CYANMAGENTAYELLOWBLACK

The Daily Journal www.thedailyjournal.com/sports SPORTS Friday, April 24, 2009 – C5

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STANDINGS* Al Etter Sacred Heart CF

Question: How did you like Cocoa

Q A
CAPE-ATLANTIC LEAGUE
American Conference I
a
Div. Conf. Overall Beach, Fla., where your team played n
Millville 3-0 4-0 7-0 a tournament last week? d
Egg Harbor Twp 1-1 1-1 2-1
Vineland 1-3 2-3 2-3 Answer: I loved it. It’s a great time, not
Absegami 1-2 1-5 1-5 only with the guys, but you get to play a
Atlantic City 0-2 0-3 1-3
American Conference II lot of good baseball. The weather, I
Div. Conf. Overall can’t say enough about the weather. I’m
Hammonton 2-0 3-0 3-0
Oakcrest 1-0 3-0 3-0 used to waking up here, 40-something
Mainland 0-1 2-1 2-2 degrees, putting on the Under Armour.
St. Augustine 0-1 1-1 2-3
Ocean City 0-1 0-2 0-2 Down there, you just throw on shorts
National Conference I and practice.
Div. Conf. Overall
Buena 2-0 5-0 8-3 Q: Did you get a chance to do any-
Middle Twp 1-0 3-1 3-1 thing other than play baseball? Etter
Holy Spirit 2-1 7-1 8-1
Lower Cape May 0-1 0-2 0-2 A: We got some time to ourselves,
Bridgeton 0-3 0-4 1-5 mainly at night. We had to be up pretty early, so we had
National Conference II
Div. Conf. Overall to be in by 11 every night. There were go-karts, a lot of
Sacred Heart 2-0 3-1 9-2 live music down on the pier, so there were some other
St. Joseph 0-1 1-3 3-4
Wildwood Catholic 0-0 1-2 1-2 things to do.
Cape May Tech 0-1 0-6 0-7 Q: What was the coolest thing you saw there?
TRI-COUNTY CONFERENCE
Classic Division A: Baseball-wise, the coolest thing was Juan’s 400-
Div. Overall plus-foot home run off this revolving scoreboard. Juan
Pitman 8-0 8-2
Gloucester City 3-1 4-4 hit a ball to left-center field about 30 feet up, off this
Clayton 3-2 5-4 scoreboard that spins around with the wind. I don’t know
Schalick 2-4 2-6
Salem 1-4 2-5 why it does that, but Juan hit it.
Wildwood 0-6 3-7 Q: Does warm weather really help a hitter?
Diamond Division
Div. Overall A: I’ve found it to be true for me. I don’t know why. I
Gloucester Catholic 4-0 7-2 guess you feel more comfortable, more loose. You don’t
Penns Grove 2-1 4-2
Pennsville 1-1 3-3 get jammed like you do in the cold.
GCIT 1-2 2-6
Staff photo/Cody Glenn Q: What are your thoughts on the Lions’ new caps,
Glassboro 1-3 4-3
Woodstown 0-2 2-2 Millville’s Efren Fernandez takes a big rip during the Thunderbolts’ victory over Buena Regional in the Grand Slam Classic. Use of which have a “1” on the back to commemorate Josh
Royal Division the long ball is one reason why the Thunderbolts are still undefeated on the year. Moren?
Div. Overall
Cumberland 3-0 5-0 A: I love the hats. They’re a great thing to do. I was talk-
Highland 2-0 4-1 ing in the offseason about getting patches on the jer-

