Catch Them If You Can

There may be something special brewing on Millburn’s baseball diamond this spring. One of the biggest surprises in Essex County this season, the Miller boys enter a wide-open Greater Newark Tournament this weekend, and there’s no argument that the fourth seeded Miller boys have just as good of a shot as anyone to take the whole thing.

After stumbling out of the gates to an 0-2 start, Millburn has caught fire, losing just twice in its last 14 games, using great pitching and defense, a deep lineup and aggressive base running that puts pressure on opposing defenses to make plays consistently.

While their 12-4 record heading into the final half of the season is impressive enough, it’s the numbers surrounding that record that are eye-opening.

“I wouldn’t say that I’m surprised. We’re doing things that we’re capable of doing,” said Millburn head coach Brian Chapman. “We’re moving in the right direction so that has manifested itself in us winning some baseball games.”

Pitchers facing Millburn’s lineup have quickly learned that navigating through it is similar to tip-toeing around a mine field. While you may get passed a couple of the mines, at some point or another, one or more are bound to get you.

Entering Thursday‘s game against Montclair Kimberley Academy, of the team’s regulars with at least 20 at bats this season, five of them are hitting at least .333, six are batting over .300 and six players also have an on base percentage of over .380.

“I’m happy. I knew that we’ve had it in us all along for the past few years,” said Miller pitcher, Clayton Elder. “I think our current senior class, we’ve always played well together with good chemistry. So just as a class, we’ve come together, and the other kids have followed.”

As a team, the boys are batting .328 and have an astounding on-base percentage of .429. In 109 innings played, Millburn has had 247 base runners. Simply put, there is always someone wearing blue and white on the base paths.

While that number alone would be enough to drive pitchers mad, it’s what they do after they get on base that has really set this Millburn team apart. They run often and early and rarely get caught. Millburn has only had 11 base stealers thrown out, while swiping 79 bags, which is almost a success rate of 88 percent.

All those numbers show why Millburn has scored nearly a run per inning this season, and are 4-1 in games decided by three runs or less. They have been nearly unstoppable on the base paths this spring.

“They’ve really focused on cutting down their swing with two strikes and putting the ball in play and that has manifested itself in a higher team batting average and a higher on base percentage,” Chapman said. “Then the steals, we’re blessed with some team speed here. …That’s the way we’re playing. I don’t think we have the type of lineup that where can sit around and wait for someone to hit a double.”

Will Fitzgerald (.345 BA, .419 OBP, 20 SB) and Tim Swanson (.432 BA, .537 OBP, 15 SB) have been two of the main catalysts to the offense, but the beauty of Millburn’s lineup this season is that nearly anyone can beat you.

“It’s good to have speed on our side when we’re running the bases and it gives our offense a real boost and it’s a real good weapon for us to have,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s not just me. Timmy, Chris, we have a lot of fast guys on our team that can really run the bases well and that’s a really good advantage for us.”

Right fielder Chris Gula has swiped 15 bags. Second baseman, Jeff Fischer has an OBP of .500, has seven stolen bases and leads the team in walks with 10. Surprise freshman, Milo Freeman, leads the team in RBI, with 13, is batting .333 and has an OBP of .444. There are very few, if any, safe landing spots in the lineups.

“Having that is just enormous. Top to bottom, everybody on our team has just been doing their part recently. We’ve been working hard and doing a lot of batting practice,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s exciting to see that anybody can really contribute, and it’s not a team where you have three guys doing it. It’s everybody.”

But of course, baseball is mainly about pitching and defense. Out of 527 chances, Millburn’s fielders have committed 27 errors (94.7 percent) and have allowed 13 unearned runs. On the mound, Millburn’s pitching staff has held opponents to a .233 batting average, and have a combined 2.83 ERA. If you’re holding teams to less than three runs consistently, especially with the way the Miller offense is playing, it’s a recipe for a lot of wins.

At the beginning of the season Chapman saw the experience of his pitching staff as a possible strength. Stephen Near, Danny Frischman, Ian Barry and Elder came into this season with a ton of innings under their belts and it has paid off.

“We had four seniors with a lot of experience and some really talented young kids and that has kind of bore itself out,” Chapman said. “When you have that much experience, you’re going to put kids out there who give you a chance to win the game. They don’t walk kids, they don’t do silly things. Our pitchers have kept us in just about every game.”

The biggest blow to the team so far this year has been the loss of Barry, who is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Barry had emerged as the ace of the pitching staff with a microscopic 1.35 ERA and was also the best hitter on the team, sporting a .537 BA and a .610 slugging percentage, both leading the team.

“That’s a tough loss, but it's a team game and there are nine guys on the field,” Fitzgerald said. “While he was a big part of our offense and a big part of our pitching game, we have other guys who I know are willing to step up. We’ve got guys chomping at the bit who want to play.”

In his absence, Frischman has emerged as the team’s new ace, while Near, Elder and Ian Riddell have helped to fill the void as well. Of the Millers' four pitchers with at least 15 innings pitched, three have an ERA below four, meaning that Millburn is always in a position to win.

“I’m not surprised, every time I go out there, I expect to win the game and basically when I don‘t win the game, I am disappointed,” said Frischman, who holds a 2.97 ERA. “I think last year was more groundwork for this season, as in I was developing a lot more and I feel that this year it’s starting to show a little bit.”

All of the pitching, hitting and running gives Millburn a great chance to win some games in the upcoming Greater Newark Tournament. While there are some excellent teams in the county this season, including defending GNT and state champs West Essex, Seton Hall Prep, West Orange and Livingston, Millburn has to be considered right there in that group.

“It feels good, but we’ve just got to keep coming to practice every day and keep working hard,” Elder said. “The way I see it, is that we’re still a team that’s building every day and we just have to keep coming out and winning, regardless of what our record is.”

They’ve beaten both Livingston and West Orange, though SHP snapped Millburn’s 10 game winning streak two weeks ago. But in a season where no team in the county has been unbeatable, it’s certainly possible to think that Millburn can make a run deep into the tournament. The boys are already 2-0 in tournament play this season (Krug tournament) and the last time they won the tournament in ’08, Millburn went on to reach the GNT final.

“It’s a very good county,” Frischman said. “I know West Essex is very good, Seton Hall is very good as well, and all of the teams in our conference have been very good -- we haven’t been blowing anyone out. It’s going to be a very tough tournament, but we’re in it to win the whole thing.”

Millburn’s run starts at home on Saturday afternoon against Newark Academy.