B4

Saturday, May 4, 2013

T H E D A I LY J O U R N A L

STARTING NINE
With his flowing, currently blonde dreadlocks, Millville High Schools Roberto Rivera is hard to miss on the diamond. His athletic abilities make him tough to overlook as well. Rivera recently took time out to talk to The Daily Journal about Bolts baseball, Mike Trout, his hair and more:

Question 1) How do you feel about your teams 7-8 season so far? Answer: We started off like 1-4 and have a chance to get back to .500. We come to work each and every day. The effort is where it needs to be. Judging by our effort in games and practice, Im satisfied with that. 2) What are your thoughts on the Coaches vs. Cancer event put on by the program? A) It means a lot to me. Im close with our coaches and I know how cancer has impacted their families. We were out there 8 a.m. Saturday til the last game on Sunday and it gave me a warm feeling knowing how much we put into that tournament. 3) Who is the biggest Mike Trout fan on the team?

A) Id say the younger kids coming up as freshmen. They all seem amazed at what hes doing. 4) How long have your dreadlocks been growing? A) Since before football season my sophomore year. Before this season I had a dream I dyed my whole hair blonde, so I did it. My girlfriend hates it. Shes making me dye it back before prom. 5) Football, basketball or baseball? A) Baseball. Thats whats going to take me where I want to go. I love the other two, but at the end of the day its baseball. 6) Who is your favorite pro athlete? A) Mike Trout (laughing). Before that (Toronto Blue Jays shortstop) Jose Reyes ... because of the

whole dread thing. 7) What is your best Millville baseball memory? A) Winning the (Group IV) South Jersey title my freshman year. 8) Whats better, Facebook or Twitter? A) Honestly, I got off both of them. Im in the gym at 5 a.m. before school, go to school, get some work done after then Im back in the gym at night. I have to stay focused. 9) What is your favorite hobby outside of sports? A) I dont have time to do too much. Exercise. Im not too big so I need all the help I can get.

