BY RICHARD JEROME
Staff Writer
With an almost entirely new look to his East Brunswick High School baseball team, coach Tom Hockenjos isn’t expecting miracles.
But with a 4-5 record thus far, he’d like to see some improvement.
“We lost nine seniors, virtually every starting player,” Hockenjos said. “Right now, our strength is our offense – we’re a pretty good-hitting team. There’s some depth in the pitching, although the staff is real inexperienced. Our nemesis is our defense. That’s where we really need to improve.”
The Bears broke a four-game losing skid on Tuesday, with a 14-3 romp over Perth Amboy. East Brunswick broke the game in the top of the fifth inning, with a seven-run explosion, three of the tallies coming on a home run by first baseman and cleanup hitter Adam Pawlowski. Joe Fischer picked up the victory on the mound, yielding six Panther hits.
Winning pitcher Joe Fischer scattered six hits including one double each to Adam Minaya, Mike DeLeon and Chris Rosa. DeLeon went 2-for-3, keeping his batting average above .600 on the year.
In their previous game, the Bears lost a 7-6 heartbreaker to J.P. Stevens, which pulled out the game in the bottom of the seventh.
Looking over the lineup for EBHS, senior Jason Karlowski is behind the plate, where he’s an excellent defensive catcher; he has also made a contribution at the plate. First sacker Pawlowski (who, incidentally, was the Greater Middlesex Conference Bowler of the Year) is having a good year with the bat, posting a .350 mark through the first nine games. Second baseman Corey Hersch, a junior, is growing in the job.
“He’s good on the double-play,” Hockenjos said. “And, offensively, he can drive the ball to the gaps.”
Fischer, a senior, plays shortstop when he’s not taking the mound, having moved over from third base. He’s been reliable with the stick, as well, hitting over .300, as is third baseman
Adam Wey, who had a couple of hits against Perth Amboy, is a versatile performer, who moves around the infield and is the No. 3 or 4 starter in the pitching rotation.
In the outfield, East Brunswick features junior Festim Malaj, a left-handed batter who hits second in the order and has some pop at the plate, with a homer to his credit.
“He’s also a good defensive outfielder with a strong arm,” added his coach.
In center field is one of the big surprises of the spring, senior Armand Lamhing, who after seeing just limited action last year has emerged as the Bears’ offensive leader, batting in the area of .400 with a couple of home runs on his resume. Over in right field, there’s something of a rotation, with Doug Fischer, Joe’s brother, joining sophomore Anthony Galuchi.
As far as the pitching staff, Eric Miele is the No. 1 starter. He kicked off the season in style, tossing a one-hitter to defeat Old Bridge, and has a 2-1 record. No. 2 in the rotation right now is junior righty Dan Bell, who had spent time on the disabled list, but looked strong in his first two starts. he also plays third base on occasion, as well as outfield, second and designated hitter.
Along with Joe Fischer and Wey, junior southpaw Jordan Press tosses in relief and also sees time in the outfield. Rounding out the varsity, sophomore Nick Prevete is a reserve catcher, while junior Chris Santiago plays first base and also serves as a DH.
Hockenjos, who is assisted by Jeff Elias, Tom Husar and frosh coach Greg Merano, leads his Bears into a flurry of activity: Yesterday’s match with Edison began a run of nine games in 11 days. EBHS faces South Brunswick tomorrow, Old Bridge on Saturday, then on Sunday meets Spotswood at the Trenton Thunder stadium, playing its game after the minor league contest concludes.
“As for the rest of the year, of course I hope we’ll keep hitting then ball and the pitching matures,” Hockenjos said. “And of course, we want to improve that defense.”