Baseball Aiming for Division Title and More in 2015

In 2013, the Pirates baseball program secured its first-ever state championship with a 2-1 win over Mahwah in Group 2 as John Bednarek recorded a strikeout on the mound for the final out.

With a state title in the books, baseball had lofty goals for 2014, but had some ups and downs throughout the season. The Pirates finished with a record of 16-11 and made a playoff appearance.

Head coach Kevin Merrill is excited for where the 2015 team can go, especially in the division.

“Bordentown won it last year and we were one game behind them. Holy Cross was a young team last year and they graduated their best pitcher, but they had some young guys in the lineup. They are going to be very competitive too. I like to say that we are the front-runner because of how many seniors we have on paper. It will be a battle like every year. It is a very competitive division.”

This season, the Pirates will not have to face Moorestown, Rancocas Valley and Northern Burlington in division crossover games, which led to 13 games within the division last year.

This year, the Pirates will only play eight division games and the team with the best record in those games will take home the Patriot title.

Aside from making a run at the division title, Merrill is looking forward to the Burlington County Scholastic League Tournament.

Cinnaminson fell in the 2014 title game of the BCSL Tournament, 5-1, to Holy Cross.

“Our goals almost every year are pretty much going to be the same. Our first goal is the division title because it is the first thing we can obtain during the course of the season. We want to win a county championship at some point. We have been there the last four years and have lost it the last four years. That is always a goal for our guys.”

Merrill believes the depth of the lineup will be the team’s strongest part in 2015.

“I am going to have guys not in the starting lineup that many years would be. There will be guys who will not be in the starting lineup one day and can be in the starting lineup the next day because of their ability. It’s going to be a very competitive team. Guys are going to compete for spots all year. If someone isn’t having their best day, which happens, we will have another guy ready to go. For a small school, that’s huge to have. It makes my job a little bit harder, which is a good thing because I have to constantly evaluate what I see. It is a credit to the kids and how hard they work.”

The Pirates open their 2015 season at home on Thursday, April 2 at 3:45 against Northern Burlington and Cinn City Sports will be there for game coverage.