It is the first day of spring, although a cold wind is howling and Chardon’s baseball players are wearing winter hats instead of ball caps.
But the Hilltoppers have one advantage over many of their rivals, who were indoors on this brisk, very brisk, March afternoon: a field to play on.
Their all-weather football field allows Chardon to take real batting practice on this day, although varsity assistant Dave Toaddy, who is throwing the BP, cannot keep the L-screen from blowing over.
“For the little bit we’ve been outside, it’s been fun,” said junior Jared Erasmus. “It’ll be nice when the weather finally decides to be sunny. It’s just different seeing the ball out here.”
Head coach Brian Long hits fungoes in between at-bats. In his second season, Long, a phys ed teacher, has given Chardon the stability it has lacked the past few seasons.
“This year it’s about competition,” Long said. “Every single position we have two people competing at. That makes it easy in practice and a lot of fun. Every day guys are climbing and dropping on the ladder.”
Long had 11 seniors his first season, making the transition easier. He still keeps in touch with those players regularly.
“I may not have a group like that ever again,” Long said.
That makes the 2014 Hilltoppers unproven, with just Drew Gittens and Erasmus returning as everyday starters.
Gittens, a senior, will be the team’s ace pitcher and will play in the OF on his days off. Erasmus, a junior, will start at third base.
Michael Cardina, a three-sport athlete, will move to the outfield this season, a task he feels up for.
“I have a lof of confidence going into right now,” said Cardina, who will also be the team’s No. 2 starting pitcher. “We all have a lot of spirit right now.”
Senior Joe Connick was catching balls in centerfield. Connick didn’t play last season, a decision he regrets. He is working on his timing in the batting cages and expects to be a factor on the basepaths.
He is also competing for the team’s starting catching position.
“I started out rusty, but I’m getting back into it,” Connick said. “I can’t wait to pay our first game.”
He said his body felt good behind the plate and he was learning the signs every day. “I like the position a lot,” he said.
Junior Dillon Coughlin and senior Mason Mitri are also competing as the backstop. Coughlin brings a strong defensive game, Long said, and Mitri has the experience.
Chardon’s catcher in 2012 was Jake Kirsh, respected across the county as one of the best in Chardon history.
His brother, Ben, a junior, will be one of the team’s top pitchers and play first base. Ben said he and Jake, now a catcher at Notre Dame College, played a lot of baseball growing up.
“We have a lot of young players, and this year will be about experience,” Ben said. “I think we will have a good year, and hopefully we can get pretty far.”
Ben remembers watching his brother and that class of 2012 reach the regional finals before they were knocked off, 5-3, by Massillon-Perry.
“That was just a blast,” said Ben, who was a freshman at the time. “Our goal is to get back.”
A lot of the team’s success will depend on the left arm of Gittens, who established himself on the mound last season.
“For me personally, I command three pitches well,” Gittens said, admitting he had been preparing for baseball since football season ended. “It’s a year-round sport for me.”
Gittens pointed to rivals North and South as the two teams he most hopes to knock off this season in the Premier Athletic Conference.
Erasmus said the team will start with the PAC and move on from there.
“Sectionals, regionals, states,” coach Long interjected before taking to the batting cage himself. Long was a pitcher at Cleveland State, he reminded people before laying down a few bunts and pulling two flyballs foul down the left field line.
Long, a young coach, enjoys a rapport with his players and has added four coaches to the staff, all former Chardon players, to bring the total to eight.
“The nice thing is that people know their roles and duties,” Long said. “Every day the coaches meet for 45 minutes before practice.
There are 17 players on the varsity roster, and Long plans on using his freshman, junior varsity and varsity teams like a professional baseball program, shuffling guys between teams based on need.
Freshman Perry Bewley will start at shortstop, a tall order on a program of Chardon’s size. But Bewley has played travel baseball since he was 11 and says the varsity level isn’t as intimidating as he might have thought.
“It doesn’t matter how old you are,” Bewley said. “It’s all very cool. I like it.”
Austin Burkholder, Joe Dunay, Chase Friebertshauser, Zach Gaspar, Dakota Hill, Danny Komertz, Nick Mysyk, Dan Novotney and Justin Oh are players who will all compete for time, as well.
Keith Patterson, Mike Ferrante, Ty Merkle, Vince Riola, Dan Dinko and Jake Forscyk are assistant coaches with the program. And Don Navatsyk has helped Chardon hitters in the cages.
“Everyone is kind of like a brother,” Erasmus sad of this year’s team. “We get along in the locker room, and once we get on the field we pick each other up, cheer each other on.”
The Hilltoppers will open their season April 2 against Geneva.
For more information on the team and a complete schedule and roster visit bit.ly/ChardonBaseball2014.
For more photos of the practice visit http://smu.gs/1gVrlIv.