Junior Kyle Richey, one of the team’s leaders on the mound, delivers a pitch in winning playoff game effort against Huron High School.(Dave Chapman photo)
BY BRIAN RZEPPA
Despite entering the season with a younger roster, Trenton High School Varsity Baseballcoach Todd Szalka believed the team had a chance to be a successful one if all of their talent came together.
On the back of a strong pitching staff and a lineup overflowing with powerful bats, the Trojans were able to exceed any and all preseason predictions. Though their season came to a close at the hands of Grand Rapids Catholic Central, it marked the first time the program had reached the State semifinals since 2001.
Though they wound up finishing in the final four, Szalka did not want to set the bar too high — or too low, for that matter — as the season was set to kick off.
“I try not to make a whole lot of expectations because we’re dealing with high school kids, but we thought that we had enough talent that if things went right and we were able to get things going that we could make a run,” Szalka said.
As the calendar turned over to April and the first few weeks of the season went by, it appeared that the team may struggle to capitalize on their wealth of talent. Starting 1-3 and then standing 7-7 through 14 games, the team finally broke through.
“We knew we had a talented bunch, but it was them figuring out how great they could be. We started off a little slow, but we went 25-3 down the stretch including the last game against Grand Rapids Catholic Central.
“It was a matter of the kids buying into the stuff we had started to implement about three years ago. We put in a lot at the beginning and then they started to catch fire, taking advantage of all the little things teams give you and we got outstanding results.”
Those changes that were made three years ago came after a crushing defeat in the district finals. Leading 7-4 going into the top of the seventh, the Trojans lost 9-8 and committed five errors in the field. It was at that point that Szalka knew things had to change.
“We lost to Grosse Ile in the district finals and at that point in time I just sat down and knew that I didn’t want to go through that again. I wanted to do things so that we were more competitive, but beyond that we want to be equipped to win all of those tight games throughout the season. We wanted to be able to do the little things that are necessary to win close games and preserve leads.”
As the season rolled on, it was clear that the Trojans would be a threat both on the mound and at the plate. Guided by Second Team All-State selection Kyle Richey (10-4, 1.18 ERA, 98 K), who threw a no-hitter earlier in the year, and Micah Ottenbreit (8-1, 1.30 ERA, 84 K), the Trojans team ERA stood at a dazzling 1.80.
“I don’t know if there was a secret recipe, so to speak, but I think we spent a lot more time working with the kids,” Szalka said. “We added 100 more hours of contact time than what we did the previous year and I think that combined with the strength training we started doing that stuff started to come together. We have some very good arms in the program and we have tweaked some things, but it’s been on a lot of hard work for those guys to get to where they are on the mound.”
The hitters were no slouches either, as three players, First Team All-State Adam Wilding (.455), Second Team All-State Gabe Cavazos (.426) and Second Team All-State Jay Solano (.423) eclipsed the .400 mark, with four others clearing a .300 batting average.
“At the plate, we do a few things with our kids to simplify things. Rather than just talking to them about hand placement, we take a hands-on approach and show them. Some of the kids have really bought in and they’re reaping the rewards. Hitting doesn’t have to be overly difficult, but sometimes we make it that way. For us we really just want to break it down and make things simple.”
The championship semi-final defeat was not the way that the team wanted to see their season end, but Szalka is hopeful for the future. With nearly the entire team returning next season, he feels this could serve as motivation moving forward.
“Out of the 20 guys we had going into the State tournament, we have 17 of those guys returning to next year’s team,” the coach said. “I think this year will help those kids have an understanding of what it takes to get there. I think the things we tell them will have greater meaning than they did before the start of this year and I think they’re going to be hungry to get back there.
“We know that we’re going to have to work even harder than they did, too. When you get that far, complacency can set in and you can just expect to make a run like that, but we know it’s going to take a ton of hard work to get there. We saw that we have to control the controllables, so while we can’t control how talented other teams are, we can control how much work we’re putting in and enhancing the talent we have.”
Though the school season has come to a close, the team has already begun laying the groundwork for a run next year. Szalka is excited about the Trenton American Legion summer league team and thinks it will help prepare the team for another great year.
“Most of them are playing summer ball for the Trenton Legion team and it’s going to help speed up some of the learning curve,” he said. “We’re going to try to use this run as a springboard. It’s different in public schools because you can’t recruit like at private schools, so we’re going to make sure our kids are playing the best ball possible and improving in many different ways.”
As the most successful season in nearly two decades came to its conclusion, Szalka was thankful for the support the team received and credited the community with helping them achieve what they did.
“I’m so thankful for all of the coaches, fans, parents and the community for all of their support. All of the texts, phone calls and emails were unreal and we really felt all of us behind them. We were really happy about where we finished and we’re so proud of the team and we think this can continue. We want to put more banners up and this was a great step in the right direction.”