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Team Of The Week: Senior-laden New Albany off to 12-0 start

NEW ALBANY - Carrying 13 seniors on the roster was risky New Albany head coach Dave Starling admitted. But so far it looks like a good move.

The Eagles are off to a 12-0 start on the season and one of this week’s Prep Baseball Report Ohio Teams of the Week.

“The leadership our captains are providing this team is phenomenal,” noted Starling. “On and off the field they’re tremendous young men.

“Everybody on this team has bought into their roles and as a coach you cherish that,” Starling continued. “It helps put all the pieces of the puzzle together.”

Captains of the team have been a big part of the early success as Starling points out.

• Third baseman Parker Thompson is a four-year letterman that hits in the three-hole. Said Starling: “He’s always doing something.”
• Ethan Swincicki is the catcher that leads the team in driving in runs. Said Starling: “His RBI total after 12 games is astronomical.”
• Jimmy Stevens, a junior second baseman, sets the table for the offense. Said Starling:  “He’s the prototype leadoff hitter that can also hit for big power.”
• Senior shortstop Nick Shroyer is a three-year starter. Said Starling: “He hits toward the bottom but his on base percentage is exceptional. Getting the bottom of the order on is why we’re putting the number of runs on the board we do.”

Pitching is living up to expectations as well, led by the one-two punch of Jack (Video) and Mike Sokol. Jack, a Purdue commit, is 3-0 while Mike, a Miami recruit, is currently 2-0 after a no-decision on Wednesday in a 4-3 eight-inning win over arch-rival Big Walnut.

“They’re not only talented, but there are not any two better individuals you can run into,” Starling said about what he referred to as his “Twin Towers” on the mound.

The unsung hero is reliever Vaughn Hoff. To date, the senior pitcher has two wins and four saves.

“You can see the role he’s playing for us,” Starling said of being part of six victories. “He’s not a 90-mile-an-hour guy, but he’s got good movement and gets a lot of ground balls.”

Wins in Florida over Fort Walton Beach and South Walton are among the biggest wins this season for the Eagles, along with the first game once back home against Olentangy.

A doubleheader with Gahanna Lincoln on Saturday and Pickerington North next week loom ahead on the schedule for Starling, a fourth-year coach at New Albany after 27 years in charge of the Reynoldsburg program.

“The biggest thing right now is to guard against complacency,” said Starling, voted this week the number one team in the Central District and the sixth-rated Division I team in Ohio by PBR. “We need to approach every day the same, and take the opportunity to play the game the best we can. Play our game and continue to put pressure on the opponent.”