By Jeff Appelblatt
The ace on the mound has already committed to college, but junior pitcher Harry Rutkowski’s focus right now is on doing his best for Woodbridge High School before he moves on to Rutgers University — the school he made a verbal agreement with in June 2015 — following next year.
Woodbridge’s coach, Lou Urbano, entering his ninth year as coach of the Barrons, is confident Rutkowski will only continue to improve. But he isn’t so sure he can get much better than he already is at the high school level.
“He’s still a high school kid. He’s got a lot to learn,” the New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Association Hall of Fame coach said. “We leave him alone now and let him do his thing. [But] they’ll make him much better [at Rutgers]. He’s high school good.”
Last season, Rutkowski pitched eight complete games for Woodbridge, including a Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Tournament outing vs. Carteret High School during which Urbano kept him out there for the extra inning of a tied game. Another Woodbridge pitcher, Nick Bradshaw, didn’t let the game go too far, though. The current senior finished that game off in the eighth inning with a hit that sent around the game-winning run.
All-in-all, Rutkowski threw a pair of shutouts amidst the 60 innings he threw in 2015. He fanned 79 batters and gave up only eight extra-base hits. But his 7-2 record may have been helped most by his incredible 1.54 ERA. The Barrons didn’t have to play from behind when their ace was on the rubber.
His dedication during his junior year shouldn’t be questioned, despite his plans after he graduates next June. Rutkowski was right in the middle of the football team’s strong fall season before he showed off his ability to score on the court during the winter with the basketball team.
For now, though, the Barrons and Rutkowski are just looking at what they can do together in the upcoming season at Woodbridge.
The team has plenty of guys back from last year in addition to Rutkowski and Bradshaw. Seniors Nick Diaz, Anthony Gonzalez and Kyle Mortensen will be around them on the diamond, and juniors Trevor Cykowski, Zach Joe and Justin Silva are expected to contribute as well.
The regular season, which begins 11 a.m. Apr. 1 with a road game at South Amboy High School, will be a test of camaraderie and skill for the Barrons. The players worked well together in the summer league, finishing first place with nine wins in 12 games. Urbano hopes that translates to a successful spring. But he takes summer with a grain of salt, like so many coaches do.
“It’s summer ball — that’s what it is,” the coach said, noting that many high school players play travel baseball during the summer. “But at Woodbridge, we’ve been lucky. Everyone plays.”
Either way, whenever the Barrons add on 18 more victories, Urbano will be at 300 for his career between his years at Woodbridge and the ones before that at GMC rival Saint Joseph High School of Metuchen.
