By Warren Rappleyea
Old Bridge High School baseball coach Jimmy Freel is looking for his players to develop more confidence at the plate as his team competes in the Greater Middlesex Coaches Summer Baseball league.
The Knights are coming off a 14-13 season. While the pitching was generally good, Old Bridge had a disappointing team batting average of .260. As a result, Freel’s team lost seven games by two or fewer runs.
“Everyone knows we have to hit better,” the coach said. “If we scored a few more runs here and there last season, we could have had 18 wins or more. Right now, I’m looking for hitters.”
The Knights do have some hitting. Team MVP Joe Papeo is coming off a .308 varsity campaign. The outfielder/pitcher also won three games on the mound and has developed into a team leader, Freel said.
First baseman Tom Giasi (.267), third baseman Rob DaCunto (.265, 10 RBIs) and shortstop Rob Laconti (.238, nine RBIs) are all heading into their senior years. They are joined by infielders Sam Barbarise, Pascual Fucia, Jalen Hernandez, Chris Kearney and Jon Sammarco, as well as catcher Zach Scire, who became the Knights’ starting backstop midway through the season. Pitchers Carlos Lopez and Billy Geiger (three wins) and Barbarise will also be seniors.
“We do have a lot of returning seniors, and I think that they’re all pretty close in ability,” Freel said. “We also have some younger guys who are coming in looking to play. So we’re going to have more competition for spots in the lineup than ever before. That’s not usually the case. Right now, everything is wide open and I want to see how these guys play over the summer.”
The summer roster also includes catcher Ryan Bradley, pitcher/outfielder Connor Freel and outfielder Kyle Perrine, who has impressed with the bat. Perrine made the junior varsity team last year as a pitcher but quickly showed his prowess at the plate and became a regular.
Left-handed pitcher Joe Krause, pitcher/third baseman Sonny Fauci and infielder Chris Pichriello will be sophomores.
“The summer is very important for our players,” said Freel, who is being assisted by former Old Bridge head coach Fred Cole. “I’m looking for guys to distinguish themselves.”