By Warren Rappleyea
Sayreville War Memorial High School’s baseball team looks to pick up where it left off following its run to the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Tournament finals last spring.
After opening the season with a pair of losses, the Bombers rebounded to turn in a 17-11 mark and become a force to contend with throughout the year. The GMC finale turned out to be a pitcher’s duel between the Sayreville’s Pete Soporowski and Monroe Township High School’s Eric Heatter, with the Falcons prevailing in eight innings.
Soporowski, who went 5-3 with a 1.69 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 57.2 innings, is back to lead the mound crew. He’s joined by Connor Johnson, who posted a 3-2 mark with a 2.19 ERA. Junior Jayson DeMild is coming off a 2-2 showing with a 2.37 ERA. Junior left-hander Marc Pearson and sophomores Cameron Carey, Tyler Dusko and Kyle Lewis, another left-hander, round out the staff.
“Pitching is our strength, there’s no doubt about that,” Sayreville coach Mike Novak said. “I also think we’ll have a strong defense to back up our pitchers.”
Soporowski, who plays first base when not on the hill, is expected to provide a big bat in the middle of the order. The left-swinging senior hit .259 last spring with 17 RBIs, while also drawing 12 free passes.
Chris Hauber, who hit .333, drove in 20 runs and scored 16 runs, will be the designated hitter and will also play first when Soporowski pitches. Sayreville also returns its three starting outfielders. Center fielder Brett Dzamba, a three-year starter, is coming off a .311 year with 23 RBIs. Left fielder Sean McDonnell batted .281 with 15 runs scored. DeMild, whose strong arm keeps baserunners honest, hit .250 after a slow start and still managed to lead the team with 24 RBIs and 26 runs scored. Pearson will take over in right when DeMild pitches.
Junior Josh DeJesus and sophomore Kyle Richards are expected to split time behind the plate. Mike Bertrand and junior Joe Pollomene will play second base. Bertrand, who suffered an ankle injury during football season, has just been cleared to play and is expected to play more of a role as the season progresses. The right side will be manned by a pair of sophomores, Brian Marra at shortstop and Bryan Fernandez at third base.
“We have several key guys back who played a part in our run to the GMC final,” Novak said. “The experience of playing in big games can only help our team. Also, we had a lot of one-run games, so our guys know how to play under pressure.”
Speaking of pressure, the Sayreville coach conceded that expectations are high for this year’s team. He noted, however, that the GMC Red Division will be tough as always with opponents like J.P. Stevens High School, Saint Joseph High School of Metuchen, South Brunswick High School and East Brunswick High School in the mix.
The Bombers are set to open the season with a home-and-home set against East Brunswick April 1-2 that starts in Sayreville.
