Team returning solid pitching but mixed with new players
OCEAN CITY – This is opening day for Ocean City High School baseball if the rain holds off. Game time is 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 3, against cross-bay rival Mainland Regional, the defending South Jersey Group III champion.
A lot of new faces will be in the lineup for the Raiders to start the season as a large senior class left some big shoes to fill. Seven players in Ocean City’s batting order last year have since graduated. Promising young players will be leaned on to carry the team.
“I’ve got a lot of guys who are baseball players who were just waiting for their opportunity,” Ocean City head coach Andrew Bristol said. “I think they are ready for it. We are very good defensively and I think our pitching is strong.”
The new-look Raiders team is highlighted by another season as one of the top baseball prospects in all of New Jersey.
Junior Evan Taylor had an outstanding sophomore season and showed why he is one of the top baseball players in the state.
At the plate he had an incredible batting average of .514. More than half the time he managed to get on base with a hit. In his 72 at-bats he led the team with 39 RBIs and was tied for most home runs with five.
His dominance at the plate was equaled by his performance on the pitching mound. Taylor pitched 21 innings and posted an ERA of 1.31. Taylor’s fastball goes by in a blur as it reaches upwards of 93 miles per hour.
After opening day, the Raiders face the Mustangs again at 11 a.m. Thursday at Mainland.
“It’s a test right out of the gate to see what we have,” Bristol said. “I think they are one of the best teams in South Jersey right now so it’s going to be a test.”
Alongside Taylor is a strong rotation of pitchers at Bristol’s disposal. A couple of younger players got valuable experience last season after former star Raider Duke McCarron got hurt after his first start of the season.
Senior Matt Pashley had 37 strikeouts last season and gave the Raiders 25 innings pitched. Junior Travis Large got a lot of work in his sophomore year with nearly 400 pitches and maintaining a 4.74 ERA.
“They are all ready and all have varsity experience, so we have like five really good arms coming back,” Bristol said. “But the position players are where we are going to be brand new.”
One positional player who came back is Colin Thompson. The shortstop had a big sophomore season with a .361 batting average. He was also quick around the bases and led the team with 11 steals.
The new-look Raider team will learn on the fly how to play with each other. Taylor and Thompson have to lead by example throughout the season to get the inexperienced members up to speed.
– By WILLIAM TRUITT/For the Sentinel
