SARATOGA SPRINGS — Going through the regular season with just two seniors, the Saratoga Central Catholic varsity baseball team consistently showed they were a force to be reckoned with in 2014.
A 17-4 record, a Western Athletic Conference title and a No. 3 seed in the Section II Class BB tournament highlighted the season that came to an end against Johnstown in the semifinals May 24.
After learning from this year, it’s what lies ahead that has head coach Phonsey Lambert in anticipation. Aside from seniors Michael Naughton and JR Hmura, the Saints will return the rest of their roster. That includes WAC MVP and starting catcher Ryan Czarnecki, as well as the entire pitching rotation and starting infield in 2015.
With 464 wins under his belt, Lambert, a New York State Baseball Hall of Famer, recalled some of this season’s defining moments as well as athletes who he believes have etched themselves in the upper echelon of Spa Catholic athletics.
Heading into the season to where you guys ended up, would you say this season met your expectations?
Oh, yeah. We had a great season. We started at times five sophomores and a freshman. Overall, winning 17 games and losing four, winning our league championship and winning a first round sectional game in Class BB was a successful season for such a young and inexperienced group.
Specifically winning the WAC, what should this young group take away from that?
They should take a lot from it because, more so this year than in previous years, the WAC was very solid. You have [Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville], who made it to the Class D finals. You have Fort Plain, who won 16 games and were the defending league champions. You look at Galway, who was the big surprise this year. They knocked off Fort Plain and were able to get into the sectionals and knock off Greenwich, which nobody expected, and then they knocked off No. 2 seed Whitehall. If you look at their game against Maple Hill, they only lost 4-3 in eight innings even though everyone thought they were going to get crushed. Canajoharie was much improved. Knowing all those teams and knowing what we have coming back with young talent, I’m very proud of our accomplishments.
What was the turning point in the season when things began clicking for this team?
The biggest stepping stone we made as far as progress was the two doubleheaders we played. We played OESJ and beat them 5-1 and then had a real nail-biter at the end to beat them 2-1 at our field. We really sweated that one out. I would have to say the second Fort Plain game when we clinched at least a tie of the league too. In the first game, we were held in check by their pitcher and then Owen O’Reilly gets a big two-out hit to left field to tie it, but eventually Fort Plain won that game. But to have the guys tough enough to come back in the second game when Fort Plain has that one-game lead on us—to win that second game, we could have tanked it. We could have put our heads down. That was a tough loss—an emotional loss in the bottom of the seventh, but the kids came back and they showed a tremendous amount of character in that game and it propelled us to the league championship.
Rattling off a couple names, what is the first thing you think of when you hear the following? Michael Naughton (.352 BA, 11 SB)?
Mike Naughton has been the heart and soul of the Saratoga Catholic athletic teams for the last two years. I have a great amount of respect for him, and in my 30 years of coaching and teaching at the high school level, Michael Naughton is one of my top 10 favorite kids. Eleven letters he’s won at the varsity level—that’s unheard of. He gives you everything he’s got.
Ryan Czarnecki (.419 BA, 31 H)?
He’s got a moxy and a confidence out on the field that is unmatched. He really believes in his abilities. He tries to go the extra mile and he wants the ball in his hand. He wants to get the winning hit. He wants to be involved in that catch.
Timmy Brizzell (.384 BA, 23 RBIs)?
He had a great year. When I think of Tim I’m thinking of a guy who’s not afraid to make a mistake. He was our centerfielder and we had to make an adjustment after Florida and move him to third. Against Berne Knox, the first three or four chances he had, he butchered it. He probably had three errors. After the last error he made he said, “Coach, I want to give it another try. I know I can play the outfield, but give me another shot.” I gave him another shot and he ended up being one of our most steady infielders and was just a rock.
How is it knowing that next year you bring back your entire pitching staff, including your No. 1 starter Jake Moline (5-0, 0.43 ERA)?
Jake Moline is one of the best pitchers in the area—A, B, C, D, E, F, G—this kid can pitch. The problem was he wasn’t healthy early on in the season. People saw his last three or four starts and they saw what kind of pitcher he is. He’s a legitimate college pitcher. He’s a guy I want in a big game. He’s just poker-faced and an animal on the mound.
Were there any big surprises this season?
I’d have to say Zac Cronk. You always roll the dice with a freshman, but he really solidified our infield. He was the vocal guy and a spark plug. I knew he was going to be good, but I didn’t know how good. He was a big surprise for us. The kid made two errors the entire season. Also, the overall chemistry. I think it was a really good mix of guys who understood what their roles were.
What does this team take away from the 12-3 loss to Johnstown in sectionals?
Make no mistake about it. That was never a competitive game. They took us to the woodshed and beat us up. It was good for our guys to see kids at that level with that type of commitment who took their lumps for two years in the sectionals. And Johnstown could hit the ball. It was a good case of seniors playing sophomores, but if we took anything away from that it’s the fact that you can’t give teams second and third and fourth opportunities because they’ll just rip you apart. We just didn’t seal the deal. All the hits they got were all two-out hits. Just because you get two doesn’t mean you’re done. You still have to get three.
