Long Branch baseball looks to ride wave of success
BY DOUG McKENZIE Correspondent
As is the case with most high school baseball seasons, the Shore Conference's Class B North looks to be loaded once again this spring, as some of the conference's elite programs launch what should be another highly competitive campaign.

But while the usual B North suspects- teams like Ocean Township,Monmouth Regional, Wall Township and Freehold Borough- will likely be in the thick of things in the division race, the perceived bottom half of the division is not necessarily a bunch of also-rans this spring. The perceived gap between the top teams and the bottom in this division has never been smaller.

And while both Neptune and Matawan have some quality returners to gowith some talented newcomers, it is the Long Branch Green Wave baseball team that may be the division's most intriguing team this spring.

At least, head coach V.J. Muscillo thinks so.

"I'm excited about this team," he said. "We've got a good mix of some returning starters and some good-looking younger players. I think the word for this season is 'potential.'We'll see how it plays out, but I think this team has a lot more potential than the squads we've seen in the past few seasons."

The top of the Wave's lineup is a formidable one, led by First Team All-Division third baseman/outfielderMarques Jackson. He's followed by senior second baseman Ryan Kirsch, who also swings a good bat.

Senior shortstop ShaunBrown bats third for the Green Wave, followed by junior cleanup hitter BrianGough, a first baseman who is also the team's top starting pitcher.

"Our top four hitters are very strong," Muscillo said. "And senior catcher/outfielder DevinWright,who is back aftermissing last season, also swings a very good bat. He has a lot of promise at the plate."

The coach is also expecting good things from senior outfielder Ezra Strong, as well as sophomore catcher Joe Wagner, who played very well when he was brought up to the varsity about midway through last season.

After that, Muscillo is not quite sure what to expect from his team offensively.

"We've got some young guys who have shown some real potential, so we'll see how they pan out this year for us," the coach said. "But what's got me so energized is that I really believe we'll go out there and compete every game this season."

The GreenWave's pitching staff is led by Gough and sophomore Mike McCardlin. Strong is the No. 3 starter, followed by an impressive freshman in Paul Tracey.

"He's got a pretty strong armand a lot of ability," the coach said of Tracey. "Generally I try to keep the freshmen with the freshmen, so that they can learn to play together. But over the last couple of years, I've had to bring some freshmen up on an as-needed basis. This year we need another pitcher, and like I said, Paul's got a lot of ability."

While Muscillo likes his pitchers, like most teams, Long Branch may have some issues with depth on the hill this spring.

"If a lot of games get backed up (due to inclement weather), pitching could be a little bit of a concern because we've got a lot of young arms on this team," the coach said. "Early on I'll be watching them and keeping a close eye on their pitch counts."

The Wave opened its season Tuesday against Raritan, and will be back in action tomorrow when it takes on Freehold Borough. On Saturday, Long Branch will travel to Jersey City to face St. Anthony, while Muscillo's squad will get its first look at Ocean Township on Tuesday.

When he looks at his division,Muscillo sees a challenge with every game.

"You don't get a break in our division," he said. "You hope that once in a while you catch a break in who you're facing, but that just doesn't happen very often in B North."

Long Branch played well in scrimmages, which only added toMuscillo's optimismentering the start of the regular season.

"I look at the preseason a little differently from other coaches," the coach said. "I know that some of them go out there to win, but I really use the preseason to see what we have. What I can tell you is that when our starters were in there, we played very well. I think we should be an improved team from last year. It will really depend on how this mix of returning players and young players jell together."