JORDYN RULES: Hun School baseball player Jordyn Smith follows through on a swing last year. Senior first baseman Smith should provide punch for Hun this spring in the middle of the batting order. The Raiders start 2016 action this week by playing at the Lawrenceville School on March 31, hosting the Perkiomen School (Pa.) on April 1, and playing at Blair Academy on April 2. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

As Bill McQuade presides over his 46th and final campaign as the head coach of the Hun School baseball team, he doesn’t have to micromanage things.

“I am really fortunate to have Tommy Monfiletto, Steve Garrison, and Pat Jones as assistant coaches,” said McQuade, a longtime math teacher and former head of the Hun Upper School who recently announced that he would be retiring at the end of the 2015-16 school year.

“I talk before and after practice and bring the kids over individually and talk to them. The nice thing is to see how those other three guys are there for the entire program. They have all been a part of Hun for a long time and the kids naturally look up to them because they are much closer to them in age. Stevie pitched for the Yankees so when these guys talk, the players’ eyes get big.

Coming off a 14-8 season in 2015 which saw Hun make the state Prep A finals, the Raiders have a big void to fill with the graduation of star pitcher Jason Applegate, who won nine games last spring and is now playing at Villanova.

“Hun and I have been so fortunate to have a string of pitchers like Garrison, [Mike] Russo, and Applegate; it has been runs of three or four years with different players that don’t necessarily overlap,” said McQuade, whose team gets regular season play underway by playing at the Lawrenceville School on March 31, hosting the Perkiomen School (Pa.) on April 1, and playing at Blair Academy on April 2. “There is no Applegate to give the ball to this year.”

McQuade is looking for the trio of senior James Werosta, senior Robby Huselid, and junior Mike Pedota to anchor the mound staff.

“The kid who is probably going to be the No 1 for us is James Werosta; he came back and he is just a grinder,” said McQuade, noting that senior lefty hurler George Revock is currently dealing with some arm problems and could be back later in the spring.

“Huselid is probably No. 2; he is a 6’5, 6’6 right-hander starting to get some confidence in himself. We have tinkered with his delivery to get him to change; he will do anything we ask him to do and we have said just be you. He has got to be one of the guys who steps up and does the job for us. Mike Pedota is a junior coming up from the JV team, he is a right-hander with good stuff, but not overpowering. He has good control, knows how to pitch so we have got to get innings from him.”

Supplementing those three, McQuade has a number of arms at his disposal.

“We have a boatload of other guys, it will be pitching by committee,” said McQuade, pointing to senior E.J. Locascio,  senior Alex Mumme, junior Matt Moore, and junior Ryan Strype as possible mound options.

The batting attack will be paced by Moore, junior Blake Brown, senior Jordyn Smith, Mumme, Werosta, Revock, and freshman McGuire Tuffy.

“Moore is a tall righty, bats lefty and just sprays the ball all over the field as a hitter,” said McQuade.

“Blake bats from the left side, he has got speed. I love him, I am trying to find a spot in the lineup for him where he can get consistent reps the whole time; the kid is just a gamer. Mumme is hitting really well, he has been terrific. His bat has been sure. We have Jordy Smith back. Revock is locked into a DH role, he has got to do some rehab on his arm. Werosta is much stronger than he was last year, his bat is really quick and he has looked good. McGuire Tuffy is a freshman second baseman but he doesn’t look like a freshman, he doesn’t act like a freshman, and doesn’t play like a freshman. He hits the ball, he bats from the left hand side, throws righty. He knows the game inside in and inside out, his swing is really nice to watch.”

McQuade likes what he is seeing from his team defensively around the infield with Strype at catcher, Smith at first base, Tuffy at second, Pedota at shortstop, Werosta at third, and Brown seeing time at short and third. The outfield will feature Moore, Mumme, and postgraduate Luke Apuzzi, who has shown the ability to make some dazzling plays.

“If our pitchers throw strikes and get ahead in the count, I think our defense is going to be pretty good,” said McQuade.

While the Raiders possess the hitting prowess to outscore foes, they will need to show consistency on the mound and in the field to enjoy a very good season.

“I think we can score runs; it has got to come down to the mound, we can’t walk people and we have to make the routine plays because we can’t give extra outs,” maintained McQuade.

“For us to win, we can’t give away base runners. We just can’t do that and expect everyone to make the play because someone is going to get hits. It is not like you have Garrison, Russo, or Applegate to strike out one and a half an inning. If you get a guy on third base with one out, you can strike out the next batter and get the next one. With the other guys that put the ball into play, it is going to force us to bring the infield in and then bigger innings happen. It is going to be fun to see.”