Colts played, practice on road all season
It’s been anything but a normal season for the DeSales High School baseball team.
With construction ongoing at their athletics facility on campus, the Colts were forced to play, and practice, on the road all season. The result? An up-and-down regular season, and improbably, a second consecutive district title.
The Colts secured the 22nd District with an upset 3-1 victory over Butler, which had shut out DeSales in its only regular-season matchup, 4-0. Ben Newberry led the Colts at the plate and on the mound, throwing a complete-game six-hitter, conceding just one run while striking out five. At the plate, Newberry had a pair of hits.
“It means a lot,” DeSales head coach T.J. Cataldo said of winning the district title. “Butler is a very good baseball team, and winning (the district) back to back means a lot for the school. We enjoy playing tough competition and win playing in those games. We’ve told the guys from the beginning of the year, the regular season record doesn’t matter, you’ve got to build all the experience you have and then move on to region and then move from region to state. (Wednesday) was the first step to that progression in the postseason.
“Overall, it’s just a great win. With not having a home field this year the team has battled a lot of adversity. Practicing in a lot of different places. In a parking lot one day, a gym the next, and an indoor facility the next day. From February 15 until now they’ve come a long way and come together as a team. It showed (on Wednesday night). Ben threw a gem last night. I think he was 76 percent strikes on his first pitch and I believe he sat down the first batter of every inning. It was a great team win and it gives us some momentum headed into Monday.”
The Colts struggled to start off the season, and on paper it looked like they were close to rock bottom after a seven-game losing skid that coincided with the team’s spring break trip to Farragut, Tenn., a suburb of Knoxville. According to Cataldo, that was actually the turning point of the season, as the team was able to get some much-needed practices on an actual baseball field.
Since that spring break trip in early April, the Colts are 11-7 and now district champions.
Another fun addition to the team has been a World Wrestling Entertainment-style wrestling belt, that has been passed around the team and goes each week to the player with the most quality at-bats. The coaching staff looks at number of pitches seen in an at-bat, moving runners over to the next base, getting on base and hard-hit balls in play, among other criteria. The team has reportedly adopted this new mentality and it’s shown in recent weeks.
“I think the practices helped and we started to focus on the idea of a quality at-bat,” Cataldo said. “We were working with the guys to say it doesn’t matter if it’s a sacrifice bunt or a walk, but make sure every plate appearance you have helps the team. Do whatever you have to do to help the team. Find a way to get on base, move the runners, something. When you’re able to do that, good things will happen. Really I think once we started to focus on that it really helped. The players bought in.”
In addition to Newberry, Cataldo has been able to rely on junior Alex Brothers and seniors Tyler Tucker and Scott Kaufman at the plate and on the mound to produce in key moments during the games.
“Alex Brothers, Tyler Tucker have hit the ball well this year. Kaufman has been swinging the bat well and we have a lot of guys who do a good job at putting the ball in play,” Cataldo said. “We tell our guys if you can avoid a strikeout and put the ball in play, good things will happen.
One thing, for the most part, pitchers have done a great job keeping us in the game,” Cataldo added later. “I’m really confident in our depth in pitching.”
Even with the likes of North Bullitt, Bullitt East, Fairdale and Pleasure Ridge Park awaiting DeSales in the Sixth Region tournament, Cataldo believes that the region is anyone’s to win this year.
“I think we’ve got the potential to win it. I really do,” he said. “I think if you look at all the teams left in the region, every one has the chance to win it. After speaking with a couple of coaches from other schools, I think the region is wide open this year. North Bullitt is obviously in good shape and they’ve got guys returning from the previous two years, but I think it’s an open region and I think it will be interesting to see how the week pans out. But I like our chances.”
