Xaverian pitcher (22) Blaise Scerbo committed Wednesday to Seton Hall. (Lauren Marsh)
Blaise Scerbo thinks about his jog across Jack Kaiser Field often. The Xaverian right-hander, overlooked as one of the team’s best pitchers at the start of the season, had a chance to close out the CHSAA Class AA championship game.
“Coming in from bullpen through right field was real nice,” Scerbo said. “It was a really good feeling.”
The big, 6-foot-4 hurler pitched a scoreless 2-1/3 innings of relief to seal a 7-1 win for the Clippers. That game and his total body of work in the postseason was Scerbo’s coming out party. Now, he is Xaverian’s ace and Wednesday he committed to pitch at Seton Hall of the Big East.
“Blaise has been very dependable,” Clippers coach Lou Piccola said. “He’s the one that you rely on – every time he goes out there, you’re gonna be in the game. He throws strikes. He’s got tremendous control. He doesn’t hurt himself.”
Scerbo faced a setback this season: a bout with sore arm. He made his return last week – back in his old relief role – and will start his first game of the season next week. The control specialist wasn’t worried. He had the same issue his sophomore year and he blamed the preseason cold weather for causing it. Then, Scerbo rested it for a few weeks and he was fine.
Right now, he says he feels great and Xaverian has been playing excellent, too. The Clippers didn’t miss a beat without him on the mound. Frank Kaplan, John Pena, Brian Rosa and Tommy Anselmo have held down the fort nicely. Scerbo, who plays travel ball with the New York Grays, is excited about the postseason.
“We’re undefeated,” he said. “We want to keep it that way.”
Scerbo didn’t pitch much as a freshman or sophomore. But he got the opportunity last year and ran with it, especially in the postseason where he became a star.
“Last year was really nice that I got into the rotation and the coaches trusted me more for the playoffs and championship game,” he said.
Scerbo is bigger and stronger than ever with his fastball hitting 86 mph to go along with his nasty breaking stuff and pinpoint control. He’s excited about going to Seton Hall, which he chose over Fairleigh Dickinson, but first there’s the business of trying to repeat.
Piccola fully expects him to be the go-to guy on the mound once again come playoff time – just like he was in 2011.
“He just finished everything,” the coach said of last year, “especially in the final game.”