Spring Sports Preview: Ridge Baseball Looks to be Winner

Ridge Red Devils coach Tom Blackwell has already had one opponent that has been a thorn in his side.

"The rain caused a lot of damage on our field," said Blackwell, who's entering his fifth season as coach. "We haven't practiced on our field yet."

The torrential downpours notwithstanding, Blackwell has optimism for his team, which went 12-15 last season.

"We're very excited," said Blackwell. "We have very high expectations to be in that handful of teams competing in the county and in our state section. Right now, we've been inside a lot but the guys are chomping at the bit to get out and play."

The Red Devils team features strong starting pitching and several key players returning to fill key roles in the field and will have speed to burn in the lineup.

Ridge plays its first game Thursday at Warren Hill Regional High School and will tote junior Greg Fazio to the mound as its starting pitcher. Others in the rotation this season will be lefthander senior Rob McCarthy, senior Harrison Fonteix and junior JB Kole.

"With some of the inconsistencies where you may need to go to the bullpen early, you need to have guys ready to go in the moment's notice," said Blackwell. "We also play four to five games a week and you need to have four starters, but additional three to four guys that can eat up innings and with the unpredictable weather, you may be playing five, six games in a row.

"Our pitching staff is very deep. You got to have a lot of guys that you can put on the mound that you trust to throw strikes and get people out."

The bullpen will be led by senior Ben Edsall, who will be the team's closer. "He has a strong arm and he can come in, throw hard and get strikes," said Blackwell.

Junior Jon Tam will swing between the starting and middle relief unit. "He has three pitches that he can throw for strikes which makes for a good starter," said Blackwell.

Ridge's infield boasts experience at the corner positions with McCarthy, who was on the basketball team, at first base and senior Charles Dennis at third. "Rob's doing a great job and swinging the bat really well," said Blackwell. "He also one of our starting pitchers and he's a senior that has played in big games before. His athleticism has dramatically increased the last two years and he's been a very pleasant surprise with the bat."

Blackwell has high hopes for Dennis, who stands 6'4" and weighs 200, and played the third last year as well. "He's a big strong kid and has a great arm and provide most of the pop in our lineup," said Blackwell.

The interior positions will have a little less experience but Blackwell will have depth on hand to fortify the positions. At second base, it's a battle between senior Kevin Watts and junior Andrew Graziano for the starting job.

"They are both righties, it's more of who's pitching for us and who takes the position," said Blackwell. "Kevin provides experience and Andrew has done a great job of providing depth for us in the infield and has earned the right to start somewhere, it's just a matter of where."

Graziano is capable of playing all infield positions and Blackwell will surely use him when one of the infielders – particularly McCarthy or Fazio – is on the mound pitching. "He's pretty versatile," said Blackwell.

Fazio mans the shortstop position when he will not be pitching. Fazio played second last year but Blackwell contends shortstop is his natural position. "He is a guy that loves to play baseball and plays all year round," said Blackwell. "He has a great arm and great hands and will be one of our best hitters."

The outfield has two returning starters with Edsall and senior Jake Hotz. "Edsall will be in the middle of the order again," said Black. "He played centerfield last year. Jake is a lefty who's most likely will be hitting second. He's a great base runner, [and] has a great on base percentage."

At to where they will play, Blackwell is still figuring that out. "Both of those two can play any position in the outfield; we're still experimenting with that," he said.

The third spot is between junior Dan Curcio and sophomore JD Moore. "They all have good arms and can run, I'm very happy with any of them out there," said Blackwell. Kole will also provide depth in the outfield.

With an experienced pitching staff and lineup led by Dennis, Fazio and Edsall, the potential is there for Ridge to compete ably in the county. "We have to play at a consistent level," said Blackwell. "When dealing with 17, 18-year old guys, sometimes you have a tendency to play great one day and then show up and not play great the next day where a lack of focus can lose you some games you shouldn't lose.

"We're trying to focus on setting the bar high and playing at that level each and every time. And then of course you need to raise that level when playing that tournament game or big rival game."