Newfield baseball ends 5-year playoff drought

Two years ago, Newfield did not field a varsity baseball team. The Trojans returned last year with a young and mostly-inexperienced squad and barely missed out on the postseason. This time around, they got over the hump and are playoff-bound.

The Trojans have qualified for the Section IV Class C tournament for the first time since 2019. As of May 5, their 6-7 record is enough to pass the magic number of a .400 winning percentage that is needed to make sectionals. Head coach Jeff Augustine could not be prouder of a team that has gone through quite the journey over the last few years.

“Last year was our first year back and we learned a lot on the fly,” Augustine said. “We found that we had some good ballplayers. We really had a lot of faith. We missed sectionals last year by half a game. This year, we were able to put the right pieces together to make sure we got there.”

The Trojans are led both on the mound and at the plate by their three returning IAC All-Stars. Leading off the batting order is Andrew Brechner. The sophomore has excelled in getting on base and racking up extra base hits, but his unique pitching arsenal has caught the eye of Augustine.

“He throws everything but the kitchen sink at you,” Augustine said. “In the Newark Valley game, he was trying to work through his curveball, [but] it wasn’t working. You could watch him continue to dial it in. And then he pulled out his back pocket an eephus pitch. I haven’t seen the eephus pitch at the high school level in the 20 years I’ve been here. He sent that sucker 15 feet in the air and it just dropped down like a slow pitch softball pitch. The other team just froze. The umpire froze. Nobody quite knew what to do. People kind of look around. Then he comes right back with a hard fastball… He tries different things. He does different things. He’s comfortable out there. He’s a lot of fun.”

Batting third in the lineup is Carter Aidun. Like Brechner, the junior has turned into a stellar two-way player. Pitching-wise, he burst onto the scene last year after a strong outing against the eventual IAC Large School champions Thomas A. Edison. That success has carried over to the plate in particular this year.

“Carter is our jack of all trades,” Augustine said. “I’ve seen him put together some really, really quality at bats this year that have been exciting because he comes back next year for his senior year.”

Then there’s the most experienced on the Trojans: Austin Jenney. The senior is the lone player remaining from the 2021 team, and he has shined again in his final campaign as the number-two hitter and their lefty ace on the mound. He has also grown as a leader on such a young team.

“He’s kind of a quiet guy for the most part, but he studies, he listens, [and] he has a real passion for the game,” Augustine said. “He’s one of those quiet leaders. He’s not a ‘rah, rah’ guy. He’s not barking at people. He leads by example. He’s always there for the other guys, whether it’s working with them on something [or] showing them something tactically with their swing. [If] someone’s had a rough at bat or [is] struggling through with making a couple of rough plays in the field, he’s the guy who goes over and lifts people up and lets them know that they’re going to be okay… He finds a real nice balance between being personally competitive and being there for his teammates to make sure that we can get the best out of them.”

Rounding out the top half of the batting order is one of the youngest players on the team. Noah Steinorth is the Trojans’ lone freshman, and he has arguably the most important task in the lineup as their cleanup hitter. But with a trio of IAC All-Stars ahead of him, he’s had plenty of opportunities to drive in runs.

“He’s there because he’s a guy who constantly puts the ball in play,” Augustine said. “When the top three guys are always getting on, it gives us an opportunity to make sure that the ball’s in play. The other team’s gonna have to make a choice. Are they going for the out? Are they gonna defend the plate? It really is fun to watch the four of them go to work together.”

Newfield’s main goal of qualifying for sectionals has already been achieved. From here on out, any further success in the playoffs is a major bonus.

“The reality is we haven’t had a lot of playoff experience,” Augustine said. “We will get tested, but that’s okay. That’s part of the process. When you got guys like Carter and Austin, they can take the ball for you in the first round of sectionals. You know what? I’ll roll the dice with those guys any day of the week.”