By Joe Pantorno, Assistant Sports Editor
The Hofstra Pride baseball team has had their ups and downs this year. It seems like the pitching and offense can never get on the same page at the same time. Coach Patrick Anderson has had to delve into his freshman class and throw the new kids into the fire. Two of these fresh faces are pitchers Jared Rogers and David D'Errico.
Rogers, a Flemington, NJ native, went a combined 20-1 in his final two years in high school, leading Hunterdon Central Regional High School to two consecutive state championships in 2008 and 2009. These successes though have not gotten to his head.
"Good high school baseball is nothing compared to good college baseball," said Rogers. The high school phenom came to Hofstra with a little help from one of his Hunterdon teammates. "Jared Hammer goes here," said Rogers. "He committed a week before me and that was probably a little factor going somewhere where you know you're going to be with someone."
D'Errico, hailing from North Kingstown, RI, also was a high school standout. At North Kingstown High School, D'Errico was a force to be reckoned with in the batters box along with on the pitchers mound. While posting a 1.98 ERA as a junior, D'Errico also batted .464 and as a freshman and senior, he helped lead his team to the state semifinals. D'Errico found his way to Hofstra with the help of Anderson. "I had a good relationship with coach. I liked how he was and how he approached the game," D'Errico said.
There is a very unique situation going on for the Hofstra University baseball team. Out of the 35-man roster, 20 members are freshman and a majority of them are getting significant playing time. Rogers is 2-6 with a 9.00 ERA and D'Errico has the best win-loss record on the team posting a 3-2 mark with a 6.51 ERA. Pitching in a very tough conference in the CAA is a daunting task for any pitcher and the younger members of the team must have the correct mindset. "You have to be two steps ahead of them because they are trying to be one step ahead of you," said Rogers.
With the pitching proving to be difficult, the staff realizes there is time for improvement and the support will always be unwavering. "We're a close group," said D'Errico. "We have to get the job done and we are all like family doing that and that's what it is all about here. If someone has a good outing, we are there to pat him on the back."
With members of the Pride showing the chemistry that any winning team needs, it is only a matter of time before the wins start coming. Starting out early, Jared Rogers and Dave D'Errico will look to become the centerpieces to hopefully a very impressive pitching staff in the future.