Leadership, Versatility Keys to River Dell’s Baseball Season

Call him the Heartbeat Kid.

It is the final varsity season for a celebrated three-sport River Dell athlete, and while his coaches have had wonderful things to say about him over the years, baseball coach Brandon Flanagan may have said it all about John Budka with three simple words.

“He’s the guy,” said Flanagan, River Dell’s 13^th-year coach about his three-year starting shortstop. “We take our cue from John. He’s always positive and he’s always hustling. When you compete all year around in all those sports, you learn what it takes to win. He’s a great player—and how we’ll do this year depends of how much confidence John has in himself.”

Budka hit only .280 in the lead-off spot last year, but used his great eye at the plate to record an on-base percentage of .500. All those free passes to first base made him more than their table setter—he’s more the straw that stirs the drink, which makes it just another varsity season for the stocky 5-7 Budka.

That sparkplug role seemed to come naturally to Budka on the gridiron, where he starred as a running back and defensive back on the this year’s Big North championship football team, and as a guard on the basketball team, which won 14 games this past winter—mostly on determination.

River Dell plans on competing that way, and winning any which way this season. You name it—playing small ball, the long ball, or with their depth on the mound—River Dell will take to the diamond with optimism.

“We’ve got team speed and athleticism,” said Flanagan, whose team was 14-12 last year. “That will allow us to attack instead of to just step up to the plate and mash. We’re a versatile group this year, and we should be able to manufacture runs when we have to.”

And when Brandon Martinez is in the lineup, producing offense should be a whole lot easier.

Martinez simply hit the cover off the ball last year. Had he not suffered a broken wrist when hit by a pitch in RD’s 19^th game last season, the right fielder would have broken records in every offensive category for a sophomore. “He’s got  five tools,” said Flanagan, “and he’s just a
tremendous ballplayer. It was tough for him to miss the last quarter of the
season, but we’re expecting a big response from him this year.”

At the time of his injury, Martinez was hitting .520 with seven HRs, and led the team in both RBI and hits.

In centerfield will be senior Mike Oliver a three-year starter, who was in the top five in every offensive category last year, including a .320 batting average. Oliver is a line-drive hitter, and a strong base runner with good speed.

Ryan Duran played every inning for the Hawks last year either in left field or on the pitcher’s mound, where he’ll be No. 1 or No. 2 in the rotation this year. Another three-sport athlete, Duran was the team’s second-leading hitter last year, and a second-team all-conference selection. He’s got a fastball, a change-up, a slider and an unwavering intensity about him. “He’s a bulldog,” said Flanagan.

No one showed as much versatility last year as junior Tim Barnes, who played every position with the exception of catcher and center field. Barnes will be River Dell’s starting third baseman, and will take over on the mound as the late-inning closer—although he too could land in the starting rotation. The lanky Barnes, according to Flanagan, “is dominant on the mound not just because he throws hard, but because of his great location.”

Evan Stern and Ryan McDonough, both seniors, will vie for time both on the mound and at first base while Alex Derner steps into the starting role as catcher.

“We’ve got some holes to fill—and a tough schedule, starting with our season opener against Indian Hills [on April 2] and we’ll see how some of our newcomers manage on this level,” said Flanagan. “We’ve got a great group of kids who love baseball and love being out here every day. We’re excited about the season, and we’re improving every day.”