TCNJ remains on pace for impressive season
With 19 games remaining in the regular season, The College of New Jersey baseball team was just four wins short of surpassing last year’s victory total in an 18-18 season. Heading into Thursday’s game at Stockton, the Lions were 15-4 overall, although 0-2 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference after a doubleheader loss to Kean Saturday. TCNJ fell 2-1 in 12 innings and 7-4 in the nightcap.
“I can’t say what it really was that happened,” junior catcher CJ Gearhart said. “We did play well. We hit, our pitchers did well. We did leave some runners on base.
“But overall we battled, we played well. I guess the chips didn’t fall our way. It’s unfortunate, that (10-game) winning streak was kind of outstanding. Luckily we came back from that and got a big win.”
The Lions responded with a 14-8 win over Immaculata on Tuesday, and Gearhart hoped it was the start of another roll.
“Those two losses kind of helped us get our focus back and show us we’re not gonna win all the games easily,” the Robbinsville High graduate said. “It taught us that we need to keep fighting all the time and never just let our confidence get to be too much. Try to take every game the same.”
Gearhart feels that the team chemistry has been a major factor. Despite having a number of young players, he noted that everyone is holding themselves accountable and taking on some type of leadership role.
That is reflected in TCNJ’s stats. The Lions are hitting .354 as a team and have a team ERA of 3.52. Zach Shindler (.446), Ben Varone
Gearhart (.425), Patrick Roberts (.400) and John Rizzi (.384) lead the regulars offensively, and Gearhart is right behind at .375.
“The entire team is hitting,” he said. “I’m batting later in the lineup, and after seeing all the guys in front of me hitting, I want to keep competing with them. I’ve been a little lucky, getting some bloopers in there. But seeing those guys gives me the confidence to say ‘I can hit these guys too.’”
He has also made a few adjustments. “I’m trying to stay loose and work the other way,” Gearhart said. “A few weeks ago I struggled, I was becoming anxious and overwhelmed. I’ve been working on staying back. Even in batting practice I try to hit to the opposite field and not try to pull it.”
Joe Cirillo has been the pitching ace with a 4-1 record and 2.97 ERA. Steve Volpe (2.12) and Brandon Zachary (3.32) are both 3-0.
“Our staff doesn’t have a lot of strikeouts, but our pitchers are hitting their spots and making the batters hit the pitcher’s pitch,” Gearhart said. “They roll them over and get a nice easy groundball, and we have a good defense behind them.
“Our senior pitchers are taking a big leadership role. We have a lot of young guys stepping up; a couple freshmen and sophomore starting pitchers, and they’re starting to get comfortable on the mound.”
One of those youngsters is freshman Michael Fischer, who Gearhart caught in high school when Fischer was just a sophomore. Fischer is 2-0 with a 3.78 ERA in three starts.
“He’s been doing really well,” Gearhart said. “I love catching him, we have our little (Robbinsville) thing going. He has definitely matured and I’ve noticed a lot more fine tuning to his pitching. He’s definitely worked on all the pitches he had. He threw hard in high school but he wasn’t really as fine tuned as he is right now.”
“I never met Butch but I know a lot of alumni and other people who have met him and they all think he’s great,” current coach Kevin Kerins said. “He’s a big part of our tradition here. Some great players played for him and what we have going on now can all be traced back to Butch. We encourage as many of his old players as possible to come back and share with this.”
The pavilion features picnic and pub tables, as well as park benches, and is located adjacent to the baseball field to afford spectators an optimal view of the action. A plaque will be placed at the edge of the area to commemorate Miller’s contributions to the college and its players.
The tribute committee is led by Randy Voorhees, a member of Miller’s 1981 team that finished third in the JUCO World Series. Voorhees went on to become the Vikings head coach.
“Coach Miller has made a positive impact on hundreds of lives, both in the classroom and out on the baseball field,” Voorhees said. “Personally, he impressed upon me the value of education, and he helped me learn how to be a man. I’ll never forget him nor will I be able to thank him enough.”
Also part of the tribute committee and major donors for the pavilion are Dave Dominici, another key member of the ‘81 team, and former MCCC Athletics Director Al Leister.
In addition to the pavilion, the committee is planning to establish a baseball scholarship fund in honor of Miller, who was also known for running one of the world’s great hospitality tents when MCCC would host the JUCO
national soccer tournament.