Coming off a year in which the Rutgers Prep baseball team had a pretty solid season – a 19-6 record, Somerset County Tournament finalists – head coach Larry Santowasso figured his team was primed for an even better 2023.
With a 1-4 record through its first five games, though, it hasn’t quite worked out that way.
Thursday, they will try and pick up win No. 2 on the season when Rutgers Prep entertains Somerville (2-2) in a game that can be heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas will call all the action with pregame at 3:40 pm and first pitch at 4. Click here to listen.
Rutgers Prep took its typical preseason trip down south to do get ready for the year, and do a little bonding. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
And even to look at the game results or season stats to figure out what’s going doesn’t make it entirely obvious.
To wit: they started 0-3, losing by three, three and four runs.
One of last year’s breakout freshmen, Andrew Parisi, who hit .537 last year, is hitting .538 through five games.
Go figure?
Santowasso says there are little things that, put together, have added up to the record being what it is. But he also knows his team is getting a lesson in baseball you just can’t teach: sometimes, it just doesn’t happen.
Sometimes, you hit where the fielders are. Sometimes, you don’t get pitches to hit.
And he realizes baseball is one of the few things in life where the old adage – the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.
Sometimes, in baseball, you just have to keep plugging away, and the hits – and wins – will come.
Click below to hear a preview of Thursday’s game with Rutgers Prep head coach Larry Santowasso: