By Jeff Appelblatt
As many new faces as he sees on the field each year, Glenn Fredericks believes in consistency. The Atlantic Baseball Confederation Collegiate League (ABCCL) coach, currently in his fifth year with the New Brunswick Matrix, has witnessed teams in the league change their names; he’s even seen teams replaced.
But no matter what changes happen around him, Fredericks doesn’t foresee any adjustments in the near future for the Matrix.
“Our expectations never change,” the coach said after his club beat the Medford Starz, 11-3, to improve to 8-7-1. “We’re out to compete for a title.
“I enjoy the stability the league provides.”
Of course, along with stability in college sports, the same athletes won’t be around forever. Five players from last year’s New Brunswick squad graduated prior to the summer, so they’re no longer eligible to play. And when guys go, new players come.
One new athlete for the Matrix that Fredericks hopes has a strong season is Rutgers University-New Brunswick’s Tyler McNamara, who graduated from East Brunswick High School. He, along with Justin Marks from Rutgers-Newark, will share the catcher position all summer.
Last year’s catcher, Andrew Niech, was one of the five players that graduated. Niech, an Avenel resident, played baseball at Colonia High School before he moved onto New Jersey City University (NJCU). At NJCU, he set the hits and extra-base hits records. No doubt, Niech held a bat and a glove that will be hard to follow.
“Marks and McNamera — the combination has big shoes to fill,” Fredericks said.
Someone else the coach hopes has a great season is Neumann University senior Spencer Young, a Jackson Memorial High School graduate.
“Our team is led by our second-year shortstop,” the Matrix’s coach said.
However, as dependent as Fredericks feels his team is on its shortstop, he hopes the season will provide plenty of help for Young going forward. The Jackson native struggled at the plate for Neumann in the spring.
The Matrix’s deep pitching staff includes Edison High School graduates Mike Bernet (Misiercordia University) and Hirofumi Kato (Middlesex County College), North Brunswick Township High School alumni Nate Facey (NJCU) and Steve Bloyed (Rutgers University-Camden) and East Brunswick’s Greg Sampson (Rutgers-Newark).
Strengthening the skills of college baseball players was the main reason the ABCCL was created, so Young could only hope a strong summer season will transition to a better senior campaign at Neumann.
It’s the same story for upcoming Kean University senior Scott Durkin. Durkin, another Colonia graduate, stepped his game up as a junior, coming up with 20 hits in 33 games for Kean. The outfielder, though, is hoping the change of summer teams can do even more for him next year. The Colonia resident spent last year with the last-place Middlesex Rays, one of the teams no longer in the ABCCL. An improvement in team play has the potential to help any athlete.
And another goal for the league is to give baseball coaches some work on the diamond while they look forward to the spring. Fredericks fits that bill. The Spotswood High School physical education teacher has coached Spotswood’s varsity baseball team the last 12 years. He can fully remember how the 2016 season played out.
“We had a rough start, but we won five of our last seven,” the coach said. “We finished 12-13.”
Unfortunately for the Chargers, high school student-athletes don’t last more than four years, just like college. Fredericks will be reminded of that when he looks at his team next year in Spotswood without three of his best hitters from the spring: Dan Newton, Jake Ryan and Matt Krause. The trio graduated.
For now, though, Fredericks’ focus is on the Matrix. And the same way his expectations don’t change for that team no matter who’s on the roster, it can be expected he’ll have the same mindset in the spring.