Eight local standouts sign national letter to play for Walsh, PeacocksAfter three straight losing seasons, meaning three consecutive years with 30 or more losses, St. Peter’s College baseball coach Jimmy Walsh knew that the time had come to try a different approach. The Weehawken native and former Union Hill baseball coach, who was asked to take over a floundering program three years ago – one that had won only four games the previous year – had not attained the success he wanted to.
“We needed a major overhaul,” said Walsh, who was a standout pitcher at Weehawken High School and later at the now-defunct Upsala College. “We had to do something to develop a winning attitude. The bottom line was that we needed some fresh blood, get some new kids in who want to win and have the desire to win. Things had to change. It was do-or-die time for me.”
So Walsh went out and hit the recruiting trail, trying to bring the best baseball talent possible to Harvard on the Boulevard. It isn’t exactly easy doing that, considering that SPC doesn’t offer full athletic scholarships to baseball players like it does for its men’s and women’s basketball programs. It’s all done piecemeal, a partial scholarship here, a financial aid package there. Recruiting baseball players at SPC is almost like doing a jigsaw puzzle, trying to get the thousands of pieces to fit to make a pretty picture.
But there was one good thing about this recruiting season for Walsh.
“It’s finally my own team,” he said.
No more remnants of prior coaching regimes. The players that Walsh and his diligent staff, headed by Josh Piniero, the former Hoboken High School All-State performer who played his college ball at SPC and has remained on as an assistant coach, brought in are all their own recruits.
Walsh also decided that he wanted to go out and get players that he could best relate to – and there were none better than the Hudson County product. After all, Walsh was a Hudson County kid. So was Piniero. They both survived and thrived on the collegiate level. So could the current crop of high school seniors.
“We definitely made a concerted effort to get the Hudson County kid,” Walsh said. “Those are the ones who shied away in recent years, because our program had fallen on some tough times. I wanted to be able to bring them back. I know that Hudson County kids are hard-nosed and tough. They know what it takes to make a difference. They’ve all been through a lot themselves and can overcome the odds and adversities. Those are the kinds of kids we needed to get.”
It also helped because Walsh is one of those. He came from Hudson County, played here, and coached high school baseball here.
“They know where I’m from,” Walsh said. “They know the kind of character I have and the kind of guy I am. I think that they can trust me and their parents can trust me. I’m a teacher myself (special education at Union Hill High School), so they know that I am more about education first and baseball second. I had to make an effort to get the Hudson County kid to want to come back to St. Peter’s.”
Something must have clicked, because Walsh recently received commitment from a fine array of talented Hudson County products that will all certainly make their presence felt at Harvard on the Boulevard in the very near future.
Two of the Peacocks’ main recruits hail from Walsh’s hometown, namely long-time best friends and teammates Chris Jodice and Kevin Kallert from Weehawken High School. Both are expected to be players of impact for the Peacocks as soon as they enroll in school.
“I think Kevin Kallert has a tremendous upside and will make a difference right away,” Walsh said. “He chose St. Peter’s over Seton Hall and has a chance to be our third baseman in the fall. Jonesy (Jodice’s nickname) will pitch and play the infield for us. You better believe I’m very proud to have these two Weehawken kids come to us. I’ve known both of them since they were little boys. They will be a major plus for us to turn things around. I know their families and I know they’re great kids to have in our program.”
Another great find for the Peacocks is Hudson Catholic standout catcher Rick Tauber, the hero of the recent HCIAA Coviello championship game, where he was named the MVP of the title game.
“Tauber proved down the stretch of the season that he’s a clutch performer,” Walsh said. “He’s going to be a big help for us.”
Two of Tauber’s teammates, namely outfielders Frank Flynn and Scott Taylor, have also signed on with the Peacocks.
Others to join the ranks of the SPC baseball program include left-handed pitcher Mike Pavlecka from St. Peter’s Prep, infielder Dave Lewandowski from Bayonne and infielder Chris Innis from St. Mary’s of Rutherford, who hails from Secaucus.
“That’s the biggest contingent of Hudson County players we’ve been able to get since I’ve been here,” Walsh said. “I’m very happy with the commitments we have received.”
The recruiting trail didn’t stop at the county borders. Walsh and Piniero were able to secure the services of five other top-flight players like shortstop Dennis Alexander of Hamilton Township, Matt Kougasian of St. Joseph (Montvale), Santo Maertz, a pitcher/third baseman from St. Joseph (Metuchen), Sean Long of North Brunswick and Rob Salyga of Hopewell Valley High School.
“With this group, I really think that we can turn things around,” said Walsh, who guided the Peacocks to a disappointing 8-32 record this spring. “I’ve seen the league (MAAC) for three years now and I know what it takes. I really believe we’re ready to take off. The kids we’ve brought in are real good. This is it. I’m putting myself on the line here. It’s make-or-break with this group. I’m really excited and I look forward to seeing these kids together in the fall. I know they’re all excited to get going.”