Rutgers-Newark Athletics

By Jim Hague

There are a host of growing pains that a baseball player experiences as he goes from high school into college. Jimmy Napolitano knows all about it, because he lived through those troubled times during his freshman year at Rutgers-Newark.

Napolitano was a much-heralded player coming out of Livingston High School. He led his team to the prestigious Greater Newark Tournament championship as a junior and earned All-Essex County and All-Group IV honors as a senior.

“He came in with very high expectations,” said Rutgers-Newark head baseball coach Mark Rizzi, who hoped that Napolitano would become a cornerstone of his Scarlet Raider program for the next four years. “We thought he was a very good hitter in high school with the ability to hit and hit for power in both gaps. He had good hitting mechanics and had a lot of potential.”

However, things didn’t come as easy as expected for Napolitano, who batted .245 in 30 games, eventually becoming a starter in left field.

“I tried not to put pressure on myself,” Napolitano said. “I knew that I would see a lot more breaking balls in college.”

With batting coach Joel Burgos helping out, Rizzi tried to get Napolitano to get away from the free-swinging days he enjoyed in high school.

“He needed to be more patient at the plate and couldn’t swing at bad pitches,” Rizzi said. “He really didn’t have patience last year and that hurt him. He also had a bit of a temper and got down on himself a little. I think he experienced so much failure last year that he knew he had to listen to the coaches and he could be a better hitter.”

“I just had to stay confident and try to help the team in any way possible,” Napolitano said. “I did work in the off-season and I’m definitely a lot more confident. I knew I had to work on my approach with breaking balls. I can hit a fastball, no problem. I just had to work on the breaking pitches and the bad pitches. I have to try to stay ahead in the count, make it a hitter’s count. I had to lay off the bad pitches and when I see a fastball, then make sure I hit it.”

The approach has seemed to work so far this season, because Napolitano is a changed hitter. He already has a homer and six RBI in the early stages of the season. Napolitano’s homer came against Johns Hopkins, one of the best NCAA Division III programs in the nation.

“It definitely helped coming against a good team,” Napolitano said. “It’s put a lot of confidence in me.”

Rizzi has noticed the change in Napolitano as well.

“He does have a lot more confidence,” Rizzi said. “I think he’s going to break through in a big way, maybe sooner than some of the other guys. When he’s on, he can hit the ball. He just needed to use all fields.”

While Napolitano might be hitting the ball with authority to right field on occasion, it’s not by design.

“I’ve always been able to hit the ball in all directions, but it’s not like I’m trying to,” Napolitano said. “I don’t think of hitting the ball the other way. I’m trying to pull it. It’s not natural. I guess I’m just lucky.”

Rizzi thinks that Napolitano is a good fit at the bottom third of the Scarlet Raiders’ batting order.

“I like hitting Jimmy lower, like in seven, eight or nine slot,” Rizzi said. “Maybe there will come a time we’ll move him up. It will probably be a revolving thing for him. When all is said and done, he can bat higher.”

Napolitano doesn’t mind where he hits.

“I like being down in the order, like seven, eight or nine,” Napolitano said. “We’ve tried hitting third or fifth, but I struggled with it. I feel more pressure batting higher, I guess. I like where I am now, because I’m getting better pitches to hit and the ball looks like a beach ball. I’m just trying to get comfortable with a new team and a new lineup.”

Rizzi believes that Napolitano is also a fine defensive outfielder and has become a fixture in right field already, after playing left field last season.

“He’s just as good of an outfielder as he is at the plate,” Rizzi said. “He has the strongest arm on the team and takes pride in his in that. It’s not all about hitting with Jimmy. I think he’d have a hard time just being a designated hitter.”

“I love playing defense,” Napolitano said. “I take it as seriously as I do hitting. I work just as hard in my positioning. I do like to air out the arm every so often.”

Rizzi also likes Napolitano’s personality.

“He’s always smiling and outgoing,” Rizzi said. “He’s just out there playing and loves to play. He just goes out and plays and I like that.”

Napolitano is ready to have a breakthrough sophomore season for the Scarlet Raiders.

“We have a great team,” Napolitano said. “Our hitting is tremendous. We just have to get it going. We had a bit of a slow start. Once we get to California (where the Scarlet Raiders play this weekend), we’ll be a totally different hitting team.”

As long as Napolitano keeps laying off the bad pitches, the Scarlet Raiders will be a force at the plate.