Howell develops its pitching staff

BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

FARRAH MAFFAI staff Howell’s Drew Robelo fires a pitch to the plate during the Rebels’ American Legion game at Middletown South last Thursday. The Rebels won the game, 4-3.

All Chuck Senna was looking for his Howell American Legion team to do this summer was to pick up where it left off in the spring.

It was a breakout season for the Howell High School baseball team in 2004, with the Rebels going from a one-win team in ’03 to a 14-13 season that included a win in the state playoffs. It was the best turnaround in the Shore.

With underclassmen dominating the squad, the American Legion season was less about developing players and more a continuation of what the Rebels had started during the high school season.

"We wanted to try to keep up what we did during the [scholastic] season and prepare for next year," said Senna, who is a volunteer coach during the spring for Howell head coach Bill Gallacher. "Our position players are set. We’re trying to develop pitchers."

Ryan McGuinness, Lou Orlando and lefty Drew Robelo have all pitched well, a promising sign for the Rebels. Catcher Joe Sandomierski, who saw action on the mound during the high school campaign, has been effective himself.

Jesse Borrelli has emerged as a reliable closer.

The good news for Howell is that ace Matt Watson (who was 7-3 with 68 strikeouts in 58 innings and a 2.65 earned run average in the spring) will be returning. The bad news that is that he broke his left hand early this summer and hasn’t be able to pitch. Fortunately, the break is not on his pitching hand and he could be throwing for Howell this week.

Still, with the way McGuinness, Orlando and Robelo have pitched this summer, Howell could have a very deep staff topped by Watson in the No. 1 slot come next year.

Injuries claimed three important starters, with big hitters Chris Mirrione (infield/outfield) and Frank Mormino (first base) joining Watson on the sidelines.

Still, despite the injuries, Howell is 5-5-1 in Legion play — a tribute to other players stepping up. Catcher Tom Appell has done a fine job behind the plate and has been hitting the ball. In Mirrione’s absence, Matt Pfister has been a welcome surprise. He made the most of his increased playing time. Senna labeled him the find of the summer. He’ll be a junior this coming school year and played junior varsity last spring.

"He’s a real good hitter," said Senna. "We’ll have to find a place for him."

Matt Hehner, Sandomierski, Joe Blood, Kirk Brancato and Borrelli, who had big offensive seasons for the Rebels in the spring, have carried it over to Legion ball.

"We do hit the ball," Senna pointed out. "We get into slugfests."

The reason for the slugfests, Senna noted, has been poor defense. Howell has been giving teams extra outs, making it difficult on its pitchers and putting even more pressure on the offense to produce.

Still, things are a far cry from last summer when Howell was breaking in a group of sophomores who were part of a one-win high school team.

"The difference between last summer and this year is night and day," said Senna.

No matter what the record turns out to be, the Legion season will be a success if Howell’s pitchers continue to deliver on the potential they have displayed thus far.

Diamond notes... Based on the way things have played out this summer, it’s safe to assume that when next spring’s high school baseball season rolls around, the Class A North will be among the Shore Conference’s top divisions.

Of the Monmouth County Senior American Legion’s top eight teams in the standings, six of those teams will be playing in the A North Division next spring.

While the Colts Post 515 (CBA) team entered the week atop the standings, both Middletown North Post 338 and Ocean VFW Post 2226 were right there with the Colts. Not far behind them are the Freehold Township Patriots, who won the A North title this past spring, while the Middletown South Post 338 team sat in sixth place. South will join A North next year, replacing Long Branch.

The sixth A North representative among the league leaders is the team from Marlboro, who has played to a 7-7 mark this summer, with Howell right behind them at 6-3-1.

"The top four teams are all from A North, plus Middletown South, Howell and Marlboro all have over six wins," Ocean head coach Del Dal Pra said. "I think you can expect the teams from A North to beat up on each other a bit next year."