Spring Sports Previews: Chatham Baseball Focuses on Blending Early in Season

With competition at just about every position on the field and its most inexperienced team in years, the Chatham baseball team is working hard on team unity early on.

"How well we do this season will depend on how quickly we gel as a team and whether our pitchers can consistently throw strikes and go deep into games," said Head Coach Doug Chambers, who is in his 22nd year with Chatham. "Our offense should be our strong point. We'll also have to see how our seniors do, as they step into starting roles this year."

Last season, the Cougars had a 12–12 overall record, but with their .500 record, they were able to play into the state tournament. The team advanced to the quarterfinals of North Jersey Section 2, Group 2 before losing to Rutherford High School.

"We overachieved a little bit toward the end of the season," Chambers said.

In the New Jersey Athletic Conference, Chambers said the team's toughest competition will be Hanover Park, Pequannock and Morris Catholic. With the Cougars' inexperience, Chambers said it will be hard to tell how the team will fare.

"If we get on a roll out of the gate and build our confidence, then who knows," he said. "We're in a very tough division. Every game will test our pitching."

The Cougars graduated star pitcher Pat Butler, who was drafted by the Minnesota Twins and is now playing for the University of Connecticut, and have holes to fill on the mound as a result. Their rotation consists of junior Brendan Kaufman, senior Gio Casale and juniors Matt Reader, Tom DeVito and junior Brian Ballard.

Reader was the only sophomore last year to get significant playing time. He will be a team captain as a junior, a feat that Chambers called "outstanding."

The Cougars also lost former shortstop Kyle Trebour and former catcher Addison Siegeal. In the field, Ballard will take over at shortstop and DeVito will move behind the plate.

Chambers said other key defensive contributors will be Reader at third base and in the outfield and senior Dan Haus in centerfield. Senior Kevin Giannattasio and junior Greg Bazzani are fighting for the starting role at first base, but Chambers said he expects both to be solid on defense.

Chambers said he looks to Reader, DeVito, Ballard, Haus and sophomore Dean Lilley to carry the weight offensively.

The Cougars begin their regular season at 4 p.m. today as they take on Hackettstown High School in Hackettstown.