By Warren Rappleyea
With Eric Reardon — the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Player of the Year — returning, North Brunswick Township High School’s baseball team looks to improve on last year’s 10-12 mark.
Reardon, a first baseman who has committed to Rutgers University, is coming off a monster season that saw him hit .406 with seven home runs and 25 RBIs to lead the Raiders in all three of those categories. The left-hander led the pitching staff with five wins to go with a 1.63 ERA. In just under 39 innings of work, he struck out 41 batters and walked 16.
After Reardon, coach Ryan Lillis’ Raiders have a good mix of veteran and youthful talent this spring.
“We’re really excited about our prospects this year,” the coach said. “I think pitching will be one of our strengths. We have a couple of guys who spot up very well. Our defense is looking good, too.”
The Raiders’ pitchers include junior lefty Jesse Scher, who went 2-0 last year, and Eric Vasquez, another junior who saw 13 innings on the hill a year ago. Senior Dylan Martin and sophomores Stephen Mihalenko, Danny Reardon and left-hander Mike Scimone will all get their share of innings. Lillis may also work in freshman lefty Chich Petrillo.
“We have a group of smart pitchers,” Lillis said. “Other than Eric [Reardon], they’re not going to overpower you, but they know what they’re doing. As a result, we’ll see a lot of ground balls.”
At the plate, Scher hit .327 with 12 RBIs last season. He will play first base when Reardon pitches and right field when not on the mound himself. Junior shortstop Justin Garcia is expected to pick up the pace after ending up a productive .238 with 14 RBIs last spring.
Outfielder/designated hitter Mike Dempsey hit .231 a year ago and has some pop. Tyler Petrillo, a stellar left fielder, hit just .219 but found ways to get on base at the top of the order and scored 16 times. Third baseman/designated hitter Neal Gaeta should also provide some offense.
The remainder of North Brunswick’s starting lineup includes three talented freshmen: second baseman Felix Diaz, catcher Andrew Tan and Chich Petrillo, who will patrol center field.
Other key players include third baseman Roger Gomez, junior infielder Ryan Breheney and sophomore outfielder Nick Dohn.
“We have a lot of experience back in the infield and with the Petrillos in the outfield, I know they’ll cover a lot of ground,” Lillis said. “I’m not too worried about our defense. I think they’re really going to help out the pitchers.”
The Raiders may, however, have to scratch out runs. Opposing pitchers will pitch around Reardon when possible, so other hitters will have to step up.
“Most of our seniors had a good amount of at-bats last year, so that should help,” Lillis said. “I also think that some of our younger guys will surprise people.”
North Brunswick is slated to open the season April 1 at Middlesex High School. The following day, the Raiders will travel to Absecon to play Holy Spirit High School. Lillis’ team opens its GMC White Division schedule April 4 when South Plainfield High School comes to visit.
