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Sports

Foundation Set, Future Looks Bright For Dodgers Baseball

Madison High School baseball team gained experience in first season under Ennis.

In his second year as a baseball coach at Ramapo College, Mickey Ennis won the NCAA Division III national championship. In his second year as a football coach at Pascack Hills High School, his team completed one of the biggest turnarounds in New Jersey, improving from zero to seven wins.

At the end of his first season in charge of the Madison baseball program, Ennis smiled wryly when asked about his history.

"Maybe it's a sign of what'll happen next year," he said.

Even without Ennis' pedigree, Madison would seem to be a smart bet to improve by leaps and bounds in the coach's second season. The Dodgers in 2010 had the look of a team a year away from contending for championships. Whether they improve as drastically as Ennis' teams at Ramapo and Pascack Hills remains to be seen. But it's reason enough to be excited about the future of Madison High School baseball.

And perhaps no one is more excited about the long-term prospects of building a program than the coach himself.

"I'm seeing the sights and sounds of excitement coming from the little league on up," Ennis said. "We want Madison baseball to be here, and here to stay. I want to build a strong foundation here. I'm excited to be a part of the town and this program, and I think five years from now, we'll look back and say this was the turning point in Madison baseball."

When Ennis first met his team in March, he was greeted by a pitching staff with zero combined varsity wins and a lineup with very few varsity at-bats from the 2009 team that finished three games below .500. That didn't stop Ennis from dreaming big in year one–his goal was to win a championship in one of the Dodgers' four competitions–but it did make every new game a learning experience.

The downside was that the young Dodgers struggled in close games en route to finishing with an 11-13 record, losing heartbreakers against top Morris County clubs, and enduring stretches of cold hitting in clutch situations. It was a textbook case of an inexperienced club adjusting to the high level of competition in the NJAC.

"We'll learn from losing to Governor Livingston 6-0, or losing to Millburn 4-0," Ennis said. "Ultimately, those games will make us a better team."

On the other hand, experience won't be a problem in 2011. Eight of Madison's nine regular position players, plus several reserves and the designated hitter, return on offense. Every pitcher who picked up a win in 2010 will be back next season, a year older and stronger.

"I like to think of the season as a successful failure," Ennis said. "We had high aspirations, and we didn't quite reach them. But we improved in each and every game, even without getting to our ultimate goals."

Among the standout performers in 2010:

First baseman Tom Tracy led all regular hitters with a .417 average, blasting four home runs and driving in 23 runs. Tracy's shining moment came against New Providence in the Governor Livingston Tournament on April 11; that day, he went 4-for-5, blasted two no-doubter home runs, and drove in eight. He, along with designated hitter/reliever Jamie Hunter (eight doubles, one home run), provided the punch in the middle of Madison's lineup all season.

There was plenty of speed to go around, including centerfielder Dilan Kluge, who led the team with 13 steals while batting .329. Kluge and Alex Brownlee (.378, 20 runs scored) generally set the table at the top of the lineup for Tracy and Hunter.

Right fielder Mike Haughey's sizzling second half of the season (over .500, bringing his season average to .403) gave Madison the spark it needed to average 6.5 runs per game over the team's last 11 games.

Other standouts included Mike Wallace, who managed 14 hits in his 31 at-bats as a backup utility player and shortstop, and Mike Wulff, whose play (.364 and five doubles in 22 at-bats) Ennis called "a pleasant surprise."

Pitching-wise, junior Connor Allen led the team with four wins and an ERA near 4.00. The two other primary starters, sophomore Connor Higgins and junior Jake Meister, each won two games, as did spot starter Kyle Flanagan. Hunter developed into a capable reliever for the Dodgers, saving three games, including the thrilling comeback victory over Mendham April 22.

"We got bits and pieces of strong pitching," Ennis said. "I love building teams around a pitching staff, and at times we showed some brilliance. And next year, when we have all 11 wins back, I think we'll have a very strong pitching staff."

The Dodgers started the year 3-2, including a 24-run output against New Providence, and a walkoff loss at 20-win Independence Division champion Pequannock, before falling into a deep offensive slump. The team scored four runs combined over their next four games, losing all four and dropping to 3-6. Madison did win four of its next five, including a 10-run rout of a good Parsippany team, to run its record back to 7-7.

The Dodgers' extra-inning win over Newark Academy on May 15 was a microcosm of the season–a roller-coaster ride in which the team combined its inexperience (walking 11 batters, giving up a two-run seventh-inning lead) with flashes of talent (coming back to score two runs in the eighth).

After losing two straight to Morris Catholic and Hanover Park, the Dodgers earned a 9-8 victory over JP Stevens which enabled them to qualify for the NJSIAA Tournament. In the first round, the underdog Dodgers led No. 3 Mountain Lakes for most of the game before the Lakers rallied to win in extra innings.

Nevertheless, Madison will head into next season riding a modest two-game win streak, thanks to a pair of thrilling, season-ending wins: a 10-inning win at Dover and an eight-run rally to beat rival Chatham.

"The kids responded against Dover and Chatham," Ennis said. "They showed some life late in the game down against Chatham. That was a big step for us."

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