When it comes to Dan Dryzga, success is not measured by batting average or earned run average as much as it is by the leather glove he wears on his hand.
“We can put him in infield, in the outfield, he pitches for us,” Lawrence Post 414 manager Jason Zegarski said. “He’s a swiss army knife type of guy. I’m comfortable putting him wherever on the field.”
But there is one place where he truly shines.
“He’s one of the top five defensive third baseman I’ve ever coached,” said Lawrence High coach Jim Maher, whose career spans back to the mid-1980s. “He is really, really good. His role for us was to play third base, and he moved to shortstop when we used Robert Kelly to close.
“I can’t tell you how many runs he saved us defensively. If there was a ground ball hit to third I’d just go straight into my book and write down 5-3 (third-to-first out), not even thinking there’s any way it would be an error.”
Don’t be fooled into thinking they talk about his glove because his bat is bad. He hit .260 with three triples, a double, 10 RBI and 11 runs as an LHS senior, and batted .278 as a junior.
This summer, in helping Post 414 to a 14-6 regular-season record and a state tournament play-in win over North Hamilton, Dryzga hit .269 with a .713 OPS, two doubles and four stolen bases. He also went 2-0 on the mound, striking out 16 in 16-⅓ innings and forging a 1.29 ERA.
“He’s a guy that can do anything (at the plate),” Zegarski said. “You need him to bunt, hit and run, move a guy over, he’ll do whatever it takes. He’s a guy you love to coach because he’ll do anything. He’ll play third base, second base, shortstop. You can throw him out in left field and he’ll do it. You need 105 pitches with him starting a game, he’ll do it.”
Dryzga felt his hitting took an upturn this summer as he was getting better swings. On the mound, it’s hard to say he improved, since pitching just four high school innings didn’t really give him a standard to try and equal or surpass in the summer.
Just getting innings was progress.
“My defense has been making some great plays helping me out,” Dryzga said prior to New Jersey’s eight-team state tournament that ran from July 21-26. “I’ve been really focused on throwing strikes, hitting my targets. That’s been working really well, and the fact I’m getting some opportunities to pitch has helped.”
His latter point may be the most notable. With Kelly, Kellen Moore and Aiden Poot giving the Cardinals three of the CVC’s top hurlers, Dryzga’s opportunities were limited.
“He pitched a little for us, unfortunately for him we had some guys who pitched a little better,” Maher said. “We had depth.”
Dryzga was fine with it.
“Our top three pitchers were all at the Division I level, I fully understood and I definitely wanted to focus on doing my job,” he said. “I knew the time would come, whether it was a game here or there in the high school season, or I had to get some innings in legion.
“All the credit goes to our top three guys, Robert, Kellen and Aiden Poot, they all did a great job this season and our pitching staff was so deep. I was patient and knew my time would eventually come.”
When it finally did come, Dryzga had to get himself back in pitching mode.
“It was a little bit tough,” he said. “My first game I struggled a little bit with control, but after that I just got back into the groove of things and started pitching like I know I can.”
Dryzga threw a fastball, curve slider and change-up and Zegarski was impressed.
“I wish we would have pitched him more but with some vacations and stuff he wasn’t around as much,” the manager said. “Just seeing what he had on the mound the three or four times he started for us, we liked what we saw.”
As much as Dryzga enjoys taking the bump, he takes special joy in his glovework and versatility on the field.
“Growing up I didn’t really have a position,” he said. “I kind of took pride in the fact I was always able to play different positions. Sometimes there might be someone at your spot. I always wanted to make sure I was versatile on the field and wanted to make sure that I was making the routine plays.
“Me and my dad always go to the fields and take extra ground balls, and my brother comes with us as well. I make sure to take pride in my defense because I know it can get me on the field.”
Dryzga, who will try to walk on at The College of New Jersey, feels that fielding is something a lot of young players overlook.
“It is really important,” he said. “If you don’t have a position on the field, how are you going to play? If you look at it in the bigger picture, like from the team aspect, if you can hit but you’re a liability on defense, then your pitching staff is gonna struggle a little because there will be more errors.
“Our infield during the high school season was really good and it was a huge part of our success. We have a great defense in legion too. It’s one of the reasons why our pitching staff has been so good. As a pitcher myself it’s something I look for. I’m really happy when my defenders make plays for me. It causes less pitches to be thrown and it’s something that’s really important when playing the game of baseball.”
Even when he is on his own, Dryzga may just throw balls against the house to keep himself sharp.
“My mom doesn’t like it,” he said with a laugh. “But I’m always working on my hands, my quick feet, getting reps, getting rhythm.”
It is that kind of attitude that makes Dryzga valuable beyond just mere statistics. He wants to work and set examples.
“He’s as good of a kid as I’ve ever coached,” Maher said. “Great personality, great team guy. What he did for us was defense and leadership. The kids all liked him, they all looked up to him. He’s a hard worker with a great attitude. You could never, ever tell if that kid was having a good day or bad day. Very steady. Just a fun kid to be around.”
When it comes to Post 414, leadership is a tricky proposition. Dryzga, Riley Rivera, Josh Vichroski and Connor Willever are the lone LHS players on a roster that also consists of players from Ewing, Hopewell, Notre Dame and Lawrenceville.
Dryzga felt that the chemistry formed itself through the players’ knowledge of each other as rivals. But Zegarski noted that the way Dryzga carried himself after playing for a winning program the past two years helped in that area.
“The younger guys see the success he has had and they look to him to see how he carries himself,” Zegarski said. “And he wants to do anything for the team so it’s nice to see.”
There is a reason that Dryzga is selfless on the diamond. He feels just being there and competing is a gift all its own.
“Growing up, baseball always gave me something to work for,” he said. “I’ve met some of my best friends playing baseball. I take pride in that, I take pride in having something to work for. My family all enjoys watching me play, working with me on the mental and physical side of baseball. Baseball just means a lot to me.”
And it shows.
Dan Dryzga helped pitch the Post 414 American Legion Baseball team to a 14-6 regular-season record.,
