Sun shining through the clouds and winter jackets being shoved into the back of closets. While some look at these weather changes as the start of spring, others view it as the beginning of their favorite season–Baseball. As the New York Yankees will soon take the field in the Bronx, so will the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Raiders baseball team, hoping to build off of a 2023 season of growth and development.
“We want to be more consistent [this season]. Last year, there were some really good and really bad games,” senior pitcher Evan Doyle told The Fanscotian. “We expect to be consistently good this year.”
During last year’s campaign, the Raiders had a record of 9-16, reaching the quarterfinals of the Union County Tournament and finishing sixth in the Union County Watchung Conference. With the end of the last school year, SPF lost seven seniors, most notably Sean Ferrone and Anthony Malta. With the absence of Malta, SPF will have a vacancy at the catcher position, and will call upon other players in the program to step up behind the plate.
“Last year’s seniors will be missed, but we have a group of seniors with a lot of experience at the varsity level, and they have already demonstrated their will to be leaders,” head coach Joseph Higgins said.
The Raiders will be led by Fairleigh Dickinson pitching commit Evan Doyle, who posted a 3.71 ERA along with a team leading 37 strikeouts in 2023. The six-foot righty will be the team’s ace this spring, mowing down opposing batters and sending them back to their dugout.
Doyle will be joined in the rotation by returning juniors CJ Bates, Jack Byrne, and seniors Matt Capozzolo and Ryan Quinones. All five student-athletes threw numerous innings in past years but will be asked to take charge in order for success to arrive.
“Our biggest strength is our pitching. Our staff is pretty deep and we have all five of our best pitchers returning this year,” Evan Doyle said.
Fellow returning seniors Jaden Carpien, Luke Doyle, Matt Greisman and Chris Kennedy will all have increased looks at the plate during their final season of Raider Baseball. Returning sophomore Joe LaRosa and junior Jack Sponheimer will hope to lead the SPF outfield once again, after Sponheimer’s outstanding sophomore season. Sponheimer was dominant at the plate as well on the field, upholding a .348 batting average while leading the team in hits and singles.
“This year, we need to do a better job as a pitching staff throwing strikes. At the plate, we need to make getting on base our top priority,” Higgins said.
With a heavy senior class, SPF are bound to look upon many of these upperclassmen to lead the way for inexperienced teammates. Evan Doyle specifically is taking it upon himself to be a role model for his younger teammates.
“[Since I am a senior] me and a few others are able to move into a leadership role. A large focus this year will be acting as a player led team,” Doyle said.
For the Raiders it is simple, when they score runs, they come out on top. In the 2023 season, SPF won when they scored six or more runs. While pitching is this team’s strong suit, seniors bats will have to contribute also. In games the Raiders lost, it was due to a mixture of below-average hitting and pitching.
To be triumphant in the 2024 season, these woes have to evaporate into thin air, especially with Union County powerhouses dominating the county. Once again SPF has to go through Cranford, Governor Livingston and Westfield, all who dominated the Watchung Division last season.
The Raiders will open the regular season at home against Union Catholic on April 1, 2024, where they hope to kick off a winning season. For the team seniors it will be their last ride, and they will have to make the most of it.
“We will set out to win everything that we can. We have sights on our division, the county and the section,” Higgins said. “First we need to win game one against Union Catholic. We need to have long term goals and a short-term focus.”
