Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series
by George Caratzas
After three straight losing seasons, the Harborfields Tornadoes are looking to turn their fortunes in 2025. In year three with head coach Ian Schneider, the club will rely on a roster heavy on upperclassmen.
This year, 16 of the 18 roster spots are occupied by juniors and seniors, with 10 of them in the junior class.
“Last year our core was definitely much younger,” Schneider said in an interview with Axcess Baseball. “We had a lot of sophomores and juniors and now we’re much older and more experienced. We brought back a majority of the guys that got ample playing time last year.”
The one major missing piece in 2025 is pitcher Max Hilsenroth, who re-classed and will eventually continue his career at the University of New Haven. Hilsenroth spent much of last season injured, hampering the Tornadoes pitching depth.
As for this year’s squad, they will be led by St. Thomas Aquinas-commit Joe Deceglie. Deceglie was an All-League selection last season, and is a major piece for Harborfields both on the mound and at the plate. In his junior campaign, Deceglie hit .250, but pitched to a 2.01 ERA and got the victory in four of the Tornadoes five wins last season.
RHP Joseph Deceglie (Harborfields 2025) commits to St. Thomas Aquinas @TeamBEASTbsb pic.twitter.com/bTiRtshtGA
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) August 7, 2024
“Joe is going to be a staple in our lineup and in our rotation,” Schneider said. “He’s an absolute pleasure to coach. He has battled through adversity and been a leader for his teammates every step of the way. He’s selfless and he does whatever we ask him to do.”
Adding to Schneider’s pitching depth, he is returning pitcher Quinn Johnson-Wemyss who is playing his final year of high school baseball. Last year, Johnson-Wemyss had a 2.50 ERA and saved a pair of ball games for Harborfields.
“We didn’t have any expectations for him, he had to battle to get any time on the mound at all,” Schneider said. “He blew us away with how hard he worked and his willingness to learn. Ultimately, success came with that on the field and we put him in some big spots and he got us some big outs.”
The other big pitching piece that Schneider will have is junior Alex Ruisi.
“He looks really impressive,” Schenider said. “He’s a tall, wiry kid that comes at you with a bunch of different pitches. He’s aggressive on the mound and looks to get soft contact on the ground and trust his defense. He’s an athlete out there.”
Offensively, the Tornadoes have four guys in addition to Deceglie that could be difference makers this season. As a whole, Schneider plans to implement a more contact-driven approach with much of his lineup relying on their legs to create offense.
“We’re going to rely on contact, but overall it’s an attitude thing,” Schneider said. “These guys all have the mindset that ‘I’m going to do whatever it takes to get the job done.’ We’re doing whatever we can to put pressure on the defense.”
Hitting near the top of the order will be Chris Palermo, who figures to patrol center field on most days. Palermo’s claim to fame is his contact ability and speed, as he hit .275 as a sophomore last year with eight stolen bases. Additionally, he was a solid run producer, as he also drove in eight runs.
“Chris has been at the top of our lineup since his freshman year,” Schneider said. “We’re going to rely on him with the bat when it comes to getting on base. Once he’s on base, we need him to get into scoring position, which is something he’s good at doing.”
Maybe the most dangerous hitter in the Harborfields batting order is senior outfielder Trey Rumore. Rumore hit .286 last year and drove in 13 runs.
“Trey and Joe are both guys that I see projecting in the middle of our lineup,” Schneider said. “They spent a lot of time in those spots last season and a lot of times, it’ll be up to them to get the job done situationally.”
Behind the dish is junior Jacob Bouvin, who is a premier defender as a backstop.
“We’re super excited to have Jacob back this year,” Schneider said. “We’re also excited to have him working with our pitching staff again. Having him behind the plate defensively helps us out tremendously.”
Whenever Bowman tosses down to second base, junior shortstop Callan Steel will be there to take it in. Another option at various positions is junior utility player Gavin Rumore.
Rumore is just one example of the depth that Schenider will deploy this season at different spots on the diamond.
“The group of guys that we got from JV this year are definitely going to make a difference,” Schneider said. “We’re definitely going to need some of them because it’s baseball, arms get tired, guys get fatigued and sometimes we’re playing four games in a week. It’s certainly a lot sometimes and they’re going to be called upon in big spots for us.”
Despite the disappointing year a season ago, Schneider is confident that his team will improve given their off the field attitude, even before the season starts.
“The willingness to put in extra work and being ‘baseball guys’ first and foremost is what sticks out to me,” Schneider said. “They take pride in what they do. They play on team’s with each other all summer long and they really enjoy being with the other guys. This team really enjoys each other’s presence and it’s not like some other teams where it feels like a chore for them.”
Harborfields will start its season on the road, as it takes on Westhampton on April 2.
