in the rhythm, and he knows what I want to throw before I call it.”
But Malik can’t be overly concerned about that, as he has already proven he is capable of meeting a challenge.