IN THE ZONE: Princeton Day School baseball player Luke Franzoni takes a swing in a game this spring. Senior star and Xavier University-bound Franzoni produced a superb final campaign for PDS, batting .538 with 28 hits, 29 runs seven doubles, four triples, 10 homers, and 25 RBIs in 18 games. His heroics helped the Panthers go 8-11 and advance to state Prep B semifinals. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
Coming into this spring, Luke Franzoni was ready to shoulder more responsibility for the Princeton Day School baseball team.
“Clearly we lost some key guys from last year with seniors like Paul [Franzoni], Ryan [Sparks], Chase [Fleming], and Zach [Dudeck],” said the 6’2, 175-pound Franzoni, an infielder/pitcher. “I just wanted to come in with a positive mindset being a senior this year, knowing I am going to be a leader.”
In addition to exuding an upbeat approach, Franzoni showed leadership with a tremendous season at the plate, batting .538 with 28 hits, 29 runs, seven doubles, four triples, 10 homers, and 25 RBIs in 18 games. His heroics helped the Panthers go 8-11 and advance to state Prep B semifinals.
Franzoni’s production this spring was the product of intense preparation.
“I worked a lot with my cousin B.J. [Dudeck] (a former PDS baseball star who played college ball for VMI and LaSalle) all summer just trying to make the adjustments here and there at the plate,” said Franzoni.
“I was trying to be more patient. I knew a lot of teams would try to throw around me this year. I was trying to stay in the zone and not swing at bad pitches, and when I get a pitch, try to take advantage of it.”
After a rough spring training trip to Florida, which saw PDS go winless, Franzoni focused on leading by example.
“I was trying to keep positive for everyone and keep working hard,” said Franzoni.
“We ended up starting the regular season with three wins; I think that is what gave a lot of the younger guys confidence and helped going forward. It helped me step into a bigger role and just pushing them along.”
Although PDS hit a rough patch in the middle of the season, it played some good ball down the stretch.
“We played well when it came time. We knew games when we really needed to play our best,” said Franzoni.
“We played a really good game against Hun, we went extra innings with them (a 14-12 loss on April 11). We played an awesome game in the Prep B quarters; we beat Newark Academy, who was a good team (4-1 on May 8). We played a good game against Steinert in the MCT but that got away from us (a 5-4 loss on May 7 after leading 4-1). Little things here or there could have gone a different way but I think we played well. I was proud of what everyone did.”
Franzoni was also proud of the team spirit and unity displayed by the Panthers throughout the spring.
“I noticed a lot more energy from the bench. Everyone was always into the game, picking up their teammates,” said Franzoni.
“A lot of people were being loud. That stuff gets overlooked sometimes in baseball; it is a slow game and that can be important. We had a few games where we were down a little and ended up coming back, and I think the energy definitely helped with that.”
In assessing his power surge this season, Franzoni channelled his energy into lifting the ball at the plate.
“A lot of it is just trying to get the ball in the air,” said Franzoni. “If you get the ball in the air, then you give yourself a chance. If you try to hit the ball in the air and you miss, you may hit a line drive. That is my mentality and it definitely helped me.
Franzoni enjoyed the chance to play four seasons for PDS. “Looking at PDS baseball, there was a lot of development in my four years,” said Franzoni, who ended his career with 76 hits, 18 homers, 62 RBIs, and was chosen to play for the Mercer County team in the 2018 Carpenter Cup Classic.
“As a freshman I came in and we had a really solid team with JP Radvany, Jake Alu, and Cole McManimon, all of those D-1 seniors. I had to wait my turn and it helped me want to get better everyday and work harder. PDS baseball is a great family, everyone supporting each other no matter what.”
There was a special family connection on the Panthers for Franzoni as he was joined on the team by his older brother Paul, a star catcher now playing for NJIT’s Division I baseball program.
“Playing with Paul was probably one of my favorite things about the PDS baseball team,” said Franzoni. “He is my brother, and he is my best friend too. We are each other’s biggest supporter.”
This fall, Franzoni will be following in his brother’s footsteps as he will be attending Xavier University and joining its D-I baseball team.
“When I went to Xavier, everything felt right,” said Franzoni, noting that his travel team, the Flemington-based New Jersey Diamond Jacks, helped in his college recruiting process.
“They had a new head coach this year. He is a young guy and a really good guy. He is easy to talk to and easy to relate to; everything else about the school was awesome.”