ROBERTO RIVERA
Millville Junior Pitcher/Second base

CAPTAIN THEO

AREA LEADERS
Hitting
Hits Mike Elfreth, St. Augustine ...........24 Robert Bunton, Buena..................23 Christian Adorno, St. Augustine....22 Johnny Malatesta, Vineland .........22 Sean Carew, St. Augustine............21 Jay Higbee, St. Augustine .............20 Don Money, Vineland...................20 Kyle Cox, Millville .........................19 Joe Gatto, St. Augustine ...............19 Dom Lopez, Buena .......................19 Barry Buchowski, St. Augustine.....18 Roberto Rivera, Millville................18 Denny Brady, Buena .....................17 Ethan Francis, Schalick..................17 Jarred Corniell, Buena...................16 Gabe Rosado, Millville ..................16 Daniel Cardona, Schalick ..............15 Jacques Colon, Vineland ...............15 Tyler Chiarello, Cumberland ..........15 Andrew Gee, Vineland ..................15 Austin Griffie, Cumberland ...........14 Garrett Mayhew, Cumberland ......13 Ryan Piscitelli, St. Augustine .........13 Emilio Santiago, Millville...............13 Average Daniel Cardona, Schalick............560 Ethan Francis, Schalick................519 Johnny Malatesta, Vineland .......489 Austin Griffie, Cumberland .........483 Cody Sadreameli, St. Augustine...481 Mike Elfreth, St. Augustine .........480 Christian Adorno, St. Augustine..449 Barry Buchowski, St. Augustine ..439 Don Money, Vineland.................435 Robert Bunton, Buena ................426 Joe Gatto, St. Augustine .............422 Sean Carew, St. Augustine .........420 Dominick Lopez, Buena ..............413 Bryan Dobzanski, Delsea.............412 Zach Evans, Cumberland ............409 Tyler Chiarello, Cumberland........405 Andrew Gee, Vineland................405 Rocco Lupi, Sacred Heart ............400 Roberto Rivera, Millville .............400 Gabe Rosado, Millville................400 Runs Christian Adorno, St. Augustine....22 Robert Bunton, Buena..................20 Jacques Colon, Vineland...............20 Marco Rios, Buena .......................20 Barry Buchowski, St. Augustine.....19 Johnny Malatesta, Vineland..........19 Taylor Cheli, Buena .......................17 Daniel Cardona, Schalick ..............16 Sean Carew, St. Augustine............16 Jay Higbee, St. Augustine..............16 Jarred Corniell, Buena...................14 Jason Davis, Bridgeton..................13 Mike Elfreth, St. Augustine ...........13 Garrett Mayhew, Cumberland ......13 Emilio Santiago, Millville...............13 RBIs Barry Buchowski, St. Augustine.....19 Joe Gatto, St. Augustine ...............15 Johnny Malatesta, Vineland..........15 Jay Higbee, St. Augustine..............14 Sean Carew, St. Augustine............14 Ethan Francis, Schalick..................14 Jarred Corniell, Buena...................13 Mike Elfreth, St. Augustine ...........13 Don Money, Vineland ...................13 Dom Lopez, Buena .......................13 Andrew Gee, Vineland ..................12 Taylor Cheli, Buena .......................12 Kyle Cox, Millville..........................11 Jarred McCafferty, Schalick ...........11 Denny Brady, Buena .....................10 Michael Foytik, Cumberland .........10 Austin Griffie, Cumberland ...........10 Marco Rios, Buena........................10 Home runs Barry Buchowski, St. Augustine ......5 Sean Carew, St. Augustine .............2 Taylor Cheli, Buena.........................2 Austin Griffie, Cumberland .............2 Chris Repice, Sacred Heart..............2 Michael Foytik, Cumberland ...........1 Ethan Francis, Schalick....................1 Jay Higbee, St. Augustine................1 Adin Kolansky, Delsea ....................1 Jarred McCafferty, Schalick.............1 Gabe Rosado, Millville ....................1 Cody Sadreameli, St. Augustine ......1 Pitching Wins Chris Oakley, St. Augustine ............6 Michael Foytik, Cumberland ...........5 Chris Capriotti, Buena ....................4 Nick Freijomil, Delsea .....................4 Don Money, Vineland.....................4 Justin Rivera, Vineland ...................4 Zach Warren, St. Augustine ............4 Joe Brewin, Delsea .........................3 Andrew Cartier, Buena ...................3 Eli Helsel, Delsea ............................3 Mark Sloboda, Cumberland............3 Innings Michael Foytik, Cumberland ......3313 Austin Griffie, Cumberland.........3213 Nick Freijomil, Delsea ...................33 Jeffrey Soto Balbuena, Bridgeton3213 Zach Warren, St. Augustine........2913 Chris Oakley, St. Augustine ..........28 Chris Capriotti, Buena ..................27 Eli Helsel, Delsea ..........................26 Johnny Malatesta, Vineland .........26 Don Money, Vineland...................26 Mike McDonald, Millville..............25 ERA Chris Capriotti, Buena................0.00 Zach Warren, St. Augustine .......0.72 Nick Freijomil, Delsea.................1.07 Eli Helsel, Delsea........................1.07 Denny Brady, Buena...................1.17 Mark Rowan, Vineland...............1.17 Marco Rios, Buena.....................1.40 Andrew Cartier, Buena...............1.43 Calvin Clark, Millville .................1.68 Chris Oakley, St. Augustine........1.75 Justin Rivera, Vineland...............1.87 Michael Foytik, Cumberland ......1.89 Joe Brewin, Delsea ....................1.90 Johnny Malatesta, Vineland .......1.91 Strikeouts Zach Warren, St. Augustine ..........42 Nick Freijomil, Delsea ...................39 Chris Oakley, St. Augustine ..........38 Steve Steigerwalt, Sacred Heart ....31 Michael Foytik, Cumberland .........29 Austin Griffie, Cumberland ...........27 Johnny Malatesta, Vineland .........27 Calvin Clark, Millville ...................23 Joe Gatto, St. Augustine ...............23 *All stats submitted by coaches through Thursday

