After losing 11 seniors to graduation, Old Bridge High School’s baseball team will have opportunities for newcomers to join the squad, and many of them are playing this summer under the watchful eyes of Knights coach Jimmy Freel.
Old Bridge is coming off a 20- 13 season with a storybook ending, as Freel’s team won the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV championship. The good news is Freel’s summer team, which competes in the Greater Middlesex Coaches Summer Baseball League’s 17U division, is off to a 7-2 start.
“I’m happy with our record, but the real reason we’re playing is to be able to help develop and evaluate our players,” Freel said. “This is a big year for them — more so than any year before because we have so many open spots on the varsity — and we’re looking for some of our younger guys to step up.”
The Old Bridge roster includes ace pitcher Zach Attianese, who went 4-2 on the mound for the Knights. Attianese is serving as the designated hitter this summer after batting .321 with 13 RBIs during the spring. Freel said the senior has been on a roll at the plate since the summer campaign began.
Left-hander Sam Allen and right-hander Nick Concepcion, both of whom saw some varsity time on the hill, are seeing plenty of innings this summer. Both players are entering their senior year. In addition, catcher Donald Dugan, who also got into a few varsity games, will be a senior. The rest of Freel’s summer players will all be juniors in the fall.
Among the key players are Robert Laconti, who won the varsity shortstop job about halfway through the season and hit .222 as a sophomore; pitcher Jake Kudros, who went 1-1 for the varsity team; and Joe Papeo, a left-hander who hurled nine innings in the spring and hit .273 in limited at-bats. Carlos Lopez is another pitcher Freel can call upon.
Other members of the team include infielders Brendan Cashman, Robert Dacunto, Tom Giasi, Chris Kearney, Michael Russo and John Sammarco; catcher Zach Scire; and outfielders T.J. Angstadt, Pascual Fuda, Jalen Hernandez and T.J. Hunt. Dacunto and Hunt, a lefthander, are also pitchers.
“We have some good hitters, but I think it’s going to come down to pitching and defense for us,” Freel said. “The [Greater Middlesex Conference] Red Division is loaded with pitching, so it’s important that we pitch well and don’t give away runs. So far, I’ve really liked what I’ve seen this summer. These kids are playing hard and they have good attitudes. I think we have the ingredients to be successful.”