There is one attribute an athlete can possess that has nothing to do with intelligence or physical prowess. Every coach in the world wants their players to have it, but few can teach it.
It’s the ability to not get overwhelmed by a situation and come through under pressure. Robbinsville High shortstop/pitcher Anthony DeChiara has just such a trait.
“I would say this,” veteran coach Tom Brettell said. “He’s probably the most clutch hitter I’ve coached since I’ve been at Robbinsville. He’s not the most powerful hitter, but when it’s a tight game in the bottom of the seventh, you hope the lineup gets to him.”
DeChiara has proven his worth several times over the past two years. Last year, he had two walk-off hits and several other key hits in the final inning.
This season at Bordentown, with the Ravens trailing, 5-3, the senior came up with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh and belted a three-run triple to put Robbinsville up. The Ravens lost the game 7-6, but DeChiara did his job.
He also paid the price, for as he was running from second to third he pulled a hamstring that left him on the sidelines until just after Easter.
“It’s not bad,” DeChiara said of the feeling one gets from hitting a clutch triple, “Except when you’re laying on the ground, clenching your hamstring. That’s not a great feeling.”
During DeChiara’s absence, the Ravens lost three one-run games. Brettell wasn’t going to use his injury as an excuse, but considering DeChiara was hitting .400 through the first three games, it’s not a reach to think he might have made a difference in at least one of those games.
“He’s our senior leader, he gets up three times in a game,” the coach said. “Especially the type of hitter he is. He’s not afraid of the moment. I’m not saying we would have won or lost, I don’t take anything away from the teams beat us. But our offense struggled without him.”
DeChiara has always been a baseball junkie, since starting with the Robbinsville Little League as a shortstop and pitcher and making the All-Stars ever year.
He then played for 50-70 and 60-90 travel teams coached by his dad before playing for Pond Road Middle School.
“It’s always been baseball for me,” DeChiara said. “I grew up loving it and never really stopped. I just worked at it and worked at it and eventually got to where I am today.”
When he arrived at RHS, Brettell was immediately taken by his presence on the mound.
“You could tell when he first started throwing in practice, that he had really good mechanics and control of the ball and things like that,” the coach said. “He wasn’t scared, he wasn’t afraid of being with the older guys. You could tell right off the bat he could handle being with older guys and competing a little bit. He just had that confidence without being cocky or arrogant.
“He wasn’t ready to hit or play the field or anything like that, but pitching wise he was ready to do that. We put him in spots to be successful, where he could do things for us.”
DeChiara promptly went 4-0 with one no-decision, providing a pleasant surprise for himself and the team.
“I was surprised,” he said. “I definitely felt like I was welcome by all the older guys on the team, but it was a little surprising. Obviously, coming up and staying the whole year was nice.”
He also used that time to learn the nuances of playing shortstop, and said he gained a lot from the starter, Steve Kowalski. Once Kowalski graduated, DeChiara became the starting shortstop as a sophomore.
“He was always very smooth as a fielder, he had very good hands,” Brettell said. “You could tell when you handed him the ball he could handle it.”
As a junior, DeChiara added offense to his defense, hitting .342 with 18 runs, 12 RBI and eight stolen bases.
Because he was playing every day, his pitching appearances went way down. He entered this season with a 6-4 career record and 2.96 ERA, and defeated Hightstown on opening day in his only start before the injury.
“The last two years we’d really been deep in pitching, so we didn’t necessarily need me,” he said. “Plus, there was the whole thing of throwing however many innings, then coming in to play short. I wasn’t so hot on that, I didn’t want to put that much pressure on my arm, and we talked it through.
“This year, he really wanted me on the mound a lot, so I prepared a lot different. I did more bullpen in the off-season, more running and conditioning. “
DeChiara will continue his career next year at Spartanburg Methodist Junior College in South Carolina, where he has some family. He is unsure if it will be as a shortstop or pitcher, saying, “I’ll go wherever they put me.”
While he enjoys the pressure of pitching, he also loves getting his at-bats. He especially enjoys those pressure at-bats.
“I don’t know what it is,” he said. “I just kind of walk up there and in my mind I’m either gonna get a hit, or I’m not. I control my breathing, take deep breaths. I just say ‘This guy’s tired, he put himself in a bad situation, and this is my chance to jump on him. I just have to take my time, don’t rush anything, don’t swing at anything you don’t want.’”
Sometimes a little luck helps.
“Last year against Hopewell, we were down a run and had runners on second and third,” DeChiara said. “I got stuck in an 0-2 count, and then the kid threw me a curveball that he hung and that was all I needed. It was right there for me to take.”
DeChiara explained that his mindset is always the same. He looks to see where the fielders are, where the holes are, and at what the pitcher is throwing.
“At Bordentown, I could tell he was really tired,” he said. “The count was 1-0, and I knew I was going to get that flat fastball, and that’s what I got.”
And he knew what to do with it.
It’s the kind of attribute that can’t be beat, and can’t be taught.
Robbinsville High School senior Anthony DeChiara—here before the Ravens’ 6-1 win against Lawrence April 14, 2014—has earned a reputation as a clutch hitter. (Photo by Albert Rende.),
