Last year the Hoboken High School baseball team stumbled and stammered to a 15-13 record, the highest loss total that veteran head coach Buddy Matthews had to endure in almost two decades.
Now, the Red Wings will head to the bigger school division of the new-fangled North Jersey Tri-County Conference, playing all the larger enrollment schools.
“It’s definitely going to be a challenge,” said Matthews, who enters his 26th season as the Red Wings’ head coach. “In fact, it’s a big-time challenge. But it’s what we wanted and what we now have. We’ll see how well we do in it. Our last few scrimmages were against bigger schools, like Passaic Valley and Paramus Catholic, and I thought we did pretty well. It’s the type of team that is going to get better as the year goes on.”
Matthews welcomes back just one returning full-time starter from a year ago, namely senior shortstop Justin Arocho, a three-year starter who batted .413 last year.
“Justin has to be the leader of this team,” Matthews said. “He will play a big role at shortstop and he may come in as a relief pitcher.”
Matthews likes the makeup of his team.
“Although the talent level isn’t as good as what we’ve had in the past, the chemistry is better,” Matthews said. “The kids are all on the same page and they’re all playing hard.”
Leading the pitching corps for the Red Wings are two talented sophomore left-handers, Abe Groomes and Kenny Roder.
“They’re going to play a lot and they’re going to pitch a lot,” Matthews said of the two sophomores, who will also play the outfield when they’re not on the mound.
Groomes is a fine fielding centerfielder who has an excellent arm and roams the outfield with grace and style.
“He has a lot of potential,” Matthews said.
Roder will play right field when he’s not pitching. Roder will be joined in the outfield by senior Danny Rivera and juniors Ryan Houghton and James Fisher. Houghton missed all of last season with a shoulder injury, but he’s back and healthy.
Senior Hipolito Aldea will see action on the mound and when he’s not pitching, Aldea will play first base or the outfield.
Junior Sal Pagan is another pitcher and he returns to his spot at first base, where he batted .389 last year. Pagan is a right-handed pitcher.
The catching duties will be shared by junior Travis Haber, a transfer from St. Peter’s Prep, and Rivera.
Junior Duke McCourt returns to his spot at second base, where he played last year and batted .385. However, McCourt has been bothered by a shoulder injury and he might miss some action. If McCourt is out for an extended period of time, then senior Luis Morales is set to fill in.
The third base duties will be shared between senior Anthony Richards and junior Andres Flores.
“We really have an outstanding group of sophomores,” Matthews said. “They’re not all veterans like we’ve had in the past, but they are very eager and very hungry.”
The Red Wings suffered a major loss before the season ever began. Football standout Jason Montalvo was expected to be a part of the Red Wings’ diamond crew, but a shoulder injury will keep Montalvo on the sidelines for the entire season.
Matthews knows that his team is facing an uphill battle, taking on schools like St. Peter’s Prep, Memorial, Union City, St. Mary’s of Jersey City, North Bergen, and Kearny on a regular basis.
“But there is no limit to how much better we can get,” Matthews said. “They are really working hard and have the right attitude.”
Only time will tell how the Red Wings will handle the challenges of the coming season. – Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.