 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction)
STRIKING GOLD: Scott Goldsmith enjoys himself last summer while managing the Princeton-Cranbury Senior Babe Ruth team. This spring, Goldsmith, a 1996 PHS alum, is taking over as the baseball head coach for his alma mater. The Little Tigers begin regular season play later this week when they face Hamilton West on April 1.
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Scott Goldsmith gained some valuable lessons on the Princeton High playing fields during the mid-1990s.
Now, Goldsmith is getting to impart what he learned to current athletes at his alma mater as the new head coach of the PHS baseball team.
The affable Goldsmith, a 1996 PHS alum, is relishing that opportunity as he takes over for John Miranda, the school athletic director who has decided to relinquish his baseball post.
"It's very rewarding to coach at the school I went to," said Goldsmith, a three-year football letterman and JV baseball player during his high school days.
"The coaches I had showed me the way. I've talked to the kids about the Princeton High athletic tradition."
Goldsmith believes his team can add to that storied tradition despite posting a 5-17 mark last spring.
"I think this team has a lot of confidence," asserted Goldsmith, the PHS JV baseball coach the last four seasons who also helps coach the PHS varsity football team. "We have a huge senior class with 13 seniors; it's good to have numbers like that. We're pumped up to get the season started."
The new head coach is pumped up to have one of those seniors, Colin Sarafin, as his pitching ace. "Colin is looking good," said Goldsmith, noting that Sarafin is still rehabbing his shoulder from an injury suffered from hockey season. "In the county tournament games last year, he showed how good he can be. He's got good breaking stuff and he's hitting his spots."
Goldsmith is looking to seniors Ryan Gordy and Will Comer to round out the starting staff with classmates Luke Stern and Dan Etherton to handle bullpen duties.
The talented Etherton, who hit .458 last spring with 10 RBIs and 15 runs scored, should jump start the PHS offense. "I'm looking for a huge season from Dan," said Goldsmith. "He'll be in centerfield where he can use his speed."
Joining Etherton in the heart of the PHS order will be Sarafin, senior Matt Gerard, and junior Chris Brooks. PHS also has some speedy tablesetters in seniors Matt Walters and Erik Cooper together with junior John Miranda.
The Little Tigers will try to seize the initiative offensively this spring. "We're going to play situational baseball," said Goldsmith. "We're going to be aggressive and use our speed. We need to keep our minds into the game 100 percent of the time."
Goldsmith will also be looking for heady defensive play from his veteran squad. Around the horn in the infield, Goldsmith plans to use Stern at first base with Miranda at second, Brooks at shortstop, Sarafin at third, and Gerard and David Staller at catcher.
In the outfield, Etherton will hold down centerfield with Cooper, Walters, David Griffin, and Luke LaVoie battling for the corner spots.
In order for the Little Tigers to have a winning campaign, they will need to combine the physical and mental elements of the game.
"I think that we need to hit the ball and we need to be mentally into the game," said Goldsmith, who will be looking for leadership from team captains Cooper, Gerard, and Etherton.
"I don't mean just keeping our heads in the game but being ready for whoever we play. When we've played the Hamilton teams in the past, we seem to have the feeling that we're going to lose. We have to feel we can beat anyone we play."
Goldsmith, whose team starts the regular season on April 1 when it plays Hamilton West, has a good feeling about his players. "I've worked with a lot of these kids for a long while," added
Goldsmith, who has coached in the Princeton Little League and Senior Babe Ruth programs. "I've been coaching some of them since Little League. It's been a long ride with these kids."
And if the PHS seniors come through, the team could have a special ride in Goldsmith's debut season at the helm.
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