An 18-7 overall record, a playoff run to the CJ 2 semifinals and a Patriot Division (6-2) co-championship were the milestones achieved by the 2015 Pirates baseball team.
With the 2016 season set to begin this morning at the Haddon Township Tournament, we take a look at what the new season has in store for the Cinnaminson High School baseball team.
“The biggest thing that we wanted to emphasize at our preseason meeting is that in the 10 years that I’ll have been here and the 11 years Coach (Mario) Patrizi was here is that we’ve established ourselves as a very good baseball program,” head coach Kevin Merrill said.
Graduation hit the Pirates hard as 10 members of the varsity team moved on to college in the fall. This year’s squad boasts a half dozen seniors, all of whom saw time in one way or another on the varsity field in 2015.
“One of our messages to the kids was that we do not go through a rebuilding phase. It’s next guy up. We all have confidence that they will perform at this level,” Merrill said. “We expect to contend for a division title and make a run in the playoffs. The coaching staff, as well as the players, we’re really excited about the outlook for the season.”
What is in store for the 2016 baseball team?
Last year coach Merrill had a really good problem on his hands; finding at-bats for the litany of hitters he had on the roster who could rake.
Merrill is in the same boat this year, but with pitching. The staff will be led by senior Brandon Staub. Staub, who has committed to play college ball at Rutgers-Camden, went 5-2 in 2015.
“I’m really pleased with the pitching right now. We don’t have a lot of guys with innings, but we have a lot of arms and they’ve performed very well. I’ve been very pleased with the pitching in the scrimmages and intra-squads,” Merrill said.
“We’ve attacked hitters, attacked zones. I’m real excited with where we stand on the mound. I don’t know if we have a prototypical one through three or four, but we have 10, 11, 12, 13 arms I expect to produce for us this year. We have more varsity-ready arms than anything.”
The offense returns catchers Mike McAndrews (senior) and Tim Profy (junior), third baseman Nick Mahoney (senior) as well as speedy junior outfielder Christian Massara. McAndrews, Mahoney and Staub are the captains of the 2016 squad.
“They are baseball guys. They are here to work. They want to win,” Merrill said of this year’s captains. “They’ve seen what it’s like to win. I’m happy with the leadership they have shown so far.”
Aside from the Haddon Township tourney this weekend and the BCSL, the Pirates will also take part in the Hedelt Tournament at Oakcrest High School.
“There’s a lot of good teams in that tournament. There’s a lot of good small school teams with us, Cedar Creek, Sterling and Oakcrest. Camden Catholic is in it,” Merrill said.
“There’s a couple big teams in it too. I thought this tournament was the perfect way to fill out the schedule. It’s a good idea to find out where you stand against other teams outside of Burlington County.”
The Pirates will be young this year, but with the returners they have on the mound and at the plate, Cinnaminson should compete once again for a Patriot title.
Cinnaminson opens the 2016 season today at the Haddon Township Tournament at 9am.
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