George Washington’s Edwin Corniel has won three times already this postseason. (An Rong Xu)
PSAL baseball beat writer Zach Braziller breaks down the top-seeded George Washington Trojans in advance of Friday’s Class A championship game at MCU Park in Coney Island.
George Washington
Nickname: Trojans
Head coach: Steve Mandl
Record: 19-2-0, Manhattan A East
Batting order: SS Randy Rodriguez, LF Michael Richardson, C Nelson Rodriguez, 1B Bryan Mejia, CF Alexis Torres, 3B Wesley Rodriguez, 2B Marvin Campos, DH Fernelys Sanchez, RF Henry Rodriguez
Key reserves/pitchers: P Edwin Corniel, P Kevin Torres, P Reynaldo Hernandez, OF Steven Segarra, IF Yasmany Gomez, IF Eduardo Tejada
Team notes: Looking for its fourth city title and second straight. .. Won division title for 28th time in 29 years… Alma mater of Major League Baseball star Manny Ramirez.…. Swept No. 8 Telecommunications, 16-3 and 4-3, in the PSAL Class A semifinals, knocked off No. 5 Norman Thomas, 10-2, in the quarterfinals, No. 13 New Dorp, 11-1, in the second round, and No. 29 John Bowne, 8-0, in the first round.
SCOUTING REPORT
(from league coach under condition of anonymity)
“They looked like a loaded junior college team last weekend [in the PSAL Class A semifinals]. Everyone can hurt you in that lineup. I love the leadoff guy [Randy Rodriguez], he gets on and creates problems for you. Nelson [Rodriguez] didn’t have a big year, but he’s still dangerous. Two guys I wouldn’t let beat me: the leadoff kid and the freshman [Wesley Rodriguez]. He’s really good. … They were good during the regular season, but they’ve turned it up. They aren’t playing close games. … Nobody talks about their pitching, but it’s solid. [Kevin] Torres and [Edwin] Corniel both throw hard and they’re tough. I’d give the ball to Corniel. He wins. …. They’re not unbeatable, they can be sloppy. I don’t see them losing. That’s a good team.”
PLAYER CAPSULES
Randy Rodriguez
Year: Senior
Position: Left fielder
Notes: Second year … Slick shortstop is the team’s sparkplug and has surprising power. … Committed to JUCO North Carolina A & T. … Scored 29 runs, stole 22 bases this year and has 14 extra-base hits.
Mandl’s take: “He’s been our MVP. Incredible glove, played like Omar Vizquel this year. And he has tremendous pop in his bat.”
Michael Richardson
Year: Junior
Position: Third baseman
Notes: Reserve at the season’s outset, played his way into starting lineup and was recently elevated into second spot in order. … Played junior varsity last spring … Has driven in seven runs in the playoffs.
Mandl’s take: “He’s a real young kid, great athlete and he was on bench for a while. We were trying to find the right guy [in left field]. We put him in and he hasn’t stopped hitting. He’s been a pretty big surprise. He’s just really consistent.”
Nelson Rodriguez
Year: Senior
Position: Catcher
Notes: Fourth-year starter. … Drafted on Tuesday by the Cleveland Indians in the 15th round (473) of the First-Year Player Draft. … Has signed with JUCO powerhouse Central Arizona. … Built like a truck at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, improved defensively. … Has drove in 20 runs and blasted three home runs this spring.
Mandl’s take: “What could you say: it’s hard to get the kid out. He didn’t have a great year and he still hit over .500. He hit some bombs, he didn’t hit as many as we thought he would hit. He’s always dangerous and nobody wants to run on him either.”
Bryan Mejia
Year: Sophomore
Position: First baseman
Notes: First-year starter…. Had 17 RBIs. … Came on late in the year.
Mandl’s take: “He’s a real big, young kid with a short stroke. He has the power and size to hit fourth, but he’s not a typical four-hitter. He will be really legit once he learns to lift the ball and get it in the air a little.”
Alexis Torres
Year: Senior
Position: Center fielder
Notes: Second year with Trojans after transferring from All Hallows … Has signed with JUCO New Mexico. … Has impressive power and homered twice in the PSAL Class A semifinals sweep of Telecommunications. … Hit team-