The sound of a ball hitting a leather mitt. Sunflower seeds. Big league chew bubble gum. Nick Demarinis’ moonshots over the fence. These are a few of the great things that are a part of Oratory’s baseball culture that accompanies the long-awaited springtime. Players have been working extremely hard in the past year, developing a team with incredible talent and potential. Coming off a very successful 15-10 season, the hungry players have been improving their skills and getting stronger in order to lead the program to some greater feats, including a possible conference title and a couple county and state wins. After having the opportunity to compete in D.C. against some top-tier teams over spring break, the squad was sure to step on the field with confidence and energy. Things started off with a bang on Tuesday, April 2.

Playing at David Brearley High School’s field in Kenilworth, the team mercied their conference opponent with a score of 12-2. Vassar College-bound starting pitcher Andrew Meisner fought the 40° cold and threw a complete game gem, only giving up two runs and striking out six in six innings. The ace is surely expected to continue his dominance on the hill for the rest of the season as he has in past years. On the offensive side, the entire lineup contributed to the Rams’ prominent “12” on the scoreboard. Despite not having a single extra-base hit, the boys got a string of singles, worked quality at-bats, capitalized on Brearley’s errors, and even got some well-executed bunts into the mix, notably from Jack Greco and Nick Sannito. Most importantly, every single player in the lineup got on base at least once, showing off the team’s ability to remain patient at the plate and work around the other team’s poor defense. All in all, the mercy win over Brearley proved to be a great way to start things off, setting the tone for the rest of the season.

Oratory once again stepped up in their first home game on Thursday, prepared to compete against Jonathan Dayton High School in Springfield. The whole offense showed up with their hot bats, scoring 7 runs. Senior captain Nick Demarinis went 2-3 with a double and single, while senior Andrew Meisner also went 2-3 including a moonshot to left field, which two-hopped the fence and resulted in a triple. Juniors Joe Del Sol and James Kim chipped in with a hit and a couple of RBIs as well. On the defensive side, Senior Jack Reilly brought his A-game to the mound, pitching five innings, striking out five, only giving up one run, and ultimately earning the win. Sophomore Jack Greco finished things off with a couple of innings of his own on the hill, striking out two and securing the win for the team. Once again, the whole team showed up with a ‘winning’ attitude, played solid defense while continuing to rack up hits.

The cold, rainy weather did not cool the flaming hot bats on Friday against Roselle Catholic, however. The offense went on an absolute tear, gathering 18 runs on 15 hits. Nick Demarinis showed off his 190-lb frame power with two home runs (hinting at a possible new home run record this season). The senior captain also showed off his strong arm by pitching five innings, striking out nine, and only giving up one unearned run. “Dinger” was not the only star of the game, as Will Demilt and Joe Del Sol combined for a total of five hits and nine runs batted in. Sean Carey, Jack Greco, Ben Landis, and John Meehan contributed with hits of their own while Nick Sannito drove in two runs. Just as they had the previous couple games, the hitters, regardless of their spot in the lineup, exemplified their dominance at the plate and showed off some of the team’s strongest attributes: putting balls in play and scoring runs.

Following a tough loss against the stacked lineup of Governor Livingston, the team held their heads up high and still considered the overall week to be a successful one. The following week, the team will seek to defeat conference-opponents, Linden and Roselle Park. Both games are crucial for accomplishing the team goal of clinching the Union County Valley Division conference, and the next few days will hint at a new potential feat for Coach Maybe, the baseball players, and Oratory as a whole.