Leading by example
Kittatinny's baseball program benefits from strong leadership of nine seniors By Josh Lashley NEWTON Kittatinny High School's baseball program may not have official captains on the roster this season, but that doesnt mean they lack for leadership. Seniors Dan Chernati, David Coombs, Corey Dannhardt, Brian Frawley, Jordan Murch, Greg Orlando, Dustin Sallitt, Brendan Ullmann and Cory Zervas have proven to head coach Brian Bosworth that they are capable of being positive influences on their younger teammates, each in their own way. Many of these seniors have been three-year members of the varsity team," Bosworth said. They all have a clear understanding as to what it means to be a leader. Each of them brings their own strengths to the team. Some are more vocal than others, but overall they provide the leadership necessary to be successful." Bosworth said many of his seniors lead by example. "Right-fielder Jordan Murch is hitting .480 with eight runs batted in. He is the definition of a leader in the way he carries himself on and off the field," said Bosworth. "Catcher Greg Orlando is a three-year varsity starter. He is like having a coach on the field and handles our entire pitching staff very well. He is excellent defensively and is hitting .406. Corey Dannhardt is an outstanding utility player that can play any position. He is one of the hardest working guys on the team and is a great team player." The statistics cited in the paragraph above included games played through April 17. Bosworth has seen the various ways in which members of the senior class have helped the rest of the squad. We rely on our seniors to help the younger members of the program," Bosworth said. Our senior leaders are constantly serving as coaches during drills and practices. They also help run clinics for our local Little Leagues. We are trying to help our guys become better baseball players and better people, and the leadership skills that they are developing will help them in life. Our seniors are a close knit group and they truly have the desire to succeed. Their leadership is not only helping our program this year, but will also have an effect on our program for years to come." As a team in general, Bosworth has noticed steady improvement, especially when it comes to producing hits. On the field, we have become a much better hitting team," Bosworth said. The players understand our philosophy at the plate and have greatly improved on making solid contact."