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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Hun Baseball Hopes Batting Punch, Heart Will Carry It Through Post-Season Grind
By Bill Alden
Last spring, the Hun School baseball team's bid for a state prep A title ended in disappointment as the Raiders blew a four-run lead in falling to St. Benedict's in the state semis.
That game was on the Hun squad's mind last Wednesday as it hosted the Gray Bees in a regular season contest.
This time around, the Raiders didn't give St. Benedict's any room to breathe. In the bottom of the first inning, Hun jumped out to a 5-0 lead as Gene Pavitt drilled a two-run triple and Shane Davis, Sean Munley, and Wellington Talkpa each added RBIs.
Hun built its cushion to 12-0 after three innings and with Raider pitching ace Steve Garrison in top form, the Gray Bees had no chance. The lopsided contest ended after five innings due to the 10-run mercy rule as Hun prevailed 12-1.
In reflecting on the win, Pavitt acknowledged that he and his teammates hadn't forgotten last year's playoff game with St. Benedict's.
"We knew what we had to do because last year they came from behind late in the game," said senior star Pavitt. "We knew we had to jump on them early in the game. We talked about it yesterday."
Hun believes it has the offensive punch to bury just about anybody it faces. "We've been hitting all year," said Pavitt, who will continue his baseball career at the University of Connecticut. "There has been a game here or there where we weren't hitting but we're generally on everyday. This is the most powerful team we've had since I've been here."
Longtime Hun coach Bill McQuade said his club had learned a lesson from last year's loss to St. Benedict's. "It was our second game on a very hot day," said McQuade, referring to the game last spring and noting that his team had faced Steinert in the Mercer County Tournament earlier that day.
"They played well and we didn't play as well. The same scenario is coming up. We are getting ready for the MCT, the state Prep A and the MAPL (Mid-Atlantic Prep League). We don't have enough pitching for all of that so we have to figure out where we are headed."
McQuade views Pavitt, who pitches in addition to playing first base and the outfield, as a pivotal figure in Hun's late-season push.
"From his freshman year to this year, it's been a wonderful transformation," said McQuade, referring to the powerful left-hander Pavitt.
"His whole physique is different from when he was a freshman. He was one of the slowest kids then and now he's one of the fastest. That's a product of hard work. On the mound, we've asked him to really step up. He gets out of control when he tries to overthrow. He just needs to throw like he's playing catch."
Even if Hun may be stretched thin on the mound, McQuade thinks his hitters can carry the team in a pinch.
"We can hit the ball; hitting is contagious," declared McQuade. "We have guys with gap power and guys with home run power. We have big strong kids like Pavitt, Grieco, and Scanlon who can hit homers. We have guys like Garrison and Welly who hit line drives but with power."
In McQuade's view, his team's chance to come up with some trophies comes down to their persistence as much as their talent.
"We talk about heart everyday," said McQuade, whose club improved to 10-4 after beating Princeton Day School 5-0 last Monday. "It's so hard with high school kids; they have so much going on with their school work and other things. We jam a lot of games into a short time. It's hard for them to get up for every game. Every practice, every game, we talk about the next game and what we expect."
With a team featuring a core of seniors who won the state Prep A title as freshmen, McQuade is expecting that daily focus.
"The heart and soul of this team has been with us four years and they know what it's like," said McQuade, whose team plays at Hillsborough on May 4 before starting play in the MCT this weekend and in the state Prep A tourney on May 9.
"The senior leaders are going to bring it to the field everyday. Hopefully the young kids will say to themselves if the seniors are working hard, I better work hard too."
Pavitt, for one, is committed to enjoying as much success as possible in his final spring at Hun.
"Mercer, MAPL, Prep A, we want everything," asserted Pavitt with a grin. "We definitely have the hitting. The pitching is the question. If they just throw strikes, we should be competitive with anybody. We really want to win."
