THE RIGHT STUFF: Princeton Day School baseball player Owen Ehrenkranz fires a pitch in a game earlier this season. Last Thursday, sophomore Ehrenkranz went the distance on the mound in a losing cause as fifth-seeded PDS fell 4-0 to third-seeded Pennington in the Prep B state final at Diamond Nation in Flemington. Ehrenkranz struck out seven and yielded seven hits as the Panthers moved to 12-13. PDS will look to make another tournament run as it starts action this week in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) South Jersey Group B tourney. The Panthers are seeded eighth and were slated to host ninth-seeded Holy Cross Prep on May 26 with the victor advancing to a quarterfinal contest at top-seeded Gloucester Catholic on May 28. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)
By Bill Alden
Taking the mound for the Princeton Day School baseball team against Pennington last Thursday in the Prep B state final, Owen Ehrenkranz took an aggressive approach.
“I know they are a good team,” said sophomore right-hander Ehrenkranz. “I was just going to attack them with my best stuff and just compete as hard as I could.”
Pennington, though, attacked first, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning. Ehrenkranz got out of the jam by staking out the last two Red Hawk batters.
“That settled me in a lot,” said Ehrenkranz, referring to the strikeouts. “That is something me and the coaches have been working on a lot, just getting settled in the first inning.”
After that shaky start, Ehrenkranz got into a groove, retiring nine straight Pennington batters over the next three innings. “I was putting the fast ball where I wanted to and landed my slider,” said Ehrenkranz. “I just really got into my element. I was mixing it well.”
In the fifth, the Red Hawks did break through for two runs as they ended up prevailing 4-0.
While Ehrenkranz was disappointed by the outcome, he was proud of his mound effort which saw him go the distance, striking out seven and yielding seven hits in six innings.
“It was not the result I want,” said Ehrenkranz. “It was a nice way to end. I laid it all out there tonight.”
In Ehrenkranz’s view, the Panthers gave their all collectively.
“I think we hung in there really well and fought,” said Ehrenkranz.
“Coach (Eric Schnepf) has instilled it in us and we did it tonight. We really held in there.”
Having transferred to PDS last fall from Gill St. Bernard’s, Ehrenkranz has made a smooth transition to his new school.
“It has worked out great,” said Ehrenkranz. “PDS is a great academic institution. I love the guys. I love the environment that coach Schnepf creates.”
Ehrenkranz has been thriving in that environment as he has pitched to a 2.56 ERA with 66 strikeouts and has also hit .250 with 17 hits and 18 runs.
“I think it is just the mentality that coach has instilled in me, just telling me to attack,” said Ehrenkranz. “I think he has brought out the best in me and all of our coaching staff has brought out the best in me. They do it for all of our guys. I am really proud of what we have done this year.”
PDS head coach Schnepf liked the way his guys were competing coming into the final.
“The kids were playing well,” said Schnepf. “They had a lot of confidence, trusting in themselves and each other. They played really good baseball to get to this point. I am proud of their efforts to get here.”
Schnepf acknowledged that Pennington played some good baseball in topping the Panthers in the final and holding them to two hits.
“They are a very good baseball team,” said Schnepf. “They are well coached, they can hit and they play clean defense. The two guys that threw today shut us down completely. They threw lights out. We never got the big hit. We had competitive at-bats and worked some guys on but hit a couple of at-them balls.”
In Schnepf’s view, Ehrenkranz competed very well on the mound.
“I thought Owen threw a fantastic game,” said Schnepf, whose team moved to 12-13 with loss. “They came out and they score two. He brushed that off and he keeps going. He found a groove, he was really cruising. He was mixing his pitches, he has been doing that all year. He has a fast ball and breaking ball off of that. He can throw a changeup too. He gave us a chance to win.”
Having Ehrenkranz join the program this year has been a big plus for the squad.
“He has been huge addition, not just from what you see on the mound but just how he carries himself in the dugout and how he jells with the guys,” said Schnepf. “He has been awesome, he is a great teammate. He is young leader and an important voice in the locker room.”
Panther freshman catcher Mack Chiavarone credited Ehrenkranz with playing a key role in helping him adjust to high school baseball.
“As a freshman coming in here, obviously there were doubts about what was going to happen, what was it going to be like,” said Chiavarone.
“I have to say Owen made it so comfortable for me. On top of being a great baseball player, he is just a great teammate and a terrific person.”
After its terrific run to the Prep B final, PDS will be looking build on that as it starts action this week in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) South Jersey Group B tournament. The Panthers are seeded eighth and were slated to host ninth-seeded Holy Cross Prep on May 26 with the victor advancing to a quarterfinal contest at top-seeded Gloucester Catholic on May 28.
“They are a year older, bigger, faster, stronger and another year together,” said Schnepf. “They have had another year to emotionally and mentally mature and another year to be more confident too. We have a big portion of the group coming back. I am just excited to see how they handle this adversity moving forward for states this year and how that translates into next year.”
Ehrenkranz, for his part, believes that PDS has what it takes to excel on both the short and long term.
“I am very confident in this team and this group of guys,” said Ehrenkranz. “We are gritty and we are going to always put it all out there on the field. I think the team is going to be in good shape for years to come.”