Back in late March, when the high school baseball season was about to begin, there was an air of uncertainty surrounding the Weehawken High School baseball team. Not many of the Indians had any idea what was in store for the squad.
After all, Weehawken had just enjoyed the best season in the history of the school, a 20-win season that culminated in the first-ever Bergen County Scholastic League (BCSL) National Division championship. It was a team that featured catcher Fernando Fuentes, an All-State performer who was eventually drafted by the New York Yankees – the school’s first-ever drafted player.
“I was a little worried losing Fern,” said Grevin Rodriguez, one of only two seniors on the team. “Losing Fern was a big hit to us.”
“Everyone thought we would be young and inexperienced,” said Alex Montanile, a junior. “Nobody expected anything from us.”
Even the head coach kept his aspirations for the coming season to a bare minimum.
“I was hoping that we would make the state tournament,” said Tony Colasurdo, the long-time baseball coach. “I honestly didn’t have a lot of expectations.”
However, when the season started and the young and inexperienced kids just kept on winning, the prospects suddenly changed. The Indians won their first 13 games of the season. The thoughts of simply competing and simply qualifying for the state tournament turned into a drive toward another championship season.
Sure enough, the Indians did the unthinkable. Last week, when Chris Jodice fired a 6-0 shutout against Harrison, Weehawken had captured its second consecutive BCSL National title, going back-to-back after never having won a single league title ever before.
Moving to state tourney
Undaunted, the Indians have also made an impressive run in the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group I state tournament. They knocked off the two-time defending state champion, Emerson Borough, in the first round, then survived a thriller with Bogota, 5-4, to move on to the state sectional championship game for the first time in school’s history.
The Indians were slated to face league rival Becton Regional for the state sectional championship Friday afternoon at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Becton is one of only two teams (Lyndhurst being the other) to defeat the 23-2 Indians this season.
If the Indians were successful on Friday, then they move on to play the North Jersey Section 2, Group I champion, either Cedar Grove or Whippany Park, on Tuesday, June 4, at William Paterson University in Wayne, with the hope of moving on to the overall Group I state title game in Toms River on Saturday, June 8.
Incredibly, Weehawken won the Group II state championship in 1952, but that was long before a state playoff system was instituted.
“It’s just an unbelievable thing,” Colasurdo said. “It’s a team with only two seniors [Rodriguez and David Lopez]. It really is astounding, being this competitive with a team filled with young kids. But they have been playing together for a long time and know each other so well, so that’s a plus for us.”
Together from the beginning
Many of the current Indians are products of the Weehawken Bambino [now called Cal Ripken, Jr.] and Babe Ruth baseball programs. A good portion of the team played together for a few years in respective All-Star tournaments and held their own. That experience has paid gigantic dividends with this team.
“Once we started off 13-0, we really started believing that we could win it all,” said Rodriguez, who has been a stellar pitcher over the last two seasons, winning a total of 15 games. “I think the good start gave us all confidence that we could do it again. And once we lost the first game, we made it a point that we were not going to lose again.”
“That was the big spark,” said sophomore outfielder Danny Lopez. “Once we did that, we knew we could beat anybody.”
The entire school has caught baseball fever.
“It means a lot that everyone is behind us,” Montanile said. “There are posters all around school. People are coming up to us, wishing us luck. You can feel the vibes throughout the school. Everyone’s positive and happy. It’s much better when no one made a big deal. But we’re making a name for ourselves as being a very good baseball school.”
Although no one is settling for just a league championship, keeping their eye on the bigger prize at stake, the players are pleased with making school history.
“The first team to ever win back-to-back championships in the school,” Rodriguez said. “It means a lot, because everyone will use this team as future references. It’s a great feeling that I will go out on top.”
After so many years of coaching losing teams, Colasurdo is just soaking up all the good times.
“We’ve won more games over the last two seasons than we did in the last eight years combined,” Colasurdo said. “It’s nice that every game now has meaning. No one wants the season to end. We’re playing with house money now in the state tournament. We’ve already gone back-to-back in the league. It’s a great accomplishment, getting this far.”
Colasurdo said that he just loves working with the kids.
“They’re a nice group, a joy to be with,” Colasurdo said. “I look forward to going to the field every day and they find a way to win. I’m just basking in it. It’s a pleasant aspect to it all.”
However, Colasurdo said that there are pressures now, playing for a possible state championship.
“I never worked this hard before,” Colasurdo said. “It’s really much easier to be losing. Losing is much less stressful. Now, people have a lot of expectations for us.”
Funny, it wasn’t that way just two months ago. It’s amazing how things turn around when you’re winning. And lo and behold, the Indians are winning – and hope they’re not done winning just yet.