Western Aims To Cut Mistakes, Add Wins

After a lackluster sub-.500 2012 season, the Western Wildcats are determined not to let their season slip away again and are ready to pounce.

A senior-stacked 2013 team is expected to be solid in the key areas with Sean Horner and Austin Read set to be the top pitchers.

“We had deep pitching staff last year,” second-year manager Paul Barnes said. “I don’t know if we’re as deep this year, but we have a better top half of the rotation. We’ll have fewer people this year, but enough that I think it’ll work for us.”

Behind Horner and Read will be Tyler Fichter, Max Balter, Trent Massaro (younger brother of former Nova ace Troy Massaro) and lefty Tyler Van Nostrand.

Horner threw 20.2 innings last year, striking out 14 and posting a 2.37 ERA while going 3-0. Read threw 19.1 innings with 13 strikeouts. He didn’t win a game last year but is determined to do better this year.

“I have to step up,” Read said. “Last year, I was 0-4 and just didn’t pitch right. This year, I’m working on my mechanics more and hitting the gym, just trying to get bigger for the season.”

Hitting should be sound with Hessey, Max Balter and Fichter leading the way with Carlos Rodriguez, Enzo Clemente and Ryan Gabriel swinging it as well. Barnes also is expecting good things from Armando Hernandez, a transfer from West Broward.

Max Balter hit. 365, Hessey .320 and Fichter .303. Fichter led the team in runs with 20, followed closely by Hessey’s 17. Balter tied with Lucas Carman for most RBIs with 13.

Read said the team is working this fall on ways to boost its run production.

“[We’re working on] putting down bunts and situational hitting,” Read said. “Stealing a base when it’s open, taking an extra bag on a sac fly. Everything counts. You’ve got to put that extra run across.”

Defense also should be a strong suit with experience all around the field. Alex Balter and Gabriel will lock down the catching position.

“[Gabriel] had a tough first half of last year, but he came on at the end and did tremendous behind the plate and at third base,” Barnes said.

Fichter is a “great center fielder,” Barnes said, and will be joined by Alex Villenueva, Luis Clemente, Domenico Coppolone and Massaro in the outfield.

Max Balter brings two years’ worth of experience to short stop, and Hessey is the second baseman. Clemente and Rodriguez will be at first, and Hernandez, Rodriguez and Anthony Defabio will play at the third.

Western also expects a stricter weight-training program to translate into success on the field.

“That’s making a big difference,” Barnes said. “Physically, we’re in much, much better shape than I can remember Western’s baseball team ever being.”

Another plus this year is that Western’s coaches are giving the players more one-on-one attention.

“We’ll be a lot more prepared to compete,” Barnes said. “Last year, we had a good fall, but I think some of the kids last year took for granted they were going to succeed. This year, there’s a lot more competition for spots, and I think they want it more.”

With experience around the field, sound pitching and good offense, in addition to the players being more fit, the Wildcats hope they can have a better showing in the District 8A-12, where they posted just a 4-6 record last year. Even teams that usually aren’t considered top teams can pull surprises in that district.

“We found out first hand how tough and scrappy Everglades was,” Barnes said. “We blew our district spot by the game we lost to them and they went and beat Cypress [Bay], and we lost the tiebreaker. We definitely struggled with that last year. I haven’t seen the other district schools in the fall, but traditionally, you know Flanagan is going to be good, Cypress is always good, West Broward obviously is very good as well.”

Read said “our district is tough. Whether Flanagan has Mesa, they got Gentry. Whether West Broward has Zapata, they have Matt Hardy now. We’re just going to have to compete. Cypress, you can’t even count them out. Everglades made districts last year, so you can’t even take them out.”

Western also will try to eliminate mistakes from costing them games.

“Last year, our big problem was a couple of games we got blown out of the water, but our first district game against Flanagan and the second one against West Broward we lost because of our mistakes,” Barnes said. “We walked people and made errors. They put us in a position to make those mistakes, but ultimately it was our mistakes that cost us.”

Rodriguez said he and his teammates are changing their approach to the game to change the situation.

“We’re thinking it out more and thinking out the game a little more smoother and slower,” he said.

Read said the team has adjusted to Barnes as the manager and should have had a better season under him.

“He’s a good coach, and we played like crap last year.” Read said. “With him, we should be above .500. We went 9-11. I’m hoping for 14 wins. We have the talent to do it, so might as well.”

Barnes said he sees the players coming together as a unit after a summer in which many of them competed for the Breakers.

“They’re a real close-knit group,” Barnes said. “They’re always hanging out together, which can be good and bad in the classroom. They all have each other’s backs. I haven’t seen any of the bickering or jealousy or the petty stuff that kind of crept up at the end of last year when we knew we were done and we saw some stuff come out. I don’t think we’ll have a problem with that this year. It’s a family. They’re just a good bunch of kids.”

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