Staff Report
To think, current Mainland Regional High senior catcher Brady Arena would often get DH’d for when he was a sophomore. He had just two at-bats that season — going 1-for-2 with a run scored in an early season blowout win.
As a junior, Arena got a lot more time in the batter’s box, and did OK, hitting .246 with 14 runs scored, 13 RBIs and 17 walks.
But as a senior, under new head coach Joe Smith, Arena really blossomed. Part of his success can be attributed to just getting older and stronger, filling out a little bit and gaining strength, but there was also a huge element of hard work and dedication to make the kind of leap he did offensively from his junior year to his senior season.
Arena became a key cog in a Mainland offense that started slowly but came on strong later in the season and went on to win the prestigious Joe Hartmann Diamond Classic — basically the South Jersey championship. Arena had a career-high 81 at-bats this season and put up career-best numbers in nearly every offensive category. He hit .321 with 26 hits and 18 RBIs, adding a home run, four doubles and 18 walks.
“Brady is a quiet leader who works very hard,” said Smith, who has more than 200 career wins at Williamstown, Delsea and Mainland. “He played through injuries, and he’s the type of player every coach would love to have.”
Arena finished his career with a .293 batting average that included 41 hits, 35 RBIs, 23 runs scored, 35 walks and five stolen bases. Not bad for a kid who stepped to the plate in just one game as a sophomore.
— Dave O’Sullivan, Staff Writer
