Middletown North Baseball Coach Says
Team is ‘Back Bigger and Stronger’
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TheJournalNJ.com | JUNE 2021 21
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BY TIM MORRIS
A year away from the diamond doesn’t seem to have set the Middletown
High School North baseball team back. The Lions have
returned with a roar. In a season where the unexpected is expected
because of the lost 2020 year, Middletown North has been one of the
big surprises with their 8-2 record and solid overall play. Not many saw
it coming. The last time the Lions played a full season, 2019, they won
seven games. Head Coach Ryan McCabe expected the 2020 season to be
much better with a lot of experience returning, but it never came to be.
A Last Dance World Series was arranged last summer by the state’s
athletic directors and baseball coaches aimed at giving high school
teams, especially the seniors, one last chance to play in 2020. The Lions
were one of the good stories from that tournament, advancing to the
fourth round with three impressive wins. Did it help the Lions in 2021?
tournament run.
However, only four players from that team are playing for the Lions
this spring. The team’s improvement came from individual commitment
on the part of the players, according to their coach.
came back bigger and stronger. They didn’t feel sorry for themselves.
They took advantage of the time off to work. They’re a great group of
This year, the Lions’ lost-season work ethic is paying dividends as
they are 5-2 in the A North Division and looking every bit a championship
contender in ’21. The Lions have been playing outstanding in all
phases of baseball: pitching, defense and hitting.
On the mound, they have been led by two hard-throwers, seniors
Danny Frontera and Colin Dowlen. A one-two punch like this is what
any team looking to win needs.
Frontera’s return has made the Lions deep pitching staff that
much better. He had Tommy John surgery on his right pitching arm his
sophomore year and could have made his comeback last year.
Despite having the surgery, he did return to the team to play in
2019 as the designated hitter.
He has returned with a vengeance in 2021. He has been overpowering.
In a win over Long Branch, he struck out 17 batters. Only one out
in the game wasn’t a K. He has 44 strikeouts in 24 innings of work and
is 2-1 with a 1.16 ERA. He’s headed to Seton Hall University.
Dowlen, who started in 2019 as a freshman, is also 2-1 and is
pitching to a 1.22 ERA. The right-hander has been overpowering too,
as he has 29 strikeouts in 18 innings.
In addition to their aces, the Lions have a number of quality arms
in support of them. Frontera’s younger brother, Ryan Frontera, a sophomore,
has been called upon as well as senior Tony Sanson, senior Tyler
Sharkey and freshman Dylan Briggs.
Ryan Frontera is batting .411 with six extra-base hits and a team-high
run. Sansone and Sharkey are second in RBI with eight each.
North has been good at manufacturing runs using its team speed. The
Lions have swiped 19 bases in 21 attempts.
Catcher Andrew Lombardi, a junior, is the third returner from 2019. He
is a dual threat as well with his bat and defense. He takes charge behind the
plate, calling the game.
Behind the pitchers, North has been playing sure-gloved defense, limiting
extra outs.
McCabe. The Lions winning four one-run games attests to their toughness
and resilience.
Every team still faces the prospects that at any time the season could
be put on hold.
said McCabe.
So far, it has been a very good ride.
/TheJournalNJ.com
/www.NJDeerControl.com