Paul Sparano, left, watches as Justin Dempsey fields a play at shortstop during a practice on June 19.
Ewing Post 314 baseball team gets first win under new coach, Mike Ryan.
Mike Ryan learned towards the end of last summer that Ewing Post 314 head coach Jon Conant would not be returning the following season. Ryan, who had been with the program for three years prior, decided to take the reins.
Ryan, previously and assistant had coach, said the adjustment hasn’t been difficult.
“We have a good team, and the coaching staff has a good relationship with the players,” he said. “The familiarity with the program and the players makes it a lot easier on everyone.”
Justin Dempsey said he and his teammates were “relieved” that a familiar face was stepping in.
“It makes it a lot easier,” he said. “He was very hands-on with us last year. Him coming in as the head coach is a relief rather than having somebody we don’t know come in and take the position. He knows how we all play. He knows how we’re used to the system. He’s made his changes here and there, but it’s a relief that he knows what he’s doing, much like our previous coach.”
The squad won its first game on June 17 following an 0 -3 start to the season. Ewing defeated Hopewell 4-3 in nine innings. The team started 2012 with a three wins, so the initial win of 2013 was much anticipated.
“It was a definite weight off the shoulders,” Ryan said. “We expected it to come earlier than the fourth game in. It was a good, hard-fought, team win for us. A lot of guys did a lot of little things. Defensively, the team played as well as we’ve played all year. The hitting was there as well. A bunch of guys had multiple hits.”
Dempsey said hitting was the clear key.
“I think we had four hits in each of our first three games, and you can’t win like that,” he said. “Even if you score three or four runs, you still need hits. We were getting lucky with some of our at bats. The Hopewell game, we put up nine hits, and that’s what won us the game.”
The long-awaited offensive production could be what finally sets this talented team in motion.
“It all starts with the first batter of the inning, and we weren’t getting on base,” Paul Sparano said. “Our pitching has been keeping us in every game, but once we start hitting, that could be our best thing. We can turn the season around and start winning games.”
Many of the Post 314 players were also members of the Ewing High School team that advanced to the Central Jersey Group II final against Monmouth Regional in May. The loss took a toll on the team’s baseball mentality, but Dempsey said he and his teammates are learning to take it in their strides.
“We tried to ignore it when we came out here,” he said. “What we’re doing now is instead of looking at the game as a negative, we’re looking at it as a positive. We want to get to a championship again, except this time it’s the Legion World Series.”
Solid, reliable pitching from Sparano, Connor Orr, and Cody Hughes is what has been keeping the team in each of its games. Sparano said once the team’s hitting increases and errors decrease, Post 314 can get move past the state game and starting building on last year’s 13-9 season.
“Looking at the stat sheet, it says we haven’t hit much,” Dempsey said. “In our high school season, everybody on the team hit. It wasn’t just a few people. Everybody out here is able to put the ball in play and score runs. It’s just a matter of time.”
