Lawrence 10s setting foundation for run in 2005
By: Jim Green
The Lawrence Little League 10-year old team had a fine showing in Pool A of the District 12 tournament, going 2-2 and finishing one game shy of reaching the Final Eight. But Lawrence manager Dan Reven wasn’t overly concerned with what his squad accomplished on the field this season.
"Based on what we’ve done in the last couple of years, going 2-2 was a realistic goal," Reven said. "As a I tell the kids, we’re building toward the 12-year olds. Right now, we’re trying to get our team and how we want it to play established."
A group of 12 players between the ages of 9 and 10 began laying Lawrence’s foundation with this year’s 10-year old squad. The group included Stone Carney, Corey Crafford, Patrick Ilagan, Jeff Lippencott, Michael Myers, Patrick Reven, Jesse Russo, Max Russo, Matthew Shalita, Eric Speidel, Matthew Weyand and Christopher Wirth.
This talented group was primed to make a run at the Final Eight, but got off to a slow start with a 12-6 loss to East Windsor at home on July 6. Shalita went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, and Speidel knocked in two runs to help Lawrence close an early 7-0 deficit to 7-5 by the third inning. But East Windsor, on the strength of a home run by first baseman James Chiarello, scored four times in the top of the fourth to put the game away.
"I think, had we not opened at home, that might have taken a little pressure off the kids," Reven said. "We were in the game. But the big kid who was playing first base (Chiarello) hit a home run that took the sails out of the team."
But Lawrence bounced back the next day, hammering North Trenton 14-4. Patrick Reven had a double and an RBI and picked up the win as the starting pitcher, while Crafford drove in two runs. Shalita, Wirth, Max Russo, Weyand, Carney and Lippencott also had RBIs for Lawrence, which built a 14-3 lead by the top of the fourth inning.
"We didn’t give up after the East Windsor game," Dan Reven said. "The next game, we came back and played North Trenton. There was some pressure on the kids, because the anticipation was that we were going to beat them."
Three days later, however, Lawrence’s bid to advance came to an end with an 11-0 loss to Nottingham. Myers started the game and gave up only four runs in 3 1/3 innings, but defensive struggles contributed to Lawrence falling hopelessly behind.
"Mike Myers was pitching pretty good," Reven said. "But we had a few mental lapses in the outfield. We had some balls hit out there, and the floodgates opened. The further we got down, the more pressure there was to hit."
And Lawrence’s lineup could only muster a single by Wirth through the six-inning contest.
"We just never got the bats going against Nottingham," Reven said.
Lawrence rebounded Saturday, topping West Windsor 9-3 in its most impressive performance. Myers hit a three-run double in the third, Patrick Reven added a two-run double, and Wirth pitched a solid game for the win.
"When we beat West Windsor, that was the best game we’ve played in three years," Dan Reven said. "Wirth pitched a terrific game, and Mike Myers and Patrick Reven provided some power."
Dan Reven said his team was motivated by the idea of keeping West Windsor which entered the game at 2-1 from advancing to the Final Eight.
"Our motivation was that, if we were going to go home, we wanted someone else to go home with us," he said. "The team really came through. The hitting was good. I was proud of the boys that day. They knew it was a our last game, and they didn’t give up."
Reven felt it was possible Lawrence benefited from playing in its first pressure-free game of the tournament.
"We were able to play a little bit loose," he said. "And West Windsor was a little tighter than we were, especially when we took the lead."
Lawrence will complete its 10-year old season by playing in the Late 10 Tournament in Cranbury later this summer. The team then will begin to look toward the future.
Reven expects his team to benefit next season from having all it players come from Lawrence’s recreational major league. This season, the squad was comprised of a combination of players from the majors and the minors.
"I think our goal is to have a little more depth next year," Reven said. "I think, up until this year, half our team has always played at a lower level. Next year, all the 11s will be playing at the same level of competition (the majors)."
Reven believes the players from the minors had difficulty adjusting to the stronger pitching they faced in District 12.
"Players who were playing in the majors were prepared for the pitching," he said. "For the guys from the lower leagues, it was kind of like an eye-opener. Next year, we’ll all be playing at the same level."
Reven also expects more players to come out for the team next year, as some younger players might have been intimidated by the idea of facing 10-year old pitching.
"Hopefully, more kids will be encouraged to come out and try out for the team next year," he said. "That would be the big thing. We had a very small pool to select from this year. I’d like to see that pool be bigger, because I know there are better players out there who didn’t bother coming out, for whatever reason."
Reven expects that, with greater depth and experience, his team will be ready to peak when it reaches the 12-year old level in 2005.
"Over the next couple years, the kids will get bigger and stronger," Reven said. "We have a future goal, because we know there are some teams that are pretty tough at this age.
"Our goal is to continue building the foundation so that, when they’re 10s, we’re the best we can be."