By Warren Rappleyea
Sayreville War Memorial High School pitching ace Pete Soporowski is set to continue his baseball career at Rider University in the fall.
The big left-hander finished his Bombers career by going 5-2 as a senior with 58 strikeouts in just under 50 innings of work while allowing only nine earned runs — for a team that went 12-13 overall. Over three varsity campaigns, he won 14 games and also played first base when not on the mound and hit .300 over that span.
As a Little Leaguer in Sayreville, Soporowski was known as an up-and-coming power hitter, but he gradually began to make his mark on the hill. His dad, Ron, spent countless hours sitting on a bucket as his son tossed pitch after pitch while working on his technique.
As a sophomore, he went 4-3, and his impact was immediate. Soporowski came on in relief in Sayreville’s NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group IV opener against top-seeded Hunterdon Central Regional High School. A tad nervous at first, Soporowski quickly settled and allowed just three hits over four innings as the Bombers scored a 5-4 upset win.
“Pete had a good sophomore year, but that state tournament game was where we really knew we had something,” Sayreville coach Mike Novak said. “It was a big game against a very strong team, and Pete was magnificent.”
Following that season, Soporowski played for the Middletown-based Jersey Niners travel team, where he continued to excel. It was there that he got the advice from Niners coach Robert Maida that would help on the path to college.
“I talked to coach Maida about my goals, and he ended up telling me that if I really wanted to play in college, I had to lose some weight,” said Soporowski, who weighed in at 285 pounds at the time. “I knew he was right.”
Soporowski began working out regularly under the tutelage of Bombers athletic trainer Tom Law and also joined the gym. Maida continued to encourage him, and the pounds began to melt away as Soporowski became leaner and more muscular.
As a junior, he won five games and led the Blue and Gray to the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Tournament finals. In the finale, Soporowski went toe-to-toe with Monroe ace Eric Heatter in a pitcher’s duel that went eight innings before the Falcons prevailed, 1-0.
“Pete worked so hard to get in great shape, and it really helped him on the mound,” Novak said. “I knew that whenever I gave him the ball, Pete would go seven innings — or as long as necessary. He had tremendous stamina, and he’s a great competitor. It’s hard to get him out of games.”
While playing for the Niners in September 2015, Soporowski caught the eye of Rider coach Barry Davis, who invited him to visit the school. Within a week, the lure of playing NCAA Division I baseball close to home was too much to turn down, so Soporowski committed to play for the university.
Also during that summer, Bombers assistant Tim Ballard, who is also an assistant for the Niners, taught Soporowski to throw a circle changeup.
“I was always a fastball, curveball pitcher,” Soporowski said. “I have a lot of confidence in the curve and my four-seam tails away. Coach Ballard kept encouraging me to use the change, and I gradually got the hang of it. I think I may have ended up using it more than my fastball this year.”
With three quality pitches, Soporowski was even more difficult for opposing hitters to handle. The highlight of the campaign came against John F. Kennedy Memorial High School May 12 in the GMC Tournament, whrre Soporowski tossed a no-hitter and struck out 11 along the way.
With his scholastic career behind him, Soporowski is spending the summer with the Red Bank White Sox of the United States Amateur Baseball League. He will head to Rider in late August for a brief fall campaign of intra-squad games to prepare for the regular season, which begins in February.
“Coach Davis said I’ll have a chance to jump right in,” said Soporowski, who stands 6 feet 3 inches tall and now weighs 225 pounds. “I’ll be ready.”
