Michael Griffin is one of three strong starters for Robbinsville. (Photo by Suzette J. Lucas.)
Senior Ben Sanders has spent his whole baseball career catching the Ravens’ aces. (Photo by Suzette J. Lucas.)
With snow still covering most of the ground by mid-March, Robbinsville High baseball coach Tom Brettell was having a tough time getting a good feel on where all the pieces fit with his team this season.
But the veteran mentor was certain of one thing.
“I can guarantee you this, we’ll be able to pitch,” Brettell said. “I can guarantee that. I know what guys can do, we have experience, and I know we’ll be able to have depth.”
Coming off a 19-9-1 season that featured Colonial Valley Conference Patriot Division and Central Jersey Group II championships, Robbinsville is blessed with three strong starters in seniors Michael Fisher and Ryan Krebs, and junior Michael Griffin—something most high school teams would kill for.
Robbinsville forged a team ERA of 2.31 last season, and while Fischer is the “ace,” Brettell is not afraid to use any of the three in any situation.
“People talk about setting up their pitching for this person to face one team, and this and that,” the coach said. “We’re just going to go with who’s next. However the schedule falls, that’s who you’ll see. If you’re up, you’re up. That’s the confidence we have in all three of them. They have all worked very hard.”
Senior catcher Ben Sanders, who has spent seemingly a lifetime catching the trio, likes that philosophy.
“Any three of those guys can step into a game in a big situation, and they can do the job,” Sanders said. “All three of them are good enough to pitch in key games.”
Fischer, who was inexplicably left off the Carpenter Cup team last year, went 7-1-1 with a 1.47 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 57 innings. In the state tournament, he was 3-0 with a 0.33 ERA and 22 Ks in 21 innings.
“Michael’s a perfectionist,” Brettell said. “In high school, he can be a power pitcher. At the next level, he won’t be a power pitcher. He has three pitches he can throw and pinpoint them. In every definition of the word, he’s a pitcher, not a thrower. He thinks about what he’s doing out there.”
And he makes for a pleasant day for his catcher.
“It’s weird because it’s easy,” Sanders said. “He hits his spots, he knows he can throw any pitch in any count. He’s confident. He brings an attitude, he brings that extra level. He has three great pitches – fastball, curve and change-up – and he can throw any pitch in any count against any hitter. When you can do that you’re a good pitcher.
Sanders added that Fischer has the perfect blend of confidence and humility.
“He’s not cocky about it,” he said. “He goes about his business. But he has a chip on his shoulder. He felt a little disrespected last year with the Carpenter Cup.”
Griffin, a left-hander, allowed five runs in his first start last season but ended up going 4-0 with a 1.22 ERA as a sophomore. Brettell said the junior very different from Fischer.
“He throws a lot of off-speed stuff,” he said. “He doesn’t throw hard but knows what he’s doing. I often ask him ‘Do you throw an invisible ball?’ because they swing and miss so much.”
Sanders agreed.
“He’s a guy that’s coming from the left side, so he’s difficult to hit to begin with,” he said. “He throws strikes, gets outs, works fast, and gets the defense involved. He hits his spots. He’s got three good pitches he can throw. He’s another guy we’re really confident in, a guy we like to play behind.”
Krebs was not a main starter last year, getting some spot starts, but has shown enough to be counted on as the third man in the rotation.
“He’s kind of a power pitcher,” Brettell said. “He’s just kind of ‘Here it is, hit it.’ So all three are different and we have confidence in all three of them.”
Sanders added that Krebs’s power comes in the form of trust in his defense.
“He’s smart on the mound,” he said. “He’s gonna be big for us. All three of them know what it takes to win.”
Tying it all together, of course, is the catcher, and Brettell likes having Sanders back there.
“We always kid him and say, ‘If something goes wrong, it’s your fault. It’s on you,’” Brettell said. “He’s willing to take that responsibility on. It’s nothing new for him. He’s a leader, and he helps those guys out. He’s another baseball junkie. When I say he’s smart, he’s really smart. Everything runs through him. We call pitches through him, all the plays go through him, he knows when to go out and talk to them. He knows their personalities.”
Which is not a surprise, since Sanders said he has caught Fischer and Krebs since kindergarten and has handled Griffin all through high school.
“I know what they’re thinking, they know what I’m thinking when it comes to all their pitches,” Sanders said. “When you catch them for that many years in a row, something like that kind of builds. It’s not something you talk about. You just know what they want, what’s working that day, what’s not working that day.”
Fischer, Krebs and Sanders are part of a nucleus of 12 seniors returning from last year’s standout team that won 16 of its last 20 games. Others include Ryan Fischer (Michael’s twin brother), twins Michael and Danny McKiernan, Mike Daidone, Anthony Palmer, Ryan Tomao, Evan Bohan, Matt DeAngelis and Lew Schoen.
Despite the plethora of veterans, few positions were settled by St. Patrick’s Day. Ryan Fischer will be the shortstop and a relief pitcher, Michael Fischer will play outfield when not pitching and junior Alex Matt was the incumbent third baseman barring someone coming up with a spectacular effort. Nick Sale and Andrew Aromando could also be in the infield mix, but Brettell was reluctant to anoint positions.
One thing is certain—the Ravens have a lot of guys who have enjoyed success, but they won’t settle for just a sectional title. The program has won three of those but is still looking for its first state championship.
“It’s not about, ‘Look at what we’ve done, but look how much more we can do,’” Brettell said. “I’m not saying guys in the past thought that, but you sometimes have a tendency to think about who you are and what you’ve done. But as long as you’re not standing at the end, than you can always do more, and that’s something we’ve never done. We talk about going out every day and doing the mental things for us and being prepared to play every day so when that time does come, we can win games that we haven’t won.”
Sanders said the players have totally bought into that attitude.
“Right now our focus is more towards we didn’t earn anything last year,” he said. “Last year is last year, this year is this year. It’s a process. We have to focus on what this team needs, not what we had. There are different obstacles to face this year. It’s a long process and right now we’re focusing on the little things. If we keep doing that, it will play itself out.”
Brettell is blessed to have two players who can lead the way when it comes to focusing on baseball and leading the way.
“The Fischer brothers are the best kids I’ve ever coached,” he said. “I’m not saying athletically, but just the whole package. They’re good players. They’re different players and different kids, even though they’re twins. Mentally, they’re baseball junkies. I have to tell them to put the ball down, I have to tell them to rest. They’re great teammates. They’re like two coaches out there and when they’re in the bullpen they’re helping other guys out. I’ve coached some great guys, I’ve been very lucky, and these guys are at the top of the list. They’re special kids.”
And if the pitching-rich Ravens can fulfill their potential, this could be a special season.
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