Last Thursday St. Ed’s varsity baseball team defeated Fort Pierce Westwood for the second time in five days to enter spring break with a 7-0 record and surpass the total number of wins from a year ago when the Pirates finished 6-9.
St. Ed’s jumped out to a 6-0 lead after two innings and held off the Panthers for a 9-6 victory. Pitchers Kishore Chundi and Scott Simpson combined on a five-hitter with 14 strikeouts. Third baseman Ryan Motto had a key two-run double and Simpson had three RBIs to pace the attack.
Head coach Jim Peters has good reason to be pleased so far after finding out what a difference a year makes.
“We brought back most of the same starting unit from last year and we’re pretty solid,” Peters said. “We look pretty good and we are getting up to speed. We didn’t have to do much about changing our position players because we knew where everybody should be.”
That means a seasoned defense – essentially intact from a year ago – will take the field behind a formidable one-two punch on the mound featuring starters Chundi and Simpson. Chundi was a three-point specialist with the basketball team, and when the hoops season finally ended he fired a two-hitter in his first outing on Feb. 25. The right hander also fanned 13 and had four hits in a 14-4 win over Palm Beach Lakes.
Simpson took the hill two days later and struck out 15 in a 9-8 extra inning squeaker in the first meeting with Westwood. He also contributed three hits, three runs and three RBIs to the cause. The winning run scored in the eighth inning when Jackson Jennings singled, stole two bases, and was driven in by Ed Baucom.
“They are excellent starters and provide good senior leadership,” Peters said of Chundi and Simpson. “They have been in the trenches and know how to pitch. I can start them and get as many pitches as I can for four or five innings before I call upon Ryan Motto, Tyler Peters or Tommy Nelson to finish. They have all done an excellent job for us, so I’ve got some solid pitching behind Kishore and Scotty.”
While a typical high school schedule allows for a team to thrive with two horses as starters, you really can’t have too many good arms. Ryan Motto proved that point when he tossed a no-hitter in a 6-1, darkness-shortened win vs. Pahokee on March 1.
Tyler Peters and Tommy Nelson will likely get most of the innings out of the bullpen. Peters throws from an arm slot that tends to baffle hitters in tight, late-game situations. In perhaps the most significant adjustment of the season, a new catcher will be tasked with handling the pitching staff.
“We are really working hard with Jackson Jennings,” Peters said. “This is his first year behind the plate and as long as he holds up back there we are going to be doing really well.
“Overall the defense is really solid. They know where to be and how to take their cut off throws. And I’ve got a pretty solid outfield this year. Desmond Haigler came in this year, and for a first-year player he’s really fast and he can run down fly balls. He’s given us a more depth in the corner outfield positions, and we were able to move (1B/OF) Tommy Nelson over to center.
“Our offense is coming along. Hitting is usually the last thing that comes into play. It’s not just about getting hits. We are working on putting the ball in play and hitting with runners on base. The guys are learning about the importance of moving base runners over. We are always working on that part of the game.”
Co-captain Chundi explained how the lineup is designed to produce runs, telling us, “I lead off with Tyler (Peters) batting second. I’m not really a power hitter, I just try to slap the ball around. Same thing with Tyler although he gets some solid base hits. Scotty (Simpson) bats third and he’s our RBI man. Certainly Ryan Motto and Tommy Nelson are also RBI guys and power hitters.
“We also have guys like (DH) Sam Prado, a lefty bat this year. He has a very nice swing taking the ball the other way. Desmond (Haigler) is one of the best bunters and base runners we have ever seen. My little brother (1B/OF Anand Chundi) will be a power hitter in time, but we have to wait for him to develop.”
One thing that has developed so far in 2016 is an undefeated team. Eleven more games are scheduled starting next Wednesday. The Pirates are playing an independent schedule that concludes April 16 with a 1 p.m. game at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter vs. Community Christian Academy.
