Baseball – 2014 Preview: Point Boro
Point Pleasant Boro Panthers
Head Coach: Dave Drew, fourth season
Record Last Year: 12-11 (8-6, tied for second in B South)
| Returning Starters | Yr. | Position | 2013 Batting Stats | 2013 Pitching Stats |
| Terence Berkeley | Sr. | P/C/1B | .328/.385/.552, 5 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 8 R, 14 RBI, 9 SB | |
| Mike Dunham | Sr. | P/3B | 47.2 IP, 52 H, 15 BB, 30 K, 2.20 ERA, 5-5 | |
| Dan Gonella | Sr. | P/OF | .220/.350/.260, 2 2B, 10 R, 9 RBI | |
| Frank Graziano | So. | P/OF | .260/.327/.300, 1 3B, 7 R, 5 RBI | |
| Tim Rossi | So. | P/OF | 33.2 IP, 34 H, 30 BB, 14 K, 3.95 ERA, 2-3 | |
| Returning Players | Yr. | Position | 2013 Batting Stats | 2013 Pitching Stats |
| Ryan Doyle | Sr. | P/UTIL | 2-for-10, 1 2B, 2 BB, 2 R, 1 RBI |
Key Losses: Ryan Prout (C), Deven Del Priore (SS), Ryan Lees (CF/P), Kurt Vanbenschoten (3B/P), Ryan Thrunk (2B), Kyle McGarry (1B)
Key Newcomers: Joe Bavaro (Sr., 2B), Logan Larue (Sr., 3B/1B), Dan Bellofatto (Jr., OF), Sean Connor (Jr., SS/3B/2B), Dan Cornish (Jr., OF), Jack Fitzsimmons (Jr., P/UTIL), Quinn Hornish (Jr., OF), Ryan Patterson (Jr., SS/3B), Gabe Pesante (Jr., P/2B), John Youmans (Jr., C/1B/3B), Kenny Cushmen (So., P/3B), Pierce Drzymkowski (So., P/UTIL), Mike Falconetti (So., P/1B/3B), Bill Fehan (So., P/UTIL), Gene Franceschini (Jr., P/1B), Nathan Husack (So., OF), Mark Leyble (So., P/3B), Sam Monoco SS, 3b, 2b (So., SS/3B/2B), Sebastian Severio C, Utility(So., C/UTIL)
Team Outlook
Point Boro went into last season knowing it would score runs and wondering how its young pitching would do. This season will be almost the exact opposite, although perhaps not to the same extreme. On the bright side, there is some offense coming back to the Boro this season, but the pitching is not as much of a sure thing as the Panthers deep lineup was last year. Point Boro loses sluggers Ryan Prout, Deven Del Priore, Kurt Vanbenschoten and Ryan Lees, but returns starters Mike Dunham and Tim Rossi to help anchor the pitching staff.
Senior Terrence Berkeley is one of the division’s top returning hitters and can handle the catching duties or set up shop at first depending on what lineup coach Dave Drew would like to go with. Berkeley can also give the Panthers some innings on the mound, as can senior outfielder Dan Gonella and sophomore outfielder Frank Graziano. Gonella and Graziano will also be key cogs in the lineup as Point Boro tries to put together another strong offensive attack.
The Panthers roster is not quite as imposing as last year’s, however a more experienced pitching staff might actually make them a tougher team to play this year. Part of that equation will be the offense finding its groove and if it does, Point Boro has the pitching to crack the top three in this division and knock off Central or Jackson Liberty on a given day.
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