Vikings looking to make another run at GMC title
By george albano
Staff Writer

CHRIS KELLY North Brunswick second baseman Anthony Alfonzo, a senior, applies a tag on East Brunswick’s BobManetta as he tries to steal second base during a scrimmage in North Brunswick on Monday.

The 2003 South Brunswick High School baseball team is eager to prove last year wasn’t a fluke.

And with the season opener set for Tuesday at Spotswood, the defending GMC champions certainly have all the motivation they need.

"The players have heard a lot of talk about how last year was a fluke," head coach Leo Danik said this week. "But the guys really want to prove they’re a quality team. They’re very committed to that.

"I guess when you win a championship, people look for weaknesses," the SBHS coach added. "They really want to prove the naysayers wrong."

Danik took over as coach at South Brunswick last year, inheriting a team that went 10-12 the previous year. All he did in his first season was guide the Vikings to a 16-7-1 record and their first GMC championship in school history.

Not that Danik was a stranger to success on the diamond. He spent 10 years as an assistant coach at Edison High School, a perennial GMC Red Division power who won a handful of state titles during his stay there.

He left in 1999 to become the head coach at J.P. Stevens, which he led to three straight state tournaments and where he still teaches environmental science.

But after three seasons there, Danik left to take over at South Brunswick last year.

But the turnaround didn’t happen overnight. In fact, the Vikes got out of the gate slow and were only 4-5-1 midway through the season.

Apparently it just took the players some time to adapt to a new coach and a new system because they would go on to win 11 straight games after that and 12 of their last 14.

Four of those victories came in the GMC tournament where South Brunswick, seeded third among the 28 teams, won the county championship with a 4-2, nine-inning thriller over Piscataway.

Five seniors graduated from that team, including three starters. The biggest loss was Dan Rodriguez, the Vikings’ all-state third baseman/pitcher who batted .383 with a team-high 28 runs scored while going 6-2 on the mound with a 1.39 ERA. He’s now playing at Montclair State University.

Catcher Fred Brown and left fielder Anthony Amato were the other senior starters, while pitcher Jeff Young and third baseman David Gurney will also be missed.

The good news, however, is six starters are back plus a number of other players with varsity experience.

"We have quite a few starters back, and several guys who played a lot," Danik said. "And we have quite a few pitchers back. It’s basically a senior-dominated team, but a lot of guys will also get action who are juniors and seniors. We have quite a few talented kids in each class, not just seniors."

Five of the six regular-position starters back are seniors, led by second baseman Nick Clemente, the Vikings’ leading hitter last year with a .418 average. His 33 hits, nine extra-base hits, and 47 total bases also topped the team, while his 25 runs were second only to Rodriguez.

First baseman Justin Makowski is also back after hitting .329 last season, while junior shortstop Branden Hair, who started as a sophomore, gives South Brunswick three of four infielders back.

The outfield is also experienced with returnees Joe Clemente, Kyle Cleffi and Corey Griffin. Clemente, a center fielder, hit .361 and led the team with six doubles, while Cleffi hit .376 and was second with 32 hits and 42 total bases.

Then there’s catcher Evan Mahoney, who led the team in RBIs with 23 while batting .288.

The Vikings actually have three quality catchers with sophomore Tim Barnshaw, up from JV, and senior Wally Reed joining Mahoney.

"All three of those guys are going to see time," Danik said. "We’re pretty deep in a lot of places, but a lot of guys play a lot of different positions."

That’s true with players such as senior pitcher/third baseman Anthony Clemente, the third of the Clemente triplets, Mike Siecinski, another senior third baseman, and junior outfielder/pitcher Dane Marini.

But no doubt the biggest returnee is senior pitcher Bryan Sock. The ace of last year’s staff, the right-hander went 7-2 with 1.27 ERA and struck out 74 batters in 66 innings.

"He was the ace last year and he’ll get the bulk of the work this year," Danik said of Sock, who along with Rodriguez accounted for 13 of South Brunswick’s 16 wins.

Junior lefty Patrick Keenen, who accounted for two of the other three wins, is also back. Anthony Clemente and Makowski, both right-handers, and Marini, a southpaw, will also pitch.

Danik also has what he calls "a bunch of sophomores" to choose from, including lefty Sean Farrell, righty Travis Smart, and Ryan Webb, who also plays third base and outfield.

"After Bryan at No. 1, it’s everybody else," Danik said of his rotation. "Everybody will get some work. We’ve had several scrimmages already and everybody looks good.

"Last year we had a deep staff and we had guys come in and step up for us. So this year when they’re called upon, they’ll be ready."

And according to Danik, the GMC race will probably come down to pitching.

"There are a lot of good teams and it could come down to whoever’s got the deepest staff will go the furthest. You know you’re going to get that week of rain and then have to play four or five games in a week, so it’s great having a long staff.

"We start with pitching and defense, then hitting. That’s the way we approach it," added Danik, whose team hit .311 last season with a 1.81 ERA. "You can have an off-day where you’re not hitting, but you can’t go bad when you’re pitching and playing defense."

It worked last year, and Danik and the Vikings hope to use that same formula to make another run at the GMC crown.

"We’re looking to take care of our division first and then go from there," Danik said. "We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. We want to win the Red Division first."

And while they’re at it, prove last year wasn’t a fluke.