Baseball – 2014 Preview: Middletown North
Middletown North Lions
Head Coach: Mike Dooley, third season
Record Last Year: 8-15 (5-9, tied for sixth in A North)
Returning Starters | Yr. | Position | 2013 Batting Stats | 2013 Pitching Stats |
Ryan Byrd | Sr. | OF | .357/.391/.371, 1 2B, 13 R, 10 RBI | |
Mike Bartels | Sr. | P/INF | .267/.362/.333, 2 2B, 1 3B, 10 R, 4 RBI | 35 IP, 50 H, 9 BB, 26 K, 3.40 ERA, 3-3 |
Mike Zibrin | Sr. | P/1B | .179/.219/.179, 3 RBI | 33 IP, 42 H, 11 BB, 24 K, 4.45 ERA, 1-4 |
Matt Reilly | Sr. | OF | .162/.244/.162, 4 RBI | |
Aaron Borrero | Jr. | SS/2B | .151/.151/.151 | |
Returning Players | Yr. | Position | 2013 Batting Stats | 2013 Pitching Stats |
Ryan Goscinski | Sr. | C | .250/.350/.375, 2 2B, 5 RBI | |
Jacob Bailey | Sr. | INF | .090/.167/.182, 1 3B, 3 RBI | |
Frank Dente | Sr. | P | .090/.167/.090 | 14.2 IP, 18 H, 9 BB, 8 K, 3.34 ERA, 1-0 |
Connor Youncofski | Jr. | P/INF | .333/.429/.333 | |
T.J. Vivian | Jr. | P/OF | .125/.222/.125 | |
Vinny Pianoforte | Jr. | DH/P | .222/.417/.222 |
Key Losses: Chris Stark (P/INF), Austin Borrero (OF), Tom Nitti (OF), Richie Palmer (2B), Doug Arango (C)
Key Newcomers: Ed Sena (Jr., INF), Chuck Estelle (Jr., OF/P), Reid Baker (Jr., 1B/P), Anthony Pianoforte (Jr., OF), Rob McCann (Jr., C), Phil Pecherski (So., 1B/P), Seth Ziegler (So., INF/OF), Anthony Vetrano (So., OF/C), Kyle Capo (So., 3B)
Team Outlook
Current University of Maine right-hander Chris Stark had the best full season of any pitcher in Class A North last year and his work on the mound was the primary reason Middletown North was so tough on the rest of the division despite the fact that the Lions had a lot of trouble scoring. Unlike their crosstown rivals, the Lions did have some games in which they scored more than six runs, but the overall output matched that of Middletown South (45 runs in 14 division games, 3.2 per game).
Middletown North hopes to score more runs this year as the Lions return two of their more consistent hitters from last year in outfielder Ryan Byrd and third baseman Mike Bartels. Byrd hit .357 as a junior while Bartels hit .267 with two doubles and a triple, and the two seniors will have to carry the offense this year. Senior catcher Ryan Goscinski had some success in a small sampling of at-bats with a .250 average and two doubles.
The Lions have a chance to be solid on the mound again, despite the fact that they lose their lockdown starter from a year ago. Bartels and fellow senior Mike Zibrin combined for 68 respectable innings and senior Frank Dente also posted a 3.40 ERA in 14 2/3 innings. Offense might be hard to come by again in 2014, but if those three seniors can keep the runs off the board and get some help from an improved defense, Middletown North will have a chance to knock off some of the better teams in the division, just as it did last year.