Jim Rankin used to be an old school baseball guy.
He preferred to use the No. 2 hitter in his lineup to move the runner into scoring position for his big boppers.
But now he’s a convert to baseball’s new religion: analytics. Now, Rankin likes to use his second hitter the same way he uses his first: to get on base for the boppers.
This scientific awakening did not come through some extended conversion process or spiritual epiphany.
The Jackson Liberty High School coach just realized that the logic made perfect sense: get your best hitters as many at-bats as possible. Stop wasting a spot near the top of the lineup that gets a lot of plate appearances.
“I overthought who I was going to put in the two hole the last two years,” Rankin said. “I said, ‘Instead of racking my brain and mixing and matching, why don’t I slide my two best guys up a spot?'”
That’s what Rankin is doing in 2019, and it should work really well. Jackson Liberty returns seven of nine regular batters from a team that went 20-5 in 2018.
But the Lions lost the climactic game of their season, 12-4, to Allentown High School in the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group 3 sectional tournament semifinals. They needed to score more runs in a game that turned into a slugfest.
Rankin thinks he has found the recipe for doing so this spring: bat his three best hitters, Connor Keenan, Shane Hickey and David Melfi, in the top three spots in the order. Hickey and Melfi hit third and fourth, respectively, in 2018.
“I just want my best guys to hit as much as possible,” Rankin said.
The strategy worked alright in the Lions’ season opener on April 1. Jackson Liberty traveled to Donovan Catholic High School and won…22-0. That is not a typo or an April Fools’ Day joke.
The Lions also beat Donovan Catholic High School, 9-3, on April 3 at home. So they scored 31 runs in their first two games, or an average of 15.5 per game. They are 2-1 through three contests.
Rankin’s top two hitters spearheaded the first blowout victory. Keenan scored two runs and drove in three. Hickey scored two runs and knocked in two more.
But that victory also showcased the next best quality about this Jackson Liberty squad: the rest of its lineup.
“There’s not a big drop off after three,” Rankin said.
The six-hole hitter, Alex Torres, produced four runs in the victory. Kevin Ritz and Brandon Kinsman both slammed home runs.
It was an electric start to the season that helped Rankin forget last season’s disappointing conclusion.
“I would have liked to have done a little more in the postseason but it’s tough to get mad at a 20-5 season,” the coach said.
“From top to bottom we’re returning a lot of great hitters, so we’re hoping to score a lot,” Melfi added.
This year with this new, analytically sound lineup, the Lions can win those last two games. That was the whole point of making the change at the top.
“A sectional title is the goal,” Rankin said. “We’re on the cusp. I hope this year is the year we get over the hump.”
It just might be. Even Jackson Liberty’s pitching staff looked dominant in its season opener. Hurlers Tim Duffy and Nick DeCarlo combined for five shutout innings.
Jackson Liberty will play as the host to Lakewood High School on April 11 at 3:45 p.m.
