Cougars try to put it all together in ABCCL play
Local players getting their chances to contribute
BY VIN RAPOLLA
Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff Above, Ocean’s Brett Chachko works the mound for the Central Jersey Cougars during a game with the Manchester Yankees on Sunday at Manchester High School. At left, Ocean’s Bobby Fox tries to lay down a bunt.

Nobody seems to enjoy the action of the Atlantic Baseball Confederation Collegiate League as much as the coaches.

Take Dave Wilson, the head coach of the Central Jersey Cougars, for example.

Wilson’s team won a one-run ballgame on Tuesday over the Freehold Clippers to improve to 4-13 on the season — a mark good enough for last place in the league.

But the squad’s early struggles have done nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of its head coach, who is enjoying this season immensely.

“We came out to a slow start, but it’s really an interesting situation because you’ve got players coming from all around the county, and a lot of times you don’t know what they can do until you see them,” the coach said. “You can look at stats all you want, but until you see them in action...”

And Wilson is confident that now that he knows a bit more about his players, the wins will start to pile up.

“We’re slowly picking it up,” he said. “We had a chance to sweep a doubleheader on Sunday against the first-place team, but had to settle for a split when they took the second game, 2-1. We actually had a 1-0 lead in the last inning, but they scored a couple to take the lead. We then had second and third with two outs, but couldn’t get the run in.”

Wilson’s Cougars, like all of the teams in the ABCCL, is loaded with local players and some collegiate stars who have traveled from as far as Texas to take part in the blossoming wood-bat league.

“It’s really interesting and exciting,” Wilson said of the draw of the league. “It’s great to meet and coach these kids from all over the country, and the level of play is really high. I think most of the teams start out a little slow, mainly because the coaches don’t really know what each player is capable of doing. But once you can put them into positive situations where they can be successful, the level of play really increases.”

This year’s Cougar team includes a handful of local products, starting with the tandem of Bobby Fox and Brett Chachko, former stars at Ocean Township High School.

Chachko, now a sophomore at Central Connecticut State, has become one of the Cougars’ better pitchers this summer, and has impressed his coach with his improvement.

“He struggled a bit at first but is pitching tremendously for us right now,” Wilson said. “He is without question one of our top three pitchers.”

Fox, a sophomore catcher at Rowan University, has also started to come on of late.

“Bobby is also coming around nicely,” Wilson said. “He’s a catcher, but has proven to be one of the more versatile team players we’ve got. We had some problems with our pitching staff early on, and Bobby came in and pitched well for us.”

While Fox’s offensive numbers are not quite where he’d like them at this point (7-for-34, .242), Wilson believes those numbers will get better as the season progresses.

“He’s hitting the ball much better of late,” the coach said. “It just seems like a lot of times he’s hitting it right at people. But he’s doing well. In fact, he came up with a big RBI in the win [over the Clippers on Tuesday].”

Howell’s Kyle Bradley, a recent graduate of Red Bank Catholic who is heading to Rutgers in the fall, is another local talent who has performed well for the Cougars.

“He’s a young guy who is definitely right up there with Chachko as one of our top pitchers,” Wilson said. “We’ve been keeping his pitch count kind of low thus far, just trying to build up some arm strength. He throws the ball very hard and can start or pitch in relief for us.”

Manalapan’s Chris Marino, a sophomore pitcher at Wagner College, is another versatile arm for Wilson.

“Chris is a real nice ballplayer,” the coach said. “He’s willing to do anything for us — start, throw some middle relief, or even close. He actually pitched in Sunday’s 2-1 loss, and was great. Both runs were unearned.”

That leaves the Jackson duo of Brian Ciamarra and Rob Kane, a pair of players Wilson coached at the high school level.

“I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for those two guys,” the coach admitted.

Ciamarra, a junior outfielder at Ocean County College, is a defensive specialist who has flourished when given the chance this summer, according to his coach.

“He plays all three outfield positions well, and even when he doesn’t know where he’s going to be playing until game time, he always does a nice job,” Wilson said.

As for Kane, now a junior shortstop at the University of Tampa, Wilson describes him as the type of player every coach would love to have.

“He’s done a tremendous job at shortstop for us,” Wilson said. “He’s improved his game from his high school years so much. And he’s a special type of player at the bat. He does all the little things, the dirty work that other guys don’t want to do.”

Kane has also pitched a few innings for the Cougars this summer, but Wilson said that he’d much rather leave the speedster at shortstop, where he is a vacuum.

“At this level, you really want your pitchers to be pitchers,” he said. “The difference between the pitching in high school and in college is night and day.”

A look at the league leaders in batting statistics proves Wilson’s point, with most hitters struggling to get near the .300 mark, much less the .400 and .500 averages they were accustomed to carrying in high school.

But that’s part of the charm of the ABCCL. Many of the players, though extremely talented, are much like the league itself: works in progress.

True fans of baseball are just beginning to realize what the ABCCL has to offer.

The coaches have appreciated it all along.