Typically graduating 14 seniors would be a crushing hit for a high school team.
In the case of Longwood, it’s business as usual. They have an influx of talented underclassmen and a number of upperclassmen that second year Head Coach Ryan McSherry is high on, thanks to an emphasis on the fundamentals of the game.
“Teams that grasp the basics of the game are always competitive,” said McSherry. “We are always looking for diamonds in the rough. Fortunately, we have a big pool to choose from at Longwood so it’s easy to get lost. It’s a good place to coach because we have a lot of hard-nosed players. We have a David Eckstein-type of team” he added.
They graduated all three of their starters last year, who went on to play college ball. The trio of Troy Simpson (Adelphi), C.J. Owens (SUNY Purchase) and Matthew Parson (Lackawanna). was the main reason the team compiled a sparkling 2.90 ERA. They are returning only 10 of the 169 innings from last year, but that is not cause for concern for McSherry because of the quality of arms coming up.
“We had decent pitchers that just didn’t get a chance to pitch last year,” he said.
Leading the rotation will be senior RHP Tyler Zucker. The St. Rose-commit is a “very polished pitcher that hits his spots with his fastball and curveball”, according to McSherry. Joining him will be junior LHP John Holmstock. He has a “lights-out” 12/6 curveball. He added that he “spots his fastball and he’s a real competitor.”
Jonathan Holmstock breaking off a nice curve pic.twitter.com/llkMkmJ9WX
— aXcess Baseball (@axcessbaseball) February 4, 2017
Rounding out the rotation will be Danny Owens, younger brother of C.J. His delivery resembles that of Noah Syndergaard.
“He’s been showing a lot of improvement. He’s physically bigger than last year,” said McSherry.
A couple other pitchers that could have a big impact are Jared Vanderhoof, Shane Gribbins and Tyler Herman–who is also a lineman on the varsity football team.
Behind the plate will be a real under-the-radar player in sophomore Jose Matos. After missing last year due to injury, he has made a very strong impression since his return. Coach McSherry noted he has very good instincts and has a “dynamite stick”.
They will be leaning heavily on the leadership and production from second baseman Connor Kilcarr. The John Jay-commit really “took to the seniors last year and has grown into a leadership role.” He also had two clutch hits in the postseason last year and hits the ball to all fields.
Two more potential impact bats are Bobby Pollock and Kyle Rausch, younger brother of Sean.
“Bobby is a great athlete–he put on a lot of muscle. He’s a good, polished hitter.” Of Rausch, he noted that he is a “great athlete like his brother” and has a “lot of grit”.
Longwood has been churning out college-ready players at an impressive rate. If you look at the rosters of the colleges in the northeast region, they are very well represented. They have been built around the premise of gritty, fundamentally-sound players that are prepared to play at the next level.
They will be opening up against rival William Floyd as they look to make another playoff run in League 1.
