The Marlboro Mustangs won an All-Shore Conference matchup with the Monmouth County Oilers to claim the 16U Summer Finale title.
By Rich Bevensee
There was a brief moment, late in the 16U Summer Finale championship game at Diamond Nation in Flemington, when Matt Baczor reflected on the tremendous progress he’s made as a pitcher.
Baczor was one out away from polishing off a one-hit shutout when a batter reached safely on a dropped third strike. The next batter hit an RBI double and spoiled his shutout bid.
There was a time years ago when Baczor would lose his composure after a series of events like that. Not anymore.
“When I was younger and more immature I was not able to handle the failure moments of baseball,” Baczor said. “As I got older and matured I realized that those failure moments in baseball happen often. It’s something you have to accept if you want to continue to succeed and cherish the good moments with your guys.”
In keeping with his more mature outlook of handling misfortune, Baczor focused on the next batter and induced a routine infield grounder for the third out, allowing his Marlboro Mustangs to clinch the 16U Summer Finale crown with a 3-1 victory over the Monmouth County Oilers.
“I’ve coached Matt since he was 10 and the biggest thing he’s improved on is controlling his anger,” Mustangs coach Sal Damiano said. “He eventually learned to funnel it into pitching. In the old days, after that dropped third strike, he may have fallen off the mound and we went to the bullpen. Not anymore. He’s a different pitcher now.”
Baczor and his battery mate, Wyatt Lewis, are rising seniors at St. John Vianney in Holmdel. Lewis said nothing that Baczor does surprises him because he has become so consistent, in his performance and his demeanor.
“He was very good today at locating when using his offspeed pitches, and knew what he needed to throw and when to throw it,” Lewis said.
Lewis earned the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award for one absolutely sizzling weekend at the plate. He batted .833 with 10 hits including three doubles and two triples, four walks, nine RBI and six runs scored. He closed the team’s five-game set with a 1.700 slugging percentage and an .875 on-base percentage.
“My summer has been great, hitting-wise,” Lewis said. “Last week of summer, last summer ball game ever, I wanted to give it everything I’ve got.”
Baczor, a 5-11 righty, pitched a complete game two-hitter with one walk and six strikeouts using a fastball, slider and curveball.
“His fastball to curveball differential is 12 mph,” Damiano said. “When he has command of both he is unhittable.”
“I wouldn’t say today was my best of the summer but I would say it was the most consistent,” Baczor said. “The point of still being able to throw strikes through the sixth and seventh inning was really important. I was happy that I was able to stay consistently around the zone late in the game.”
In one regard, it was the kind of performance the Mustangs (16-4) are accustomed to getting from Baczor.
Marlboro Mustangs catcher Wyatt Lewis batted .833 and slugged 1.700 to earn MVP honors.
On the other hand, Baczor had to produce a sterling performance because his adversary, Oilers right-hander Deklin Sloan, was pitching a gem as well.
Sloan, a rising 6-2, 220-pound sophomore at Toms River East, was matching Baczor zero for zero on the scoreboard. All except for one inning.
In the bottom of the third, Sloan allowed a one-out single to Salvatore Damiani and a walk to Lewis before Baczor hit a 1-0 delivery from Sloan over the left field fence for a three-run home run. It was Sloan’s only mistake.
“I think it was a pretty good pitch because it was a low and outside fastball,” Sloan said. “It was a borderline ball and strike and he just went down and got it. Once he hit it it felt like a mistake, but I still thought it was a well executed pitch.”
Sloan pitched all six innings for the Oilers (21-5) and allowed three runs on four hits and three walks with five strikeouts.
Baczor kept rolling after his home run. He retired the next 11 batters before the dropped third strike in the seventh.
“Watching those zeroes go up there is definitely one of the most fun parts of the game,” Baczor said. “Another good part of the game is having seven guys behind you who you know are going to make all the plays. We definitely had a bunch of web gems all over the field. This was a great win for the guys.”
Baczor credited Damiano and fellow Mustangs coach Travis Evernham with helping him curb his anger on the field. He feels strongly that without their guidance, outings like the one he enjoyed in the 16U title game Sunday would not be possible.
“They are the two people who held me accountable a lot,” Baczor said. “Those times when you could see me struggling with anger, they helped me overcome that obstacle. One of the greatest things is coming back into the dugout after stuff hits the fan and you don’t know what’s going on, and being able to control it. Then, after the fact, telling yourself you handled that well, and going back out there and doing your job is one of the best parts of this game.”