By Ken Weingartner
It’s been said that in baseball, momentum is the next day’s starting pitcher.
With Paul Sparano taking the mound on a regular basis, Ewing High’s baseball team has got a good shot at a lot of momentum.
Sparano, who will head to Rider University to play ball next season, is one of the elite pitchers in the area. Last season as a junior, he went 7-2 with an ERA of 2.15 and a Colonial Valley Conference-best 81 strikeouts in 59 innings. He was named first-team All-CVC and followed up that performance by being named the Mercer County American Legion League Pitcher of the Year.
As this season started to unfold, Sparano showed no signs of a letdown. He beat defending Mercer County Tournament champion Notre Dame 3-0, Steinert 1-0, and Hopewell Valley 1-0. He allowed 11 hits and struck out 29 during that 21-inning span, helping the Blue Devils go 4-1.
“He’s been nothing but a leader for the team,” Ewing head coach Kip Harrison said. “Guys play better when he’s pitching, we have better defense. I think they feel with a one-run lead, not that they feel comfortable, but they feel pretty good that if we do make a mistake, he’s going to bail us out. He’s done it time and time again.
“When he’s on the mound, you see the difference in our play and the way we carry ourselves. You can have that same confidence no matter who is on the hill, and that’s what we’re still trying to incorporate.”
Sparano, a right-hander, throws his fastball in the mid to upper 80s on a consistent basis to go with a hard curveball and occasional changeup. He enjoys the challenge of having the game rest on his ability to get people out.
“I just tell myself the next pitch is the most important pitch; it could affect the whole game,” Sparano said about his approach. “That’s why I put my all into every single pitch I throw. If I miss my spot, it could be the difference in the whole game.”
No matter the situation, Sparano is always ready to battle.
“He just refuses to give in,” Harrison said. “If he falls behind a batter, he’s not going to give them an easy one; he’ll make them work for a hit. He wants the ball in his hands to make the decision. He always has that mentality that he’s going to get the next guy.”
Sparano started pitching when he was around 7 years old.
“People started saying I was pretty good; I guess that’s when I realized I was going to be a pitcher,” he said. “I’m just a competitor. That’s why I picked pitching. I was never really a pitcher, but I had the arm and I like winning. When I’m on the mound, I can control the game more.”
Mike Salvatore, the Blue Devils’ shortstop, has known Sparano for most of his life as the two live one house away from each other and spent countless hours playing baseball and wiffle ball together.
“Having him on the mound gives us confidence and high energy,” Salvatore said. “We want to come out here and back him up because he pitches his butt off.”
Ewing reached the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II tournament championship game last season before losing to Delran. Harrison hopes the Blue Devils are poised for another run.
“As long as we’re able to pitch and play defense, I think we have the opportunity to be very good,” Harrison said. “I’m not going to say the sky’s the limit, but we got to the Central Jersey final last year and I feel pretty good about our chances just with our defense. I’d like to see our hitting come around a little more.”
Salvatore is one of the players Ewing will count on to help put runs on the board.
“He’s a very good player; he’s a gamer,” Harrison said. “When he’s not on the field, he’s thinking about getting back on the field. He’s been a main guy for us.”
Said Salvatore, “I think we’ve started off pretty good. Paul is throwing really well and our defense looks pretty good, but I definitely think we need to wake up the bats a little bit, jump on teams early and score more runs.”
First baseman Kyle Seifert is also a threat with the bat.
“He’s had some big RBIs and always seems to be in the middle of things when it comes time to drive in runs,” Harrison said.
Jimmy Sparano, Paul’s brother, has anchored the third base spot as a freshman. The outfield features four players that can add a spark defensively: Alec Hahn, Kani Tye, Matt Fowler, and Tristan Ryan.
“They’re all able to go get it,” Harrison. “We’re rotating through there; whoever is hitting is going to be in the game.
“We have a nice little team,” the coach added. “Hopefully we can get on a roll and make things happen.”
With a pitcher like Sparano, momentum is likely to follow.
“We’ve been playing with a lot of excitement,” Sparano said. “It’s fun to be here and play the game. We have a lot of potential. We have a good team.”
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