After winning nine of their last 10 games, the Hopkins Blue Jay baseball team was brought back to reality with a 13-0 collapse against the No. 15 Rutgers University-Camden Scarlet Raptors. The Blue Jays struggled to string hits together, and their relievers were ineffective.
Senior starting pitcher Trevor Williams (3-2), picked up his second loss of the year, but not due to a lack of effort, as he gave up only two earned runs in his six innings of work. This start would normally be more than enough of a cushion for the Jays to manufacture a win, but the Jays’ bats were overwhelmed, and the relief pitching was unreliable, which led the game to become a blowout following the eighth inning.
The Scarlet Raptors’ pitcher, senior Billy Jackson, dominated the Hopkins hitters, throwing eight innings, striking out nine and giving up only two hits. The Jays have been susceptible to strike outs this season, averaging over seven per game.
The usually reliable Hopkins bullpen and defense also faltered against Rutgers-Camden, committing three errors and giving up 10 runs in the seventh and eighth innings. While likely indicative of a team losing focus early in the season, the Jays’ tendency to surrender the big inning against teams will, if not addressed, become increasingly problematic as the season progresses. It is very difficult to win meaningful games consistently when a team has a trend of squandering quality outings by starting pitchers late in the game.
The Jays will look to junior shortstop Conor Reynolds to find the consistency that is eluding them. Reynolds is a model of consistency, having started at shortstop for the past 76 games, dating back to his freshman season. Shortstop, a position that typically requires a veteran’s presence, was taken over by Reynolds midway through his freshman season, and he has played exceptionally well since.
Reynolds has a knack for manufacturing powerful hits, seemingly at will. He led off the game against Rutgers-Camden with a double, but was left stranded on third, setting the tone for the rest of the game.
He boasts a .349 batting average, with nine doubles, three triples, and one home run. Combined with great up-the-middle range, Reynolds’s value to the team cannot be understated.
Earlier in this season, after the Jays lost a substantial lead in the late innings against the SUNY New Paltz Hawks, Reynolds launched a fastball over the left field fence to tie it up in the bottom of the eighth. He has the unique ability to turn the tide of the game with one swing of the bat, a web gem up the middle, or by making his teammates better by looking to him as an example of what it takes to win.
Reynolds’s double-play partner, senior second baseman Raul Shah, knows firsthand his value to the team.
“Conor is a competitor,” Shah said. “He’s one of our hardest workers, and he’s got a great approach at the plate. He crushes pitches over the plate, but has the discipline to lay off balls, draw walks and get on base.”
Senior leaders like Shah are able to appreciate the intangibles that Reynolds brings to the game.
“Out of all the players, [Reynolds] shows the most passion and desire to win,” Shah said. “The type of competitiveness sets the standard for the younger guys and gives them someone to look up to as a role model.”
The Jays will play open conference against the Haverford College Fords this weekend and will rely on Reynolds’ bat, glove and especially his leadership to work out the kinks and get back to playing solid, fundamental baseball.
The Haverford series is always a fun one for the Jays and their fans, and game one will be this Saturday at noon at Babb Field.