Momentum shifter
Deptford 2-1 4-1
Williamstown 2-1 3-1 seys, but the hats are just as good. You don’t wear your
Kingsway 1-4 2-6 uniform in public, but you wear your hat around, so peo-
Clearview 0-1 3-1
Delsea 0-3 1-4 ple know what’s up.
OLYMPIC CONFERENCE Q: What’s the hardest part of playing centerfield?
American Division
Div. Overall A: Getting stuff in the gaps. You’re responsible for every-
thing that goes on out there. It’s not really difficult, but
Cherokee
Washington Twp
Lenape
1-0
1-1
1-1
3-2
6-3
5-2
Long ball leadoff hitters. Miles
leads the area with six it’s one of the more difficult things out there.
Cherry Hill East 0-0 3-0
sometimes is Ben home runs; Trout is a close — Ben Watanabe
Eastern 0-1 6-2 second with four dingers.
Patriot Division Watanabe In games in which
Shawnee
Winslow Twp
Div.
3-0
1-0
Overall
6-2
6-3
more than just Miles or Trout homers,
their teams are a com-
Hot start
Cherry Hill West
Triton
Pennsauken
0-1
0-1
0-2
2-4
0-2
2-5
another hit Absegami on April 9 had
in sparking the Fighting
bined 8-0.
Then again, Trout is a
National Division incere apologies to all Clan to a near-comeback Division I college player
Seneca
Timber Creek
Bishop Eustace
Paul VI
Div.
2-0
1-0
0-0
0-1
Overall
3-1
3-5
6-0
0-2
S hitting coaches for
the following article,
which will surely do
from a 4-0 deficit.
Rodriguez hit a simi-
larly huge home run last
and professional prospect.
Miles would be a D-I base-
ball player, too, if he
weren’t already signed to
Camden Catholic 0-2 1-4 excruciating damage to season, when he pulled a
COLONIAL CONFERENCE swings everywhere, fastball by Millville’s play football at Villanova
Conf. Overall requiring weeks of extra Mike Trout into the park- University. Rodriguez,
Haddonfield 5-0 6-0
time in the batting cage to ing lot at VHS North, with two home runs, pos-
Sterling 5-1 5-1
Haddon Twp 3-0 5-1 cut down on the uppercut inspiring his team to a 2-1 sesses some of the best raw
Haddon Heights 3-1 5-1 hacks that will result victory. power in the area.
Gateway 2-1 4-1 from players reading this. Can a home run be In other words, these
Audubon 2-1 3-2 are big shots hitting the,
Paulsboro 1-2 1-4 This has to do with the more than just another
West Deptford 1-3 2-3 home run. hit? uh, big shots for their
Overbrook 1-3 1-6 That’s right, kids. All “Yes, I believe it can,” teams.
Lindenwold 1-5 2-5 Most other members of
Collingswood 0-3 0-5 that stuff your coaches Rodriguez said. “A hit like
Woodbury 0-4 0-5 tell you about shortening that, it gets the whole the bat-swinging world
BURLINGTON COUNTY CONFERENCE up, a double being just as team fired up. Before that will be better served lis-
Liberty Division tening to their hitting
Div. Overall good as a home run, etc.? (home run against the
Rancocas Valley 2-0 5-1 Forget it. Sometimes, a Braves), I could tell we instructors. Shorten up, go
Northern Burlington 1-0 2-3 home run can leave a were kind of down. The with the pitch, and get on
Westampton Tech 0-0 2-1
much greater impact than younger players look to base.
Moorestown 0-1 2-1
Willingboro 0-1 1-2 the number of runs it puts me, and after that hit, I The big guy is on deck,
Pemberton 0-1 1-4 on the scoreboard. could tell we were ready to waiting to put one out.
Patriot Division
Div. Overall
Vineland slugger Joel come to play.”
Cinnaminson 4-0 6-3 Rodriguez has a natural Nobody illustrates the Ben Watanabe covers
Burlington Twp 1-0 2-3 swagger. Still, he wasn’t emotional force of a home high school baseball for
Holy Cross 2-2 4-3 just being cocky when he
Bordentown 1-2 4-2 run more than Trout and The Daily Journal. Contact Staff photo/Cody Glenn
Delran 1-2 4-2 acknowledged the role his Buena senior Ken Miles, him at (856) 563-5259 or Buena Regional senior outfielder Ken Miles strokes a line
Medford Tech 0-3 0-6 two-run home run against both centerfielders and bwatanabe@thedailyjournal.com.
