A Look Back At Dayton Baseball

With summer beginning and legion baseball starting, the Dayton Bulldogs baseball team hasn't had time to reflect on its stunning worst-to-first championship season.

Fortunately for the outgoing seniors, they've had time to contemplate what was perhaps the most improbable season in the history of JDHS athletics.  

"It's something extremely valued by myself as well as my teammates," said first baseman Alex Popolani, who along with fellow seniors Marquay Mayo [third base], Ross Goldfarb [starting pitcher], and Elliot Karp [second base], all garnered First-Team All-Conference honors.

Popolani, who's headed to Rowan University in the fall, also said besides the great coaching and preparation of first-year head coach Mike Abbate, team chemistry was a huge reason why Dayton went from 2-16 to league champs.

"In past years we weren't nearly as close as this year," admitted Popolani. "And that all comes down to the hard work we put in together. A lot of credit also goes to our coaches and how much they prepared us. Whether [working on the side] with the pitchers or making us take the right approach at the plate, there were things that we didn't know last season, so it's very important to acknowledge the coaches."   

Popolani perhaps paid the biggest price for the championship, as he's set to have shoulder surgery either this week or early July. But even knowing the ramifications of playing an entire season with a shoulder he injured early in spring training, he said the end result made it all worth it.  

"It's going to be great to have a banner up in the gym," he beamed. "Hopefully they'll put that up before I graduate so I can point to it every single day."   

Goldfarb, who's headed to the University of Tampa, took a more historical and nostalgic approach.  

"It felt great to be party of history. The 2010 baseball program will go down in Jonathan Dayton history forever," said Goldfarb who will spend his summer in the weight room and as a youth camp counselor. "It felt awesome to be a part of such a great group of guys. I will always remember them and the success we had as a team. This was the best year of baseball I have ever participated in and will remember 2010 Dayton varsity baseball as long as I live."   

The overwhelming admiration and appreciation for Abbate is something that stands out, as each player gave most credit to the way the rookie coach prepared them.  

"His practice methods really set the ground rules for how successful this team would be in the future," said Goldfarb. "He's one of, if not the best, coach I have ever had." 

Karp, who's headed to the University of Wisconsin, agreed on the impact that Abbate had—not only as a coach but as a mentor.

"Coach Abbate is the most influential man that any kid can be around," he said. "He gets the most out of you and is always looking to improve you on the field and as a person. His system is easy to buy into because his energy is contagious and he made each one of us want more, while becoming better men in the process."  

Almost to a man, they agreed that because Abbate formed such a tough schedule early, it prepared them for greater things and taught them how to handle adversity in all walks of life.  

"We had a tough start but we played such a hard schedule that it made us better," said catcher Tommy Clark. "We played the top teams in the state like Cranford, who was in the state finals, Scotch Plains, Johnson and teams like that. So, when we played against [conference] teams, teams that we should beat, we already knew how to win games. He made us better all-around."  

Clark will be attending the College of New Jersey in the fall with hopes of making the baseball team.

Left fielder Sammy Dushkin said the journey was as much fun as the end result and he's eager to see what next season's team has in store.  

"It was a fun ride, especially for us seniors," said Dushkin who will attend Rutgers. "It's even better for the guys next year, though, because they should be even better. I'll expect more wins."   

Dushkin also took pride in knowing that he was one of the guys to have laid the foundation.

"It felt great. Coach Abbate said it started this year and we're just building something bigger," he said. "This program will get better and better." 

Karp agreed, saying that the younger guys were encouraged to be leaders, even as underclassmen, so next season's Bulldogs could easily transition from the exodus of veteran leaders.  

"It was easy to be a leader when everyone had the same goals," said Karp. "Next year they should have a great year. They have a lot of young talent and if they stay focused and motivated they can build off of this past year's success."

Mayo said he definitely intends on giving back to the program as much as he can. Thankfully for the Bulldogs, proximity will allow him to be more hands-on than the other seniors. Mayo will attend Union County College in the fall and also plans on playing baseball there. He said he'll try to go to as many games as possible and notified next year's crew that the line of communication is always open.  

"We [the seniors] set the standard for the underclassmen to follow," he said. "My expectations for them next year are high and I feel they will keep it going and play deep into June next season. They have a good group of kids coming in and of course I will be keeping track of how the team is doing. I hope to be at many home games and will also talk to the players often. If they need any advice or help, I'll be there to help them."  

One returning star is Matt Roland. The hard-hitting rightfielder purposely deferred to the outgoing class but said he'll look to take a larger leadership role, as he's now one of the cornerstones of the program.

"I didn't really consider myself to be a team leader," said Roland who will play for Abbate this summer on Springfield's legion team. "I looked toward our older players and tried to hold myself back. Next year, though, I will try to be more of a team leader and hope to be a part of another deep state tournament run and hopefully win another conference championship."  

Roland's outfield mate, center fielder D.J. DiProfio, cherished his time learning under Abbate and was happy to be able to give lessons back to the underclassmen.  

"My bat wasn't too hot all season but my glove was always there and consistent and got the job done," said DiProfio. "So it showed the [younger] guys that you can contribute in more than one way."

A two-sport star, DiProfio will attend Fairleigh Dickinson and punt for the football team. He beamed when reflecting on how his magical season year unfolded.  

"I can't describe it. We did it in football, too, so it's a great feeling," he said. "It's a great feeling to go out as champion in two sports."   

Even though the seniors are moving on, Abbate wanted them to know they're always welcomed to give back to the program. And each player said they'll do whatever Abbate needs from them—some even more hands-on than others.  

"He asked me to coach someday," said Popolani. "I will always help him with whatever he needs and help develop the younger kids as well."  

There may be better Dayton baseball teams in the future but when considering what they overcame and ultimately accomplished, none will ever be as special as the 2010 squad.