Lions Ready to Roar in 2011

Clichés are as much a part of baseball as batting practice is, and no cliché sums up the Lacey High School baseball team better than the following gem: it’s not how you start; it’s how you finish.

The Lions’ season opens up Friday against Southern Regional and while the 6-14 record from last year may not indicate it, expectations are high for the Lions after a fast start and a couple tough losses typified their 2010 campaign.

“This is without a doubt the most talent I’ve ever had here and probably that’s been here in a while,” third-year head coach Jack Mahar said. “With us, it’s all going to be about staying healthy and staying consistent. We’re going to have to beat some good teams and get hot at the right time, but if we’re healthy and playing well, we can play with anybody.”

Last year, the Lions started the season as one of the surprise teams in the Shore Conference, beating the 2009 Shore Conference Tournament champion and eventual NJSIAA Group IV runner-up Jackson Memorial en route to a 2-0 start that opened eyes around the county and beyond.

What ensued was a roller-coaster 6-14 season that included a 4-10 showing in the Shore Conference Class A South – one of the most competitive divisions in the state.

“We got off to a strong start last year, and even the games we lost, we had a chance to win most of them,” senior Pat Jensen said. “We have more experience this year and more importantly, we have a lot more confidence as players and we know we can play with anybody after what we did last year. We just have to play our best every game.”

No player on the Lions understands the nature of the long baseball season better than Jensen, the staff ace who will continue his career at Stockton College next year.

Jensen started the season as one of the hottest pitchers in the Shore Conference before the division started adjusting to him. He also nearly had a win in the bag in the NJSIAA South Jersey Group III Tournament first round before a one-out solo home run in the bottom of the seventh inning shocked the Lions and gave No. 1 seeded Highland Regional a 4-3 win.

In that game, the No. 16 seeded Lions rallied to tie the score at 3 in the sixth inning before a rare mistake by Jensen ended the season in an instant.

“He had such an unbelievable year last year and for that to be the last pitch he threw, I know it eats at him,” Mahar said. “He has looked really good so far and I think he’s eager to get out there and have a big year.”

Lacey moves from Class A South to Class B South in the new Shore Conference realignment, meaning the three Toms River powers and Jackson Memorial are no longer on the schedule twice a year.

Instead, Lacey will compete in a balanced and still-talented division that features a number of Division I prospects, including center fielder and Rutgers University recruit Vinny Zarrillo.

Jensen is eager to put his last pitch of 2010 in the rearview mirror and his bolstered arsenal of pitches should make that a formality.

The hard-throwing senior right-hander started last season by winning his first three starts – including the win over Jackson – and battled to a 4-1 loss against Toms River South, which finished the year as the Class A South, Ocean County and Shore Conference champion.

“With me, it’s all about fastball velocity and so far, my velocity and location are way ahead of where they were last year,” Jensen said. “Where I think I can improve is my secondary stuff. When I was going good last year, I had a good slider and my slider is on point right now. So I’m encouraged.”

Zarrillo, for all his talent, believes he had a disappointing year in 2010 despite hitting well over .300 and leading the Lions in extra base-hits. He was an All-Shore Conference selection as a sophomore in 2009 by several publications and when opposing pitchers began to pitch him more carefully in 2010, he found it harder to get to the statistical level he reached the previous year. With time to adjust, Zarrillo believes he has worked out some of the kinks.

“I was a little disappointed, to tell you the truth,” Zarrillo said. “I did okay but I think I lost trust in my ability at times. I didn’t trust my hands and I started to press and I think it started to get in my head a little bit.

“My focus this year is just to relax and have more fun. It’s my senior year, we have a good team and I want to enjoy it. The individual stuff will work itself out.”

Unfortunately for the Lions, Zarrillo injured his right, non-throwing shoulder during a scrimmage on March 26 and he will be nursing the injury as the season begins. Despite the discomfort, Zarrillo said he doesn’t expect to miss any games.

“He has been scalding the ball this preseason,” Mahar said of Zarrillo. “He has been on everything. We’re just hoping this is a small thing and we can get him back in the lineup to open the year.”

The Lions go deeper than just their two top returnees, as starters Ryan Reitmeyer, Matt Cecere and Victor Kochanowksi all return after strong years.

Reitmeyer is a junior shortstop that fit right into the lineup as a sophomore and his younger brother, Eric, will get a varsity shot as a freshman.

Cecere, a senior catcher, caught fire at the end of last season and will slide up to the No. 4 spot in the batting order this year.

“Cecere is the hardest working guy around,” Mahar said. “He is in unbelievable shape and it’s been translating to his game on the field.”

Kochanowski will be vital in the field and on the mound, as the junior will help bolster the rotation behind Jensen and play left field and hit in the middle of the order on when he is not pitching.

Seniors Nick Breden and Kevin Hanula did not start last year, but impressed Mahar during the preseason and will start at third base and first base, respectively.

Junior Anthony Marotta will be the opening day second baseman and classmate Brian Emerson has locked down an outfield job to round out the lineup.

If Mahar is correct calling this group the best team he has had, Lacey will be in the mix for a Class B South title.

“We beat teams that most people thought were better than us and we lost to teams we felt like we were better than,” Jensen said. “That’s the nature of this game. We know we’re a good team, but there are a lot of other good teams out there. We have to go prove we’re good.”