Brett Carroll
Staff Writer
The Allentown High School baseball team will start from scratch this spring.
The 2017 season will not be forgotten.
That memorable season came to an end when Allentown defeated Cranford High School, 5-1, to win the Group 3 state tournament championship and finish the year with a 26-2 record.
Some of the key pieces of the 2017 championship team, such as All-State pitcher Jordan Winston, have graduated so coach Bob Nice has begun focusing on a new chapter of Allentown baseball.
Nice will try to replace Winston, as well as the rest of his fine pitching staff with AJ Ariano, Jack Nitti, and Dan Merkel.
“We’re not using the word defend this year,” Nice said. “Right now we’re 0-0. They do need to know that there’s a target on their back. They also need to know that this group hasn’t accomplished anything. Last year’s group accomplished a lot, and it was a lot of fun, but this group has done nothing yet. They need to understand that and know that we’re not better than anybody yet.”
Nice is pleased that there are younger players who are capable of making an impact this spring.
“It’s a young group,” Nice said. “In a lot of ways that’s a lot of fun. We have some returning guys, but we have a lot of young guys, too. We have some freshmen and sophomores that are going to push guys for spots. That’s a good thing. Even the guys that had regular roles last year aren’t guaranteed anything. They too, have young guys behind them that will push them for their spots. That makes you better as a team, and it makes you better individually. I’m looking forward to that part of it.”
The persistent storm this month has resulted in a challenge for Nice and his club.
“How bout improving on getting on the field,” Nice said. “This weather has been unbelievable. It’s hard to say what we’re good at or not good at right now. Usually, two and a half weeks in, you have a grasp on who you are. We don’t. We’ve played each other once or twice, but that’s it. We haven’t had a live scrimmage yet. Hopefully,we’ll get one in this week. But I can’t tell you what we need to work on yet.”
Nice praised the performances of senior outfielder Austin Ferrier and senior catcher Chris Reeder, who both came through during Allentown’s run to the state title last spring. Reeder hit a home run to spark Allentown’s victory over Cranford in the Group 3 state final.
“Chris Reeder,” Nice said. “They way he stepped up his game in the postseason last year was unbelievable. On both offense and defense. He’s was a solid catcher for us all year, but he really stepped up in the playoffs and became a force in the middle of our lineup. We expect him to be even better this year. He put a lot of work in this offseason, so, we’re anxious to see him this year. Austin Ferrier is the same thing. He had a big year for us last year, and we’re expecting the same thing from him this year. There’s a couple of guys like that for us. That’s what makes this year fun.”
Both Ferrier and Reeder are ready to step in as senior leaders who must guide this young squad.
“We have a lot of seniors that graduated last year,” Ferrier said. “So, we have a lot of younger guys that will be filling into those roles. The upperclassman will have to guide them on their way. Tell them what to do. Take leadership roles on the team and get them to excel in what they do.”
“The upperclassman are going to have to step up because most of us were on the team last year,” Reeder said. “So we know what it takes to be successful. We’re going to have to work twice as hard this year.”
The seniors believe that the team’s depth and leadership will be the strengths for the Redbirds.
“I think we still have a strong core of returning men,” said Ferrier, who will continue his career next season in college at James Madison in Virginia. “They know what they’re doing. Know what we’re capable of as a team and individually. I think we’re going to be a very strong team. Even though we lost some big arms, we’re replacing a lot of arms. I think our strength is going to be our leadership.”
“Yea we lost some big arms, but we have a lot of depth this year,” said Reeder, who will play next year at The College of New Jersey. “And that’s depth at every position, not just arms. They’re are a lot of athletes on the team that can play any position and do their job effectively.”
The Redbirds open their season at home against West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South on April 2 at 10 a.m.