North Bergen head baseball coach Patrick Brady had to be a little concerned when he graduated a host of players from last year’s team that lost in the Hudson County Tournament finale, including Hudson Reporter All-Area honorees in pitcher Azriel Andrickson, shortstop Kevin Alonso and outfielder Jesse Baiza.
However, Brady also had a sense of security, knowing full well that he had help on the horizon. Brady has inherited a group of underclassmen who have played together since they were barely out of diapers and have been winners on every single level known to organizational baseball.
It’s a group that won when they were 8-year-old All-Stars and never stopped winning every step of the way. It’s a group that features several of the 12-year-old Little League All-Stars that went all the way to the New Jersey State Little League championships in 2008.
Now, they’re all together as members of the North Bergen varsity squad.
“Anytime you get a group of kids who have been playing together as long as these kids have been, it’s a blessing,” Brady said. “They know success. They’ve had a taste of winning at a very early age. And that winning breeds success. They’re mostly all battle tested.”
Brady knew that he had an impressive crop from the Little League All-Star team.
“When they were freshmen, we had 15 players on the freshman team and 13 were from the Little League program,” Brady said. “We knew that they were going to be good.”
The Bruins have continued their winning ways, thanks to the group of close-knit talented friends.
They’ve posted a 8-1 record in the early going of the season and last week, earned their spot among the very best teams in the state.
One state poll had the Bruins ranked as high as No. 17. Another poll has them listed as No. 13. Word is traveling fast. MSG Varsity did a feature on the success of the Bruins and they’re gaining attention all over the state for their early season success.
One of the holdovers from those youth championship squads is junior pitcher/third baseman A.J. Gale, who has been nothing short of brilliant in his short stay with the varsity. Gale won his first two starts this season and has been hitting at a torrid pace.
“A.J. is one of the best competitors I’ve ever seen,” Brady said. “He wants to compete every single day. He wants the ball all the time. He’s a smart ballplayer, a good baseball player.”
Another is sophomore shortstop Jeremy Cerda, who has developed into a big-time talent. Another is slugging first baseman/designated hitter James Rangel.
Left fielder P.J. Cardone is the Bruins’ leadoff hitter and igniter. He’s the one who gets the Bruins going.
Reserve catcher Anthony Dabal, the younger brother of former North Bergen standout wrestler Bobby Dabal, was also a part of those great championship teams.
“They all work hard together,” Brady said. “They’ve put a tremendous amount of time in the weight room. They’ve literally grown up together. They’ve played together, won together. You can’t put a price tag on that. It’s extremely important. This is almost an entirely different team that lost in the county championship [3-2 to Hoboken] last year. We have a whole new group of people in. But it was nice to know that the chemistry was already there, because most of them had played together. They came from the Little League, played freshman and played JV [junior varsity]. It’s helpful that they’ve all been together.”
The strength of the Bruins lies within their deep and talented pitching staff, featuring North Carolina State-bound senior Gianni Reyes, as well as juniors Marco Hernandez, a left-hander, Pasquale Andruela and Gale.
Andruela was not part of the championship success in North Bergen Little League, but he earned a solid reputation during his younger days playing for teams in Weehawken, Hoboken and Jersey City.
There aren’t any other teams in the county that can flaunt such depth and talent on the mound.
Junior Jose Moreno is the catcher. Moreno is developing into a top-flight backstop.
Rangel plays first base and Gale sees some time there as well.
Senior Byron Fernandez, one of the few seniors on the squad, is the team’s second baseman. Fernandez saw plenty of action at second base last year.
Cerda is the shortstop and he’s showing why he’s already being touted as one of the best players in the county, even though he’s only a sophomore.
“He played a little last year for us as a freshman,” Brady said. “He played a little at second and a little at third. He’s done very well, filling big shoes [standout Alonso], but he’s learning and growing. We knew he was going to make mistakes this year, but the mistakes have been limited.”
Junior Jordan Guzman is the Bruins’ starting third baseman. Guzman is developing into a fine player as well.
Cardone is a standout in left field, with senior Willie Cruz, a converted infielder, playing centerfield and Hernandez and Brandon Diaz, the younger brother of former Bruin standout Julian Diaz, currently playing at Kean University, sharing the duties in right.
Brady might have had some concerns about his team, considering the way they lost in the county title game last May.
“If there was any hangover from it, they’ve responded very well,” Brady said. “Our goal is to get back there and that’s the only real way that loss can be erased. We have to get back to the county championship game and win.”
The way these winning Bruins are going, there’s something special brewin’ for the end of the season.
“It feels good,” Brady said. “As long as we keep improving. These kids want to get better. They want to work hard. With the arms we have, we should be able to make noise this year.”
And the scary thing is: This team almost returns in entirety next season.
“It’s good to know we’ll have most of them coming back,” Brady said.
It might be good for Brady, but it’s downright frightening for the rest of the county.
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com. You can also read Jim’s blog at www.jimhaguesports.blogspot.com.