By Cristina Chillem
“Hey trim the fat,” number 11 Zachary Schneider shouted to his teammate at bat. “Thats my new favorite saying,” he explained to the boys in the dugout. His support continued throughout the game with phrases like, “That a bip,” for encouragement and “Big nap daddy number two five,” to keep Arther Knapp siked and feeling fine. These were only a few examples of great sportsmanship showcased during yesterdays game against Ocean County College. The team itself really carries its own saying by sustaining such a level of support for each other on top of a truly skillful performance.
At every bat, Chris Bechter’s swing was golden. Early in the game he hit a home run and a single. Robert Wilgus advanced Louis Cammisa to second. Eric Trebelhorn hit the ball hard into left field, bringing Cammisa home. But, it all really happened in the eighth inning, when the batting order rounded and Bechter came up twice to bat. Here he’d leave his mark in Ocean County with another home run and a steal to third. Also batting twice in the eighth inning, was Donald Menzoni. He was walked and stole his way to third before running home to score. Later he’d steal again, this time to second. Wilgus brought both runners home with a two run single. Knapp and Trebelhorn also scored after being walked by dead balls.
The boys were just as successful with their fielding. Adam Satanoff gave solid six innings of good pitches. The coach had suggested we look out for him. It is now clear why, after seeing the focus and grace he embodies out on the mound, while consistently spitting straight pitches one after the other. Zachary Duffy takes the mound in the seventh inning. The first batter hits a fly ball caught by Marco Carolla at third base. The next batter hits a grounder to first. First basemen, William Parave fields it and flips it to Duffy covering first.
Duffy’s quickness to cover first exemplified the comfortable connection between the players. Of course its a no brainer to any pitcher that part of his job is to cover first when he’s needed to do so; but the play couldn’t have been so smooth had the trust between Duffy and Parave not been there. Coach Bouillon said that the boys this year, “ Have the best chemistry of any team I’ve ever had. They thrive off of one another.” He acknowledges the brotherhood that has formed between Duffy, Bechter and Clark Hoffman, who are not only playing, training and schooling together, but also living and commuting together. “It makes the college experience that much better,” Bechter says, as he piles with his team into the vans after their 12-4 victory. Coach Bouillon notes the three boys as, “Huge factors and players in the success this team is going to have.” Coach Bouillon was satisfied with yesterday’s game, but admits, “There is always room for improvement.”
So what kind of baseball team does Camden County have? A team with an unshakeable bond, soaring with high spirits, support and strength, led by a coach whose eyes are set on true victorious fulfillment. Yes, that’s a team whose really saying something. What are they saying? That they are baseball, and they will surf the waves of their sport no matter whose field their on.