Brodie Catherina rounds second base as he tracks the ball in the outfield during a game against Lawrence on July 15.
Despite his career as a shortstop, Brodie Catherina volunteers to play second baseman on Mercer County’s team.
As much as anyone, Brodie Catherina was symbolic of Mercer County’s march to the Carpenter Cup championship in June.
A shortstop for his entire high school career at Hopewell Valley, Catherina was presented with a situation by manager Brian Giallella prior to the start of cup play.
“He came up to me and the other shortstop (Hamilton West’s Brandon Kirk), and he just simply asked what one of us wanted to play second. Brandon said he has never played second in his life. I had played it in eighth grade at Timberlane, so it wasn’t a big deal.
“Kirk’s a really good shortstop anyway. It’s a different experience playing second, but it wasn’t hard. It was a nice thing; it was a good thing to play second base for a change.”
And it made life easier for Giallella, who found this group of players to be among the most cooperative he has ever coached in Carpenter Cup play.
“We didn’t have a second baseman because we didn’t have many kids nominated at second,” the Steinert coach said. “I figured we would just pick the best middle infielders. We moved Catherina to second after playing shortstop almost his whole life, but he looked like he played second all his life, as well.
Giallella said this year’s team was short on complainers and Catherina was as game as the rest.
“There were kids who were banged up a little bit that just went out and played,” he said. “There were kids where we said, ‘We’ll move you to right field, or we’ll move you down the lineup,’ and they said ‘That’s fine, whatever you need me to do.’ That was their attitude, guys from all the schools, and Brodie was part of that.”
Catherina was not only a key defensively, he also helped spark the offense by coming up with several key hits.
In a semifinal win over Jersey Shore, Catherina hit a two-run double to give Mercer the lead before the game was suspended. When it resumed, Jersey Shore took the lead before Mercer scored three in the seventh to pull it out.
“We knew right from there we would win it,” Catherina said. “That was the best team we saw all tournament. We were just so confident after we won that game, and we just whooped up on Lehigh Valley.”
Against LV, Catherina’s leadoff double sparked a five-run inning as Mercer went on to an easy 9-2 victory.
“Brodie was a big catalyst on our team,” Giallella said. “He had a lot of hits, he got us started with our defense and being able to run the bases. I love to have some players like that to be able to go through because they obviously know how to play the game.”
Giallella also said Catherina is a player you appreciate the more you see him play.
“You see him once a year with Hopewell and you go ‘Yeah, he’s a great player,’ and that’s about it,” Giallella said. “But now you see him for four straight games, six innings each game. And you’re like ‘Wow, he really can play. He knows the game. You really see the little small parts of the game in the kid’s make up. You see the little nuances.”
For Catherina, the Carpenter Cup was the highlight of a spring and summer that have featured tough seasons for both HVCS and for Hopewell Post 339 in American Legion play. The championship was an oasis in the middle of some disappointing deserts, and the fact the last two games were played at Citizens Bank Park made it that much better.
“That was awesome,” he said. “It was a wonderful atmosphere. I’d been to that field a couple times, but I’ve never been on it. Stepping on the field was definitely an experience I will take with me for the rest of my life.”
Like his teammates, Catherina had to field a few grounders and take a few swings to get over the atmosphere.
“Taking infield and outfield and warming up before the game there was a certain ‘Wow, I can’t believe I’m on this field,’” he said. “But once we got going and we were focused on winning, it made the game a lot easier to play. You weren’t worried about the other stuff.”
Actually, the stadium was helpful when it came to batting, considering the background must be good enough for guys to concentrate against guys like Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels.
“It’s very, very easy to see the ball, even though there’s so much activity going on in center field,” Catherina said. “You have the brick and ivy wall out there, so you can see the ball coming out of the pitcher’s hand real easily.”
Catherina did have one brief moment of apprehension entering the tournament, since he was the only Bulldog on the squad. Jono Govantes also made the team but had to withdraw due to injury.
What could have been a lonely experience turned into a great experience, however, as the Mercer team developed a nice chemistry in just two weeks.
“I remember playing against those kids ever since we were 10 years old,” Catherina said. “Once I got on the same team it felt like we had been together for a while. We meshed together and started playing baseball.“
It’s not surprising they knew Catherina’s name, considering he hit .367 with 19 RBI and 18 runs scored during his senior year at HVCHS.
And his career is not over yet, as Catherina is going to continue to family invasion of California this fall.
Catherina and his older brother Austin are moving to Santa Barbara. Catherina will attend Santa Barbara City College, a successful junior college program that has had several players drafted. Austin just finished a four-year playing career at Greensboro, and hopes to get a job as a personal trainer.
Oldest brother Dylan is already out there, living a few miles away in Studio City.
“He’s a movie guy,” Brodie said with a laugh. “He’s like a camera guy.”
Catherina made the decision to give California baseball a try after a family trip to the Golden State last summer.
“They’re very good at baseball,” Catherina said. “Their coach is a new coach, but he’s a really good coach. He’s been winning in their league for a couple years now.
“Last year was the third time I went out there. We were out there for three weeks, and it felt like forever. I was never bored. I just loved it.”
Kind of like Giallella just loved Catherina’s willingness to switch positions and help produce a championship.
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