Mercurio at the wheel for Lions last campaign

By Anthony Coppola
acoppola@thedailyjournal.com

VINELAND Every ship needs a good captain. A Sacred Heart High School baseball team on its final voyage couldnt have a better one than Theo Mercurio. First-year coach Tom Ryder tabbed the senior catcher to lead the Lions prior to the 2013 season, long before news that the school would close at the end of this year surfaced. The bombshell certainly complicated matters for Sacred Heart, particularly its players, and added a dimension to Mercurios captaincy that he couldnt have anticipated. Not only does he have to lead by example on the field, but the Rowan University-bound Mercurio is now serving as a mentor off the field as well for the younger players. Just seeing where theyre going to school and letting them know that Im there for them whenever they need help, Mercurio said of how he approaches the freshmen, sophomores and juniors. I just try to be a team player, a good person and do the right thing. Of course, the schools closure has an impact on Mercurio as well, though it is more sentimental. I always thought about being the last graduating class and having the last sen-

ior trip, but I never really thought about being the last captain, Mercurio said. It just means responsibility. Its not something you can take in and forget about the duties that you have. It means you have to keep working hard and show everybody why you should be captain. Everything Mercurio has displayed this year has reassured Ryder that he made the right decision. Hes lived up to more than my expectations, Ryder said. Just the way he handles the younger kids and handles himself. He can be a quiet leader and a vocal leader at the same time. He has a good relationship with the kids. He knows how to tell them to do something, but in an asking matter. Hes very assertive when it comes to that. Mercurio would still like to see the Lions overall performance improve. The team is 5-6 entering tonights game against Kingsway and has been up and down for most of the 2013 campaign. Mercurio does see promise, however. I see the team more mature as far as were making the plays and hitting the ball a lot better, Mercurio said. Were not to the level we need to be at this point in the season, but I think theres a very good chance that by the end of the season we can get to that point. That confidence has rubbed off on the rest of the Lions.

Junior second baseman Rocco Lupi has played under Mercurios leadership for two-plus seasons now and said his influence is unparalleled. He really helps everybody, Lupi said. If we were here next year, he would definitely be missed by everybody. Mercurio is having another productive campaign for Sacred Heart. Hes been a fixture behind the plate for the Lions this year, catching 10 of the teams 11 games. The senior is hitting .375, is tied for the team-high with 12 hits and owns a team-leading six stolen bases. I try to stay upbeat the whole game, work hard and give everything I have every game, Mercurio said. At the end of the day thats all that anybody can really ask for. Mercurio isnt looking too far ahead in terms of goals for the Lions as they move into the second half of the season. Instead, he simply wants Sacred Heart to compete at a high level and let the chips fall where they may. Start getting on the right track of winning, staying together as a team throughout the whole season, I think thats going to be a big key, Mercurio said. We want to make it to (the) playoffs. We want to give it our best shot and hopefully it goes well, and we make it to (the Non-Public B state final) June 8.

Sacred Heart catcher Theo Mercurio is leading the Lions in the programs final season.
STAFF PHOTO/ CRAIG MATTHEWS

MEAN 15
1. Gloucester Catholic ...............................14-2 2. Eastern......................................................16-2 3. St. Augustine ..........................................12-4 4. Washington Township..........................11-5 5. Bishop Eustace........................................12-4 6. Audubon..................................................12-2 7. Buena........................................................15-2 8. Cherry Hill West .....................................10-3 9. Delsea .......................................................12-3 10. Shawnee ................................................10-6 11. Lenape ......................................................8-5 12. Williamstown........................................10-4 13. West Deptford......................................10-4 14. Pitman.....................................................11-2 15. Haddon Township................................11-4 *Records thru Thursday

LOCAL POLL
m 1. St. Augustine (12-4) Hermits have looked sharp since win over Washington Township on April 27. m 2. Buena (15-2) Chiefs edged Ocean City for CAL National Diamond Classic berth. m 3. Delsea (12-3) Sweep over Williamstown has Delsea in great shape in Tri-Co Royal. m 4. Cumberland (10-4) Major upset win over Gloucester Catholic on Tuesday rocked South Jersey baseball. m 5. Vineland (11-3) Fighting Clan looking for revenge tonight against Buena. m 6.Millville (7-8) Bolts continue their push toward the .500 mark.

Delsea catcher Christian Cortese (left) prepares to throw out a Clearview runner on Friday. The Crusaders are ranked No. 3 in this weeks Local Poll. STAFF PHOTO/CHARLES J. OLSON