Typically graduating 14 seniors would be a crushing hit for a high school team.<\/p>\n

In the case of Longwood<\/strong>, it’s business as usual. They have an influx of talented underclassmen and a number of upperclassmen that second year Head Coach Ryan McSherry<\/strong> is high on, thanks to an emphasis on the fundamentals of the game.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

“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.<\/p>\n

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)<\/strong> and Matthew Parson (Lackawanna<\/strong>). 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.<\/p>\n

“We had decent pitchers that just didn’t get a chance to pitch last year,” he said.<\/p>\n

Leading the rotation will be senior RHP Tyler Zucker.<\/strong> The St. Rose<\/strong>-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<\/strong>. He has a “lights-out” 12\/6 curveball. He added that he “spots his fastball and he’s a real competitor.”\n<\/p>\n

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Jonathan Holmstock breaking off a nice curve pic.twitter.com\/llkMkmJ9WX<\/a><\/p>\n

— aXcess Baseball (@axcessbaseball) February 4, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n