By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Publisher A lot has been said and written during this high school baseball season about the quality of pitching throughout the Cape-Atlantic League, and rightfully so. Guys such as Matt Ardente of Absegami, Sean Mooney and Zach Altieri of Ocean City, Mainland Regional’s Kyle Gerace and Nick Droboniku, Mike Vasturia and Billy Chillari at St. Augustine Prep, Buena Regional’s Denny Brady — they all have had fantastic seasons, and careers. There are many reasons for their success. Talent, hard work, great coaching, the opportunity to play in high-level summer leagues. Perhaps one of the biggest reasons has gone largely unnoticed — a crop of outstanding, smart, athletic and experienced catchers the league has to offer. It takes a different kind of mindset to be a catcher. Every inning you have to strap on then take off the equipment, you’re body gets beat up with balls in the dirt, foul tips, flying bats. It’s not a position that many players gravitate toward. It’s much easier to go play left field, or second base, or any of the other eight positions on the field. So when a team gets a high quality athlete it can plug in behind the plate as a sophomore or junior — and a guy who can not only be productive as a receiver and thrower but also as a hitter — it’s quite a luxury. 
Mainland senior catcher Jack Loefflad was first-team all-CAL this season, and was one of several catchers who were relied on by their respective teams to also be a top offensive player. (Glory Days Magazine photos/Dave O’Sullivan) If you take a look at the top teams in the CAL American — Mainland, Ocean City, St. Augustine, Absegami and Egg Harbor Township — they all have one thing in common, great catching. Jack Loefflad was in his first year as the starting catcher this season at Mainland, but he has been catching his whole life. Last year, with Billy Talarico behind the dish, coach Billy Kern had the luxury of using Loefflad as an infielder, outfielder and relief pitcher. And that just shows you how good of an athlete some of these guys are. “I think you are seeing a little more that it takes a little more of an athlete to be a catcher. Back in the day, the catcher wasn’t the greatest athlete on the field, but the catchers we are talking about now are all good athletes,” said EHT coach Bryan Carmichael. “I think (Steve) Hewa is going to have a great career at Rowan, I really like him a lot. I haven’t seen enough of West but I know he’s a nice player.” Absegami’s Steve Hewa, Ocean City’s Jeremy West, EHT’s Mike Lahoud, these are guys who have several years of varsity experience under their belt and are outstanding players, so it’s no surprise their teams competed for league and sectional titles on a yearly basis. And even teams that are rebuilding, such as Atlantic City, Oakcrest and Holy Spirit, have quality catchers like Andy Nunez, Troy Manno and Matt Marczyk, respectively. “We’ve been fortunate enough since we took over, Sean (Coyle) and I, that we’ve had good catching. I think it starts there defensively. You have to be strong up the middle and it starts with catcher, and obviously shortstop, second base and center field. The catcher is the foundation of your defense. It’s something we don’t have to worry about,” Carmichael said. “(Lahoud) is a good thrower so he keeps the running game in check. We’re really happy with Mike, he’s been a three-year starter for us and I can’t stress the importance of the catching position enough. You get a walk or a base hit, and the next thing you know it turns into a double if you don’t have a guy behind the plate who is solid.” 
Senior Steve Hewa of Absegami was one of the top catchers in South Jersey this year, and plans to continue his career at Rowan University this fall. “Having a catcher who is thinking and not only has a good arm, but can also help your pitcher out by blocking that 0-2 pitch in the dirt, having a guy who is solid back there not only solidifies your infield but it solidifies your pitching staff,” said Atlantic City coach Brent Bean. “Catchers don’t get that much credit. It’s like being an offensive lineman. The pitchers get all the headlines with the strikeouts and everything else, but the catchers really are the glue. The guys around the CAL, such as Loefflad, Hewa and my guy as well, they do a great job of receiving the ball, blocking the ball and helping the defense out as well by letting them know what coverages are going to be run, maybe a pick-off play here and there. Everything comes from the catcher and he holds everything in place. I’m surprised we haven’t had more people writing about our local catchers.” What also stands out about these players is their ability to take the punishment of catching and still be productive offensive players. Lahoud, West, Loefflad, Nunez, Marczyk, Manno, Hewa, these are all guys who are middle-of-the-order bats for good teams. “That goes to show you all the hard work these guys put in. These guys are squatting for seven innings if not more in certain games, then they are up there at the plate trying to do a job to help their team,” Bean said. “They are trying to maintain the pitching staff, making sure they are blocking balls, making sure they are getting quality at-bats when they are hitting — that’s a lot to ask of a kid compared to maybe a first baseman. Catching is a big part of every high school baseball team.” Bean’s Vikings were under .500 this year, but he’s excited about the future of his young team, particularly the continued development of Nunez, who is just a junior. Bean said he hopes Nunez can develop to become like some of the senior standouts the league has this year. “Nunez is a two-year starter who is a junior. To be able to watch him develop from his sophomore year to this year, not only his arm strength but the way he is receiving the baseball and the way he is moving left-to-right, and the way he is able to control his pitchers. He knows when to go out there and talk to them and he knows when to back off, and you only get that with the day-to-day experience,” Bean said. “With my guy it’s been wonderful to watch him from his sophomore year to his junior year, and I can’t wait to watch him in his senior year and his development. I’ve been lucky to watch guys like Hewa from Absegami and Lahoud from EHT over the years, and I’m hoping Andy can be just as good as Lahoud and Hewa when he is a senior. I think that’s a compliment not only to their head coaches, but to them as players.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays [adsense]
Catchers do dirty work that goes unnoticed, and Cape-Atlantic League had some great ones this season
