Evan Patrick makes a catch during a practice at Ewing High School on March 14.
Justin Dempsey is all smiles during a practice at Ewing High School on March 14.
After going winless in 2011, the Ewing High School baseball team was not expected to do much better in 2012. Nearly the entire lineup returned, and one of the team’s only goals was to win at least one game.
That win came, and so did eight more. Junior pitcher Paul Sparano said after the first victory, they “just kept piling on.”
“Being defeated was not a good feeling,” he said. “We went into the summer with a lot of the younger guys and got to the Mid-Atlantic Regional tournament with Babe Ruth. We knew we had the talent to win. It was just a matter of when it would come for us.”
The Blue Devils ended the season at 9-14, and they’re hoping that momentum carries over into this season.
“It’s a good feeling,” junior catcher Justin Dempsey said. “Last year, we weren’t expected to do much with the team we had. We were really young. It’s going to be a good season overall because we still have the chemistry that we finished up last season with.”
Head coach Kip Harrison said the team’s chemistry is one of its most important assets. The majority of the team has been playing together since little league, and he sees that as a common theme year to year.
“It’s not just this group, but all the groups that come through,” he said. “They’ve all run that cycle together. It’s really valuable. The fact that these kids all grew up together, that they really pull for one another, and that their families are pretty entwined, means that everyone kind of combines for a common goal.”
Dempsey said their familiarity with each other allows them to focus on the game itself rather than learning the basics.
“It makes it a lot easier,” he said. “We know what everyone’s tendencies are, where they hit the ball, how they throw and everything.”
After losing only two role-playing seniors to graduation, Ewing has a lineup that is nearly identical to last year’s. Harrison said this is common. His teams are often diverse in terms of age, so they’re not bogged down with seniors.
Keeping a consistent lineup, Harrison said, makes his job a little easier.
“There’s less actual teaching,” he said. “They understand how practice is designed. That way, we can just kind of review it and get right at it. We have more time to work on the finer points and individual skills.”
Harrison said Sparano, Dempsey, sophomore shortstop Mike Salvatore, and senior pitcher and first baseman Evan Patrick are among his key returners. Dempsey, who transferred to Ewing before last season, is the captain this year.
“People are looking towards him for leadership,” Harrison said. “He’s a big key.”
Patrick said Dempsey and Salvatore provide the power at the plate that Ewing lacked in the past.
“We’re looking to score more runs and have more extra base hits,” he said. “We relied on a lot of singles last year. We didn’t really have a big bat. A lot of people grew up and are just starting to hit the ball a lot farther. Justin Dempsey will hit a lot of doubles. Our shortstop, he got a lot stronger, and he’s only a sophomore.”
Harrison said junior pitcher and infielder Connor Orr made the full-time jump to varsity this season after seeing limited playing time at the end of last year.
“He might be our biggest guy in terms of jumping from JV to varsity,” Harrison said. “He will hopefully see some playing time. He didn’t play much last year, but he looks like he’s in really good shape to take a spot.”
Other new additions include juniors Pat Jones and Kyle Seifert, both of whom transferred in from Notre Dame.
Harrison and his squad want to pass the .500 mark and make county and state tournament runs, but for now, they’re taking things sow.
“We’re just trying to take it one game at a time,” Harrison said. “They do understand that as we have progressed from a few years ago to now, this is just one more step in the road until we’re no longer just out there trying to compete. We’re planning on and expecting to make a difference.”
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