Hudson Catholic is well armed and very ready

Hudson Catholic senior pitcher/first baseman Jimmy Kemp

Hudson Catholic senior pitcher/first baseman Rafael Solano

Veteran Hudson Catholic head baseball coach Alberto Vasquez knows one thing full well. The only thing that was going to stop his Hawks this spring was the coronavirus that put a halt to everything.

Because if the high school baseball season would have began April 1 as originally planned, then the Hawks would have been a force to be reckoned with this spring.

“We have a phenomenal roster,” Vasquez said. “These kids we have been working hard and doing everything right. Even the freshmen we have are phenomenal. We took the experiences we got from last year and carried them over to this year. And we were pretty good last year.”

Sure enough, the Hawks were 18-6 last season and lost in the Ed “Faa” Ford Memorial Hudson County Tournament semifinals to eventual champion Bayonne.

“Now this team realizes that they were a couple of plays away from possibly winning the county championship,” Vasquez said. “They realized that it takes a lot of work and they were willing to put in the work that they needed to do on their own. They really are an amazing group of kids. We’re ready to go. We’re set. We have three pitchers who are just as good as anyone else.”

Leading the returning pitchers is senior right-hander Rafael Solano, who won six games last season.

“Raffy throws strikes and works the plate well,” Vasquez said. “He just goes right after the batter with every pitch in every at-bat. He’s coming right at you. He’s been clocked at 91 (miles per hour).”

Senior Jimmy Kemp, named as the Hudson County Co-Player of the Year last year with former teammate Tino Salgado (now at the University of Rhode Island) , is known more for his powerful bat. But Kemp is also a solid pitcher, coming from the right side.

“Jimmy is a very good pitcher,” Vasquez said. “He’s very intelligent on the mound. He works hard. He throws hard.”

More on Kemp’s offensive prowess in a bit. Kemp is headed to Iona College on a scholarship in the fall.

Senior Greg Paulino is a right-handed flame thrower who has transferred to Hudson Catholic from a school in Florida. The 6-foot-3 Paulino has already committed to South Alabama in the fall, so the Hawks have two NCAA Division I players on their roster.

“He can throw in the upper 80s, like 87-89,” Vasquez said. “He also has a power slider.”

It gives the Hawks a three-headed pitching machine that not many teams in northern New Jersey can match, never mind Hudson County.

“I think having those three gives the whole team more confidence,” Vasquez said. “We have an ace  going to the mound almost every day. Hitters want to score runs for them. It really is a luxury to have. It makes us all play at a higher level.”

The Hawks’ pitching staff doesn’t end there. Vasquez can also call upon senior righty Ivan Gonzalez (committed to Centenary in Hackettstown), junior righty Alan Sanchez, sophomore righty Randee Cruz, senior righty Roddy Martinez (who is also the team’s main catcher), junior righty Myles Thybulle and junior Andy Antonio, an All-County infielder last season for Ferris who has transferred to Hudson this season.

“Andy will be more like our closer,” Vasquez said.

Martinez is a brilliant catcher with a rifle for a throwing arm.

“He’s as good as it gets,” said Vasquez, who was a great catcher in his own right at Hudson Catholic, Rutgers and a stint in pro baseball.

Freshman Tyler Giordano is another catcher with incredible promise.

Kemp will see most of the time at first base. As a hitter in Hudson County, Kemp has no peers. He batted an astounding .568 last season with six homers and a county-best 40 RBI.

“I think he’s finally realizing what it takes to be a good ballplayer,” Vasquez said of Kemp. “He works extremely hard. And he hits the ball extremely hard. It’s to the point where if he hits it hard and it’s a single, he’s disappointed. He has the potential to be a (Major League Baseball) draft pick.”

Solano will play first when Kemp pitches.

Second base duties will be a mix of Cruz, Gonzalez and sophomore Jason Quinones. Antonio slides in nicely at shortstop, but Gonzalez can play there as well.

“Andy is going to be a tremendous help,” Vasquez said. “Others are going to get the chance to see how good he really is.”

Third base will be handled by Sanchez and a pair of talented freshmen in Sam Porch and Jason Rosado.

Isaiah Decias, twice named to the All-Hudson County team, returns to his spot in left field. Decias is the Rickey Henderson of Hudson County, stealing an amazing 41 bases last year while batting .447 with 34 runs scored. He’s clearly the best leadoff hitter around.

Sophomore Jacob Herrera and freshman Jadan Pagan are battling for time in center field with the versatile freshman Giordano.

Senior Michael Santiago, who got a lot of playing time toward the end of last season, returns in right field along with Thybulle.

Needless to say, this is a loaded team, one that can surely contend for county and state honors if and when the season begins.

“We’re ready to go,” Vasquez said. “I feel bad for the seniors, because they put all the time and effort in. But when we’re ready to play, we’re ready.”

Pretty much says it all.