Cape May Tech Baseball Team Rebounding from Slow Start

Cape May Technical High School won the most baseball games of its 17 year-history in 2014 with nine victories. Head coach Matt Pleasants has guided the Hawks for a decade and he credits the program’s upswing to the additions of four-year junior varsity coach Josh Mercado and second year varsity assistant Jason Vilimas.
“They bring great energy and enthusiasm and relate well to the players,” said Pleasants. “Josh is the head basketball coach and has been a tremendous asset to the baseball program. Jason played at Delsea Regional and collegiately at Neumann. He brings a lot of solid baseball knowledge to our program.”
Pleasants admits to being a bit disappointed with the team’s goose egg in Myrtle Beach. Five games in South Carolina failed to bring home a win, but the return to the Garden State has resulted in three victories in three starts through Sunday.
A Law and Public Safety instructor for Tech, Pleasants said he thought the club would head north with at least of a couple of W’s.
“We didn’t expect that result,” said the North Cape May resident and Doylestown, Pa. native. “We really wanted to win a couple of games down there. We came up short.”
Pleasants said that was particularly impactful because, unlike previous seasons, the calendar said April, not March, when the team went to Myrtle Beach so those contests count toward the squad’s regular season record. In past years, they were scrimmage games only.
The player who stirs the drink for the Hawks is centerfielder Wil Winter. A leadoff hitter with considerable speed, Winter was one of the few Tech ballplayers to perform effectively in South Carolina. The senior is also a quality hurler.
“He’s a four-year varsity starter for us and he’s been our MVP for the past two years,” said Pleasants. “He’s just an outstanding baseball player with great speed. He covers a lot of ground and is really effective as a lead-off hitter.”
The coach said Winter may continue his career as a collegian at Salisbury State in Maryland.
Junior Hunter Tomlin plays the outfield and first base when he’s not pitching. The lefthander bats second in the line-up. “He’s hit well thus far this year and has shown promise as a pitcher,” said Pleasants.
Senior Steve Bond is a solid outfielder, also with good speed. He hits between three and five in the order and is counted on to plate some runs for the Hawks.
First baseman Shane Adams is another guy counted upon for run production. The senior is also a middle-of-the-order guy. “We’re looking for production from him,” said Pleasants.
Catcher Chris Russ is another senior. Pleasants likes the way Russ handles the pitchers and calls the game from behind the plate.
Sophomore twins Paul and Robert Edmunds are relied upon for solid defense. Robert is the shortstop while Paul patrols leftfield.
“Robert also pitches for us,” said the coach. “They’re both reliable defensive players and they’ll get the chance to bat in the meat of the line-up.”
Pleasants has high hopes for newcomer Carson Denham. He’s a freshman with good control who will be relied upon as an anchor for the program’s future. Pleasants hopes his team can make some noise in the annual New Jersey Technical School Athletic Conference. The one-and-down conference tournament is sprinkled throughout the team’s regular season as long as they keep winning. The Hawks hosted and defeated Medford Tech and are awaiting the scheduling of their second Tech Tournament game.
“Those games are added throughout the season and it’s important to us,” said Pleasants. “We really want to do well in that tournament. We won one and lost our second game last year so we might be on the road for the second game this year.”
The coach said he still believes his Hawks can be contenders in the CAL National Conference.
“We made the playoffs last year and we look to make it again this year,” he said. “We have a handful of seniors who experienced it a year ago so we should be more prepared. Last year was our first time in the playoffs. We know what to expect.”