drive during the Chiefs loss to Millville in the Grand Slam Classic.
Freedom Division
Div. Overall Miles leads the area with six home runs in 11 games.
Maple Shade 3-0 3-2
Florence 3-1 3-1
New Egypt 2-1 2-3
Riverside 1-3 2-6 PLAYER TO WATCH The Daily Journal player poll
Burlington City 0-0 0-1 THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:
Palmyra 0-2 0-3
Trenton Catholic 0-2 0-3 Chris Branigan If you had only one
*Records through Wednesday.
BISHOP EUSTACE “tool,” which one
The Daily Journal’s Two trends to watch: 1) Millville has a chance Trout, who has fewer at-bats than Miles, will get Senior would you want?*
to run the table against Cape-Atlantic League his, but for now it’s worth recognizing Miles, who Arm Glove, 4 votes
SJ Mean 15
1B
American Conference competition. The Bolts has a .400 batting average, six home runs, four strength Hit for power,
are deep, and the CAL is down overall, so this doubles and 18 runs batted in. … You knew he 5 votes 3 votes
1. Bishop Eustace (6-0) isn’t out of the realm of possibility. Right now it’s would break out eventually. After going 0-for-4
2. Millville (7-0) only a murmur among informed spectators, but with two strikeouts in his first two games, Sacred
3. Gloucester Catholic (7-2) with every conference win, the talk is bound to Heart catcher Juan Velazquez is batting .484
4. Cherokee (3-2) get louder. The Bolts have the right mindset, with and driven in 19 runs. He hit two home runs dur- Hit for
a one-inning, one-batter, one-game-at-a-time ing the Lions’ stay in Florida. … With a 2-6 Speed
5. Buena Regional (8-3) One of four left-handed hitters 7 votes average
6. Cherry Hill East (3-0) mentality that comes from their seniors. 2) record, Schaick would surely be in better shape if 16 votes
Sacred Heart could be one rainout away from Pitman hadn’t thrown stud Rob Cressman in the Crusaders’ everyday
7. Cumberland Reg. (5-0) lineup, the 6-foot-3, 210-
8. Washington Twp. (6-3) failing to qualify for the state tournament. against them twice. … Setting up double-elimi-
pound power hitter is one of
NJSIAA rules require teams to have played 70 nation tournaments for early April is dumb, *Based on responses from
9. Shawnee (7-2) the most physically impressive
percent of their games against New Jersey dumb, dumb. Millville and either Gloucester players in South Jersey. He
45 local baseball players
10. Williamstown (3-1) schools at the May 8 cutoff date. Sacred Heart Catholic or Bishop Eustace won’t completely Staff graphic/Joe Moore
11. Haddonfield (6-0) connected for his first home
(9-2), which played six out-of-state teams in wrap up the Grand Slam Classic until mid-May run of the season last week in a
12. Haddon Twp. (5-1) Cocoa Beach, is on pace to play 14 of its 20 due to repeated washouts. The tournament was win over Audubon.
13. Deptford (4-2)
14. Holy Spirit (8-1)
games before the cutoff against New Jersey supposed to be over two weeks ago. Keep the Upcoming games: thedailyjournal
teams. That puts the Lions exactly at the 70 per- April tournaments to as few games and as few
15. Clearview (3-1) cent threshold. One postponement would put teams as possible to maintain flexibility in the
Saturday in Tom Heinkel
Tournament, 10 a.m.
WEB EXTRA .com
Under consideration: Pitman (8-2) ; them in dire straits. … The best centerfielder in event of long stretches of inclement weather. Sunday vs. Millville, 2 p.m.* ● Check out high school
Penns Grove (5-2) ; Lenape (5-3) ;
Gateway (4-1) ; Sacred Heart (9-2)
the area (and probably South Jersey) so far is — Ben Watanabe Tuesday at Camden Catholic, baseball photo galleries
*Rankings are set by Ben Watanabe Buena’s Ken Miles. Certainly Millville’s Mike 3:45 p.m. all season long at our
and based on records reported to area *With Eustace win over Glou. Web site.
newspapers through Wednesday. BLOGS.THEDAILYJOURNAL.COM/INTHEDIRT Catholic on Saturday