Girls & Boys of Late Spring

When the heart of May arrives, most high schoolers are thinking about prom weekends, final exams, and sweet summer plans. But for the Highland Park High School softball and baseball teams, county and sectional tournaments will take precedence just a bit longer.

Each program has posted a solid season, after undergoing very different transitions before the 2011 campaign.

Girls Rise to the Occasion in Higher Division

Leadership was a common term surrounding HPHS softball in March. When eighth-year head coach Lori Szentgyorgyi saw her senior class taking charge, she knew her team could make the Greater Middlesex Conference transition from Gold Division up to the Blue.

But at 6-7-1 as of May 11, having played only Blue Division games, her expectations have been exceeded.

 

“I have always appreciated some decent competition and I expected the girls to embrace the level of competition,” Szentgyorgyi said. “I didn’t expect them to respond so well. They stayed focused for each game and encouraged each other 100 percent and it shows.”

Continuity has been tough to establish as rain-outs forced the cancellation of every non-conference game that would have given an outside measure of the team. But senior first baseman Jasmin Robertson has hit .361 while performing a near-perfect job in the field; and senior catcher Dahlia Moyal is at .433 and catching every day.

“The ones I expected to lead are the ones doing the leading,” Szentgyorgyi said. “Jasmin is like a sponge at first and Dahlia is a feared presence behind the plate.”

 

In-practice talking and peer coaching have been crucial to the Owls’ success. With turning point wins in a one-week span against Middlesex and Mother Seton, and adjustments from senior pitcher Ilyssa Schwartz, H.P. carries some momentum into tournament time.

“The Middlesex game was especially big,” Szentgyorgyi said. “They were contenders for first place and the fact that we were able to pull it off was just amazing."

"We never were able to beat Middlesex and had some crossover games in the Gold when they’d ten-run rule us. Now that we moved up, we’re playing them in the Blue. Everyone was on the same page, our bats were working and my pitcher was on fire.”

The message from the head coach is simple in terms of closing out the season on a high note.

 

“We need to continue our efforts the way they’ve been going,” Szentgyorgyi said. “We have great leadership, and not just seniors. Everyone is playing thier own part and that’s what it’s all about.”

Boys Shining in the Gold

With the move back down to the Gold Division in 2011, Highland Park baseball first-year head coach Mark Blevins sensed that the Owls could pile up wins by sticking to fundamentals. The plan has worked through May 11, as H.P. is 12-5 (9-3 in the Gold), with a legitimate chance to win the division title.

“We’re beating some teams we’re expected to beat,” Blevins said. “I feel like the kids are comfortable at home [where the team is 9-1]. I’m able to be closer to the pitchers and it’s easier for me to help them and give instruction."

"Overall, they have an understanding of the layout and our outfield is choppy so they’re careful. We take a lot of ground balls on our infield, plus the grass has filled in really nicely as of late.”

Having defeated Manville and Bound Brook out-of-division, and taking two one-run victories over division rivals Dunellen and Timothy Christian, the .319-hitting Owls are streaking before the postseason.

On the batting front, junior first baseman Jason Potts has "put it in play constantly;” Potts has an average of .510 with 17 RBIs. Sophomore catcher Angelo Odato is not too far behind, at .395 with 12 runs batted in.

But the story of the spring has to be junior pitcher Ben Vietze. The St. Joseph (Metuchen) transfer, who struggled with injuries early in his scholastic career, has been dominant. Vietze has a 0.78 ERA and has struck out 82 batters in 45 innings. His five earned runs allowed and five complete games are staggering totals.

“He’s able to spot his fastball early in the count,” Blevins said of Vietze. “His curveball or slider, he picks one on the day and throws that for a strike . . . Benny has so much confidence on the mound that he can throw it in any count. That has helped him tremendously. Against Dunellen, on 3-2 counts he came with a slider against good hitters successfully and you don’t see that from a high school pitcher.”

Blevins also praised sophomore pitcher James Webb for “absolutely battling all the way through” the Timothy Christian win that placed the Owls in its desirable spot late in the regular season.

“Coming in, I knew we could work on our defense by just practicing and repetitions and giving them the right mentality,” Blevins said. “But hitting wise, one- through-six we have a very solid lineup and seven-through-nine can get the ball in play and make things happen on the base paths.”

Weather permitting, both teams begin GMC Tournament action on Monday, with a second round game on Friday May 20th. Latest schedule notices are updated by 2 PM daily, at www.highschoolsports.net