Deep pitching staff key for Hamilton-NB heading into Series
Hamilton-Northern Burlington manager Jim Petersohn has plenty of thoughts on his team’s chances in the Babe Ruth 14-year-old World Series, but there is one that truly stands out.
“I’m going to find it very hard,” Petersohn said, “for another team to match our pitching.”
If that’s true, it may be a memorable trip to Glen Allen, Va. for N-B, which opens National Division Pool Play 10 a.m. Thursday against New England champ Turnbull, Conn., in the first game of the entire Series. Petersohn already has his four starters lined up — Jake Babuschak, Tommy Niedermaier, Nick Nemes and Anthony Wilk. David Zamora is ready as the closer.
And if any of them run into trouble?
“We have five or six other guys who can throw,” Petersohn said, matter-of-factly.
Hamilton-NB has yet to lose in the post-season, rolling to District One, Southern New Jersey and Mid-Atlantic Regional titles. It has not played in anger, however, since July 30.
“We’ve been practicing pretty regularly,” Petersohn said. “We had a controlled scrimmage (Sunday) with the West Windsor 15s (also in the World Series), which was beneficial to both sides. So, between fund raising, it’s been practicing and working out together.”
Part of that workout regimen was — don’t laugh — helping coach Mike Moceri move into his new home. That’s the sign of a good coaching staff, as they convinced the players it was a good time.
“It’s been fun with the boys all hanging out together and doing stuff inside of baseball and outside of baseball,” Petersohn said “They’ve built a very unique bond.”
Along with the aforementioned pitchers, bonding was also done by Danilo Perdomo, John Gibbs, Gavin Martin, Tyler Solymosi, Tommy Cramer, Nate Rodriguez, Zac Brown, Mike Giambelluca, Connor Luckie and Carson Wehner. It’s a group from two different leagues that fused together seamlessly over the course of the season.
Moceri and coach Frank Gatto have been prepping the squad for what to expect.
“The very fortunate thing is, Mo and Gatto have been in a lot of big games,” Petersohn said. “Mo played in the World Series, he has that familiarity. We had (umpire) Guy Agron stop in, he was on the last Hamilton World Series team that made it without hosting (in 2004).” And what did they say? “Basically, enjoy the experience,” Petersohn said. “Guy said he’s been able to watch this team through the season grow, and he thinks it’s a special group and they can do very well down there. We keep instilling in the kids it’s the little things that will mean something in close games.”
They are also helped by having some time off.
“Ever since we played in the semis of the regionals, it seemed like the kids were getting a little tired,” Petersohn said. “But since we beat that West End team 4-1 (in the finals) it’s been a changed group. Practices are crisp and there’s been focus and attention to detail. It’s been a great experience with these kids, and they’re starting to see the prize is this close.”
H-NB expects to see Turnbull’s ace, who Petersohn said is “a pretty big kid who throws hard. We’re definitely expecting some competition down there but I think we have a team built to adapt to what comes our way.”
And having a lot of depth helps as Petersohn has made playing his entire roster the norm.
“We have 15 starters and you could see different lineups every day,” he said. “We’re very confident when we put somebody in they’ll get the job done. Our intention is to have every kid play a game down there and we’ll play the hot hand.”
H-NB’s remaining pool games are Friday at 4 p.m. (vs. Virginia state champ), Saturday at 1 p.m. (Pacific Northwest) and Monday at 10 a.m. (Southeast). The top three finishers from each pool enter bracket play, with the second and third place teams crossing over divisions to play each other in the quarterfinals, and the pool champions meeting the survivors in the semis. The championship game is 6 p.m. Thursday.
Follow Rich Fisher on twitter @fish4scores.