(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption: WINGMAN: Hun School senior star Sean Pucciarelli wings the ball across the diamond in a game earlier this season. Pucciarelli's versatility which has seen play in both the infield and outfield as well as pitch has helped the Raiders to a 17-4 record.

Baxter Causing Headaches for Opponents as Hun Baseball Rolls Into Prep A Tourney

Bill Alden

Andrew Baxter suffered a setback in his final spring with the Hun School baseball team as he was conked on the head at a practice by a throw from star pitcher Mike Russo.

The gritty shortstop suffered a concussion as a result, sidelining him for three games in early season action.

Since returning to the lineup, Baxter has been causing headaches for Hun's foes as he been a sparkplug for the Raiders' powerful offense and has logged some key innings on the mound.

Last Thursday, Baxter was at his pesky best, banging out two hits as Hun routed crosstown rival Princeton Day School 10-1 in the quarterfinals of the Mercer County Tournament.

Baxter acknowledged that Hun hit the field at Mercer County Community College with a little extra incentive, having fallen 8-6 to PDS in regular season play.

"We were looking for revenge," said Baxter. "We wanted it bad; we felt we should not have lost the first time when we played them."

With Hun coming into the game averaging 19 runs a game over its last five contests, the Raiders were confident they could turn the tables on PDS.

"We've been playing as a team and hitting the ball," said Baxter, who contributed two hits last Saturday as Hun fell 9-5 to nationally ranked Steinert in the MCT semis. "Coach always says hitting is contagious and that's what we are doing. One person gets a hit and the next person follows through."

Baxter wasn't himself for a while after he took the hit in the head from Russo earlier this spring. "We were throwing on the line before practice and I was walking toward the dugout," recalled Baxter.

"Mike was in centerfield and he overthrew that ball and it me in the head. I wasn't wearing a helmet and I got a concussion. It was good that it was in the beginning of the season but it did set me back."

Hun head coach Bill McQuade likes the way Baxter has kept his head at the plate and on the mound. "Andy is getting back; he has sneaky power," said McQuade.

"Once David Putman went down and couldn't pitch, Baxter and [Sean] Pucciarelli have enabled us to be where we are. Somebody had to step up and these guys have been incredible. They change speeds; they are going to get hit around and if we catch the ball great. They have battled."

McQuade is confident his team has the offensive firepower to win most battles. "This is the best hitting team I've had from one through six and maybe seven," said McQuade, who is in his 37th year guiding the Raiders.

"This is the first group who has embraced the idea of working counts; they are hitting their pitch when it is there. We've been on a roll. Mel [Williams] starts it. Shane [Davis], Russo, and [Sean] Munley have been incredible. All three of them are going to break some kind of team record this year; hits, RBIs, or runs.''

In the win over PDS, Hun used bunt plays, rather than the long ball, to break open the game. "We had to scrap today," said McQuade, noting that he was going with such younger players against PDS like Brendan Dudeck and Anthony Freda since postgraduates aren't eligible in MCT play.

"We knew we had to play good fundamental baseball. We wanted to get a run here or there. It really shows the value of what small ball can do against a good ballclub. People want to hit home runs and the bunting game is lost. If you watched today's game, you see what happens when you execute that part of the game."

With a line-up stocked with veterans, McQuade believes his club will execute as it wraps up its season this week by playing in the Prep A tournament.

"The majority of this team has been with me for three or four years, guys like Munley, Davis, and Baxter," said McQuade, whose team walloped St. Benedict's 16-0 last Monday in its opening game of the double-elimination Prep A tournament to improve to 17-4 and set a program record for most wins in a season.

"They have been saying 'coach we want to win things.' We've been in three tournaments a year before and these guys haven't won any of them. They focused on the MAPL first and they won that. Now we'll focus on the next one. We have a chance for a really special season."

Baxter, for his part, sees the season ending on a high note. "We really want it bad; in the past few seasons we've fallen apart near the end," said Baxter. "We have a lot of good older guys. Everyone contributes from the youngest to the oldest, some way, somehow."

Return to Previous Sports Story | Return to Top | Go to Calendar