By Rich Fisher, Packet Media Group
Much of the talk early in the Mercer County American Legion season has been about Broad Street Park loading its roster with players from Burlington County, and traditional powers like Bordentown Post 26 and Hamilton Post 31.
Heading into Monday night’s contest at Moody Park, however, Hopewell Post 339 was one of two remaining undefeated teams — matching BSP with a 5-0 start in league play.
In a reunion of sorts, as Post 339 manager Mike Coryell and his assistant Mike Olshin spent many years coaching in the Ewing Babe Ruth league, Post 339 (6-3 overall, 5-1 in MCALL) was upset by previously winless Ewing, 8-6.
But that did not diminish what the squad has achieved so far.
“I can’t tell you I’m disappointed with this,“ said Coryell. “You’re going to lose games in this league. There’s too many good teams. As for Broad Street and Bordentown, our focus is the state tournament. To win the league? Fantastic. But to win it and not do anything in the state tournament what have you gained? Everything we’re doing is about the state tournament.”
In addition to the Mercer Legion schedule, Hopewell Valley has also went out of its way to schedule tough out-of-conference games — taking on Yardley Western and Northampton from the Bucks County league and playing traditional New Jersey power Flemington at Rutgers University this past weekend, falling 5-2 in a well-played game.
“This was four games in four days,“ Coryell said. “One was 10 innings, one was a nine inning (game). But that’s what the state tournament’s like. There was a little lack of concentration here. When you’re tired, that’s what Olsh said, that’s the first thing that goes. You’ve got to experience this stuff to know what it’s about.“
Coryell feels that while his team has one of the younger rosters in the league the squad has the potential to make some noise in the post-season. “We’re going to continue to play a bunch of games and put a bunch of guys in tough situations so that by the time we get there we’re going to be battle-tested,“ said the Post 339 manager, who is also the head coach at the Pennington School.
Coryell sees similarities between the way high school baseball works and the American Legion season.
“In a sense their similar,“ he said. “The record (isn’t what’s important). You’re getting in the state tournament you’re getting in the Mercer County Tournament. And at that point it just doesn’t matter what you’ve done. It only matters from that point forward. For us our focus has been not, ’We want to win the league.’ It doesn’t help you when you get to the state tournament. You’re still going to get to that state tournament.
“Our focus is we want to be in that top four or five. Get a chance to say we want to go somewhere and make some noise there.“
As with most successful teams the key is pitching. Coryell has been impressed with the arms on this squad.
Left-hander Greg Gasparro is the best known of the Post 339 hurlers but the squad is a deep group which also includes 2014 Hopewell Valley High School graduate Andrew Graziano, South Hunterdon’s Jimmy Smiegocki, and tall lefty Joe Jenkins, who came in to settle things down against Ewing and kept his team in the game.
“I’m very impressed with our pitching,“ Coryell said. “Joe Jenkins has been sensational for us so far. Smiegocki, he’s thrown very well for us. He’s probably our hardest thrower. Graziano threw a great game against Flemington yesterday. Kobil’s thrown a couple of good games for us.“
Righthander Tyler Kobil, a senior for Hopewell Valley this past season, struggled against Post 314 but he has been a pleasant surprise for Coryell.
“I went up to him and I said, ’Let me guess, you felt great, you had nothing on the ball and you had no idea where it was going?’,“ said the manager. “I looked at him and he said, ’Yeah.’ I told him I’d seen it before it just happens. You pick it up and you try again next time.“
Hopewell was short-handed against Ewing with Gasparro, Scott Bradley, Will Karp and Ryan Rovner missing due to academic commitments, but Coryell was most pleased that the team did battle to the end, loading the bases in the seventh inning and scoring once before Ewing’s Stephen DeBoskey recorded a game-ending strikeout.
“I was proud because I don’t want to use it as an excuse we were down a few guys,“ Coryell said. “We knew it coming into this year we were going to battle that a little bit. We had our shot right there at the end. This team really doesn’t give up. We were down 3-0 to Lawrence in the seventh inning. We put up three to tie it and won it in the 10th. We’ve battled all year. I like their grit.“
Interestingly, it was one of Hopewell’s top hitters, catcher Josh deDufour making the final out – something that surprised Coryell.
“Josh, my catcher, has been hitting close to .500 for us,“ he said. “I loved him in that spot. Today he didn’t come through. He’ll come through plenty for us.“
Someone else coming through on a regular basis for Hopewell Valley is first baseman/outfielder Cameron Cane.
“Cameron Cane is going to be a beast,“ Coryell said. “He hit that rocket off the fence. And he’s still sixteen.“
While there was some irony in the fact that his team’s first loss came against players he’s known since they were youngsters and on a field where he and Olshin have spent thousands of hours, Coryell was philosophical afterwards.
“I can’t tell you it’s weird because I’ve been at Pennington for three years,“ he said. “Mike and I said coming in it’s kind of like a rec game. We see all the kids. We’ve coached everybody out there at some point or another. And then all of a sudden it turned into a rec game.“
“It’s baseball and I just enjoy coaching baseball. I enjoyed being around those guys. I enjoy being around these guys. When it came down to it I grabbed a rake and I was cleaning up some of the mud puddles. Just like old times there.“
Many of the players have played together as well as against each other since the Hopewell Valley and Ewing Babe Ruth leagues merged. Coryell didn’t see that as an issue for either team.
“I don’t see it as a problem,“ he said. “I don’t see it for Ewing splitting up. It’s baseball. I think it doesn’t take long to build some relationships. We have Pennington players on this team anyway. We have a kid from South Hunterdon. I think the better teams figure out how to get that done.“
The Post 339 team has been getting it done for much of the season.
