by Zevan Shuster
As Rocky Point baseball looks ahead to its 2020 season, one thing is on its mind: redemption.
“Coming off a championship loss last year, we brought some returners back. And that left a sour taste in their mouth,” head coach Anthony Anzalone said.
“They got a chance at a decent amount of success last year, especially the younger guys. I think those guys that are returning are definitely hungry to make it to that point again,” said Anzalone.
Unequivocally, the goal for this season is to get back to the championship game, and to finish the job this season. Whatever motivation lingers from last season’s painful defeat may certainly help this year, but when it comes to on the field, they likely will have to grind to return to the Class A Finals.
“We do have a pretty young team, which we’re excited about. The younger guys saw the guys last year, those nine seniors, and the type of season they had. So, I think the younger guys that were on JV last year that are going to be up with us, are excited to try and make an impact,” said Anzalone.
The word excitement came up quite a bit a common theme in my conversation with the head coach about the upcoming season; but perhaps what came up an equal amount, was all the unknowns heading into the season. But a fear of the unknown? That isn’t exactly a trait Anzalone embodies.
So what will the team’s strength be this year?
“It’s tough to tell right now, and that’s kind of the excitement about it. There’s so much young talent that it could go either way,” remarked the the confident head coach. But just like any coach, he does have players who he’s counting on in order for this season to be a success.
“We have Sean Hamilton, who did a great job for us a couple times last year. He’s probably going to be our number one (starter) this year. He’s a sophomore, and then from there, we are kind of auditioning the younger guys to step up and see what they got,” said the head coach.
Having an ace at the top of the rotation should be able to take the pressure off players who are more inexperienced, so they can grow into their roles more easily.
Other key guys Anzalone is looking at to step up this year are Cody Miller, who was the team’s number three hitter as a freshman last year, hitting well over .300 in the process. He will start at shortstop and be a key cog in his team’s success. Additionally, coach cited Kyle Callahan, a senior, as being a key contributor for his team.
Though Anzalone’s team is indeed inexperienced, you wouldn’t know it from the way he talks about them, and the confidence he has in them.
“As young as we are, these young guys have been with us as a coaching staff from such a young age, whether it was our younger clinics, or all the way down to their JV time. They know what the expectation is,” said the skipper. “Surprisingly, there’s a ton of trust in our younger guys to compete and get the job done.”
The excitement and optimism is rooted in two things. First, Anzalone has appropriate confidence in himself, his coaching staff, and their style and approach to the game.
“I haven’t jumped so much on the analytic bandwagon just yet. I know it works, but I’m an old school, fundamentally sound baseball guy. I like the old school approach, so it’s kind of hard for me to abandon that just yet,” he said.
It also comes from the culture they preach, and the close-knit group they’ve built.
“Every time we break down (out of a huddle), we say family,” he said. “We really try to instill that in our guys.” He continued, “It goes beyond baseball for us. We do a lot of community service, a homeless shelter, we do a lot with the community, so the whole family thing, we try to make that full circle, so that when they step on the field, they have each other’s backs.”
Anzalone believes in teaching his kids life values, both through baseball, and from other things, which they can then carry over onto the field. And, when it comes to their performance on the field this season, whether or not it becomes one they deem a success may be uncertain, but one thing remains certain as ever: they will do it as a family.
