GETTING IN THE SWING: Princeton Day School baseball player Ryan Vandal takes a swing in a game last spring. Senior Vandal figures to help PDS on the mound and with his bat in his final campaign. The Panthers, who fell 13-0 to Middlesex High last Monday in their season opener and first game under new head coach Eric Schnepf, play at Manville High on April 6, at New Hope Solebury High on April 10, and at Montclair Kimberley on April 11. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

As Eric Schnepf takes the helm of the Princeton Day School baseball program, he is espousing a philosophy that goes well beyond the diamond.

“We put a huge emphasis on controlling what we can control,” said Schnepf, who starred at Bridgewater-Raritan and then went on to play at Tufts University and served as an assistant coach for the Somerville High baseball program last year in his first taste of high school coaching.

“In sports, baseball, and life, you need to focus on the things you can control and master. We place a huge emphasis on competitiveness and the ability to overcome adversity. That is built on a standard of attitude, energy, and effort.”

Schnepf has been seeing those qualities from his players as they have prepared for the season.

“The preseason went well, I told the kids that we were going to challenge them physically, mentally, and emotionally,” said Schnepf, who is taking over a squad that went 3-16 in 2022. “We want to push them to find that level of competitiveness within them and to also gauge how they are able to overcome adversity so we created some adversity. It is a grueling high school season. It is a fine line of getting to know the kids, building relationships with them, so when we are pushing them that hard they know it is coming from a place of care and respect.”

While PDS had a hard day in its season opener, falling 13-0 to Middlesex High last Monday, Schnepf liked the squad’s approach coming into the contest.

“I think there is a good buzz,” said Schnepf. “You have been going through your lifting programs in the fall and the winter and the preseason. Everything leads up to opening day. The guys are excited, the coaches are excited. We are just happy to go out there and compete and let it all hang out.”

Schnepf is looking for senior Ryan Vandal and sophomore Dylan Powers to provide some good work on the mound.

“Ryan will see some time pitching and Dylan will see some time and then we also have some new guys who will see some time,” said Schnepf. “The goal is to piece it together however we can. The guys on the mound need to throw strikes and want to compete and let the chips fall where they may. Some weeks we are playing two games, some weeks we are playing four games. It is a big mix and match. There is competition within the team to see what the rotation is going to be and who is going to be the most reliable going forward.”

Vandal, who batted .293 last season, will be depended on to get the Panther offense going.

“I think the goal with Ryan is for him to just be Ryan Vandal — he has had the success here and he knows what it takes,” said Schnepf. “We don’t need anything more or anything less. It is go out and play your game, play hard, compete, and put out an example for the younger guys. He will be in the top of the order — we want him to get on base and get as many at bats as possible.”

PDS has some other guys who can have some success with the bat.

“We will piece stuff together; we have a pretty big field, you are not going to see long balls all the time so it is, ‘How can we get our next 90 feet?’” said Schnepf. “Sophomore Luke Haan has been swinging a really good bat in the preseason. Senior first baseman Bram Silva has been swinging a good bat. Dylan Powers and Gaines Newsome, a freshman, have also been swinging a good bat. It is a young middle of the order, which is good and bad. It helps us to mold our footprint and our strategy, but it is also teaching a lot of the kids who just haven’t played at this level before what it takes to be successful.”

Around the diamond, the Panthers should be solid defensively with a mix of veterans and promising young players.

“Catcher is probably going to be Luke Haan, he had some time there last year and he has become a real leader off the group,” said Schnepf. “He has improved his game, he has gotten bigger, stronger, and faster so we really like what we are seeing from him behind the dish. We are going to have Bram Silva at first. Grayson McLaughlin, a freshman, will be manning second. Vandal will be anchoring the defense at short. It looks like Newsome will be starting at third. In the outfield, it is Sam Cohen,
a junior, in left, Hutch Henderson, a junior, in center, and Penn Von Zelowitz, a sophomore, in right.”

While there may be some bumps in the road, Schnepf believes that everybody will get on the same page.

“It is getting the guys comfortable with the new style and the approach we are going to take, which might differ from what they have done before,” said Schnepf, whose team plays at Manville High on April 6, at New Hope Solebury High on April 10, and at Montclair Kimberley on April 11. “The biggest thing is that we have a ton of new guys and it is getting them to realize that when the game and the opposition tries to speed you up, it is a huge advantage if you can just take a deep breath and slow the game down. As we got going, there were a lot of wide eyes that are starting to get comfortable with the game. It is a big adjustment period. It is making sure that the guys know we are here to compete and to win.”

Schnepf, for his part, is already feeling a comfort level with his players.

“It has been exciting; you get to know the guys, that is what has been really important for me,” said Schnepf. “One of the biggest reasons I coach is getting to know the kids who have the same love and passion as you and who love to compete. We love baseball, the staff we have loves baseball, the kids love baseball. We love to compete, so getting out there and shaking off the cobwebs from the fall and winter is great.”