Squan Baseball Filling Saito's Shoes

Before the 2012 high school baseball season even started, the Manasquan program already suffered it's biggest loss when senior first baseman and Monmouth University recruit Tyler Saito to a severe knee injury late in the football season.

While the Warriors lost their top slugger away from the diamond, the team has yet to lose on it in 2012.

Manasquan is off to a 2-0 start thanks to late-inning outbursts that beat Lakewood and Point Pleasant Boro. In those two games, the Warriors have scored a combined 26 runs, all without the big bat of Saito looming in the middle of the batting order.

"Don't get me wrong, if someone offered me Tyler Saito to put back in the lineup, I'd take him in a heartbeat," Warriors third-year head coach Dennis Van Pelt said. "But if there's anything positive that comes of this, it's that it's going to force us to have more balance and to use more of a collective effort to score runs and win games. I think that's what's going on so far."

Although the offense has been potent through the batting order, the Warriors have not been without stand-outs over the first two wins. Senior shortstop Andrew Stewart is off to a 5-for-7 start at the plate with two home runs and seven RBI. Stewart had a career day in a 16-6 win over Lakewood on Monday, going 3-for-5 with two home runs and six RBI.

Stewart also went 2-for-2 with an RBI double in a wild, 10-9 win over Point Boro on Wednesday. Junior Jimmy Walsh gave Manasquan the lead in that game with a grand slam in the top of the sixth inning to break a 6-6 tie and give Manasquan a 10-6 lead.

Walsh and Stewart are just two of the many Warriors off to fast starts and will be part of the balanced attack that Van Pelt is hoping to run out for the rest of the year. Senior outfielder Steve Lange and his brother and junior catcher Kevin Lange are both returning starters and have three hits a piece over the first two games, including a home run by Steve Lange.

Senior center fielder Josh Aromando returns as the starting center fielder and lead-off hitter and he helped spark the offense in the win over Point Boro by going 2-for-4 with the game-tying RBI on a single in the sixth inning before Walsh went deep for the go-ahead grand slam.

"I kind of threw Josh into the fire two years ago when (former standout basketball player) Matt Vadas decided not to play in order to focus on basketball," Van Pelt said. "Then last year was just one of those years where he got off to kind of a slow start and it just snowballed on him, but he's a better hitter than the .207 or whatever he hit last year. Plus, he is one of the best defensive center fielders in the Shore. I haven't seen many guys who cover as much ground out there."

The lineup has also benefited from some surprise efforts, most notably senior Tim Barry, who hit a pinch-hit, three-run home run in his first varsity at-bat to tack on three runs in the win over Lakewood.

Senior pitcher Billy Acciavatti struck out seven of the eight batters his faced against Lakewood to earn a win against Lakewood. The Warriors will look to Acciavatti, along with Walsh, senior Jack Capotorto and sophomore Tommy Toole to lead the pitching staff. Only Walsh returns with significant varsity experience on the mound, so the newcomers could hold the key to Manasquan's season.

"Everybody talks about the hitting we lost, but we're replacing (former ace) Alex Branch," Van Pelt said. "He was by far our most consistent pitcher the last two years. We don't have that proven guy, but Jimmy Walsh has some experience and we have some guys who can throw strikes."

The Warriors play in a Shore Conference Class C Central division that features two of the Shore Conference's top projected teams in Wall and Jackson Liberty, as well as a Point Boro squad that will be a handful once senior pitcher John Dunbar is healthy.

"Wall and Jackson Liberty are two of the top teams in the Shore, but I'll tell you, if there's one pitcher I don't want to see in this division, it's Dunbar," Van Pelt said. "With him out there, Point Boro is really tough to beat."

Although the division schedule will be challenging, especially without Saito in the middle of the lineup, Van Pelt likes the depth of the program and is excited to help sophomores like Toole and Jack Fay, as well as junior Justin Morgan, develop.

"There are a couple guys from this sophomore class that have a chance to make an impact this year," Van Pelt said. "Tommy Toole is a kid who looks like he's going to be a really good player for us. He's got the same kind of ability of a (former shortstop and current Temple University freshman) Nick Lustrino.

"I knew when I took the job that there was talent coming into the program and this year, we're hoping some of those guys start to establish themselves. Maybe they're not playing huge roles yet, but they start maturing as players, get some at-bats, some innings."