Andy Blake knew early in life he would not be fulfilling the family legacy.
“I didn’t like tennis very much from a young age and I liked baseball a lot,” the Hopewell Valley Central High School senior said. “This is my favorite sport, so I wasn’t giving it up.”
A Blake saying they don’t like tennis is like a Kardashian saying they don’t like publicity.
Andy’s dad, Dave, was the Varsity T winner as best male athlete at Trenton State College (now The College of New Jersey) on the strength of his senior tennis season. His mom, Jill, was a standout for Hamilton West and both parents went on to great success in area tournaments. Jill’s mom, Marlene Hutchinson, is a court legend among the Mercer County seniors. Older brother Patrick was outstanding for the Bulldog netters a few years ago.
Then there’s Andy, who traded his racket for a bat and glove.
And is HVCHS baseball coach Ken Harrison ever happy about that.
Not only is Blake coming off a season in which he hit .417 as a left-side infielder; he is being touted as the ’Dogs number one pitcher after not starting a varsity game prior to this year. He did nothing to discourage that notion on opening day, allowing one run in six innings against a talented Notre Dame squad.
“I wanted to pitch; it’s just a matter of what’s best for the team,” Blake said. “If they need me at short, I’ll be at short. If they need me to pitch, I’ll pitch. I was the closer last year for legion. I’ve never really been a starter.”
Which means he has to alter a few things this year.
“I take the same approach,” he said after his opening-day gem. “But I’ve got to work on my endurance a little bit. I had my spots starting to go high and outside today, so I need to work on my arm maintenance.”
Blake displayed a sharp curveball against ND, along with an effective knuckler taught to him by, of all people, his dad the tennis player. Dave would not reveal where he learned it, only joking, “My great grandfather on my second cousin’s side was in the majors, so I guess it’s just natural.”
He continued his winning ways in his second start on April 13, pitching a two-hit, complete-game, 8-0 shutout win over Steinert. He had 5 strikeouts and overall allowed just one run in his first 13 innings on the mound.
Harrison said there were often times last year he was tempted to use Blake on the mound, but the only instance that occurred is when he got the save in the Mercer County Tournament semifinals.
“That was always the plan but it never materialized,” the coach said. “This year he’s been working on pitching a lot. He’s got good stuff, very good composure. We told him ‘You’re gonna pitch a lot of innings this year, more than you probably ever have.’ Andy’s gonna be our guy.”
When he’s not pitching, Blake can be found at first base, shortstop or third. At 6-foot-3, he is rangy and uses his long legs to glide effortlessly to balls.
“His legs are like five feet,” Harrison said with a laugh. “He fields his position very well. He has a big radius. In football they say the ‘catch radius” and he’s got the fielding radius. He’s just a good, all-around baseball player.”
That can’t be argued when looking at his offensive numbers. Blake hit just .200 as a sophomore before a bigger version of himself doubled that figure last season.
“I think he grew like six inches between sophomore and junior year,” Harrison said. “He’s always had good baseball skill. It was just a matter of him getting stronger, a little more confident. They’ve been working with him at camps ever since he’s was in sixth grade.”
The coach felt Andy may have been slightly overmatched at the plate as a sophomore, but his strong glove and Hopewell’s need for an infielder landed Blake at third base.
Then came an off-season of weight training.
“Last year he got stronger, a little more confident,” Harrison said. “He always had that baseball athletic ability and mentality. He has a very smart baseball IQ. He’s been a volunteer at our camp for three straight years and he does a great job there.”
And while lifting weights won’t help hand-eye coordination at the plate, it does have its benefits.
“My thing was, I would make contact but I was so weak, it would not go anywhere,” Blake said. “So now they’re starting to bounce off the bat pretty hard. I knew I had it in me. I knew if I came out and hit every ball as hard as I can, they would start to fall.”
Blake, who was hitting .308 in Hopewell’s 4-0 start through Apr. 10, is one of three Bulldogs who went to the American Legion World Series last summer (along with Dylan Joyce and Drew Brodine). He feels that experience will be invaluable this season.
“We figured out how to win,” Blake said of the journey. “We’re playing against the top eight teams in the nation so we’re some of the best players in the nation. You just have to learn to play all the way through, and we did that. We learned how to win big games.”
Despite his skills, Blake has no interest in playing travel ball, as his refreshing loyalty is with his buddies.
“Those are the people I grew up with, I wouldn’t leave them,” he said.
He will leave soon, however, as Andy will either play for Gettysburg University or go to Hun or Peddie as a post-graduate.
“I’m weighing my options,” he said.
Options that don’t include tennis; but no one in the family seems to mind.
Hopewell Valley coach Ken Harrison (left) plans on giving the ball to senior Andy Blake frequently this year. (Photo by Rich Fisher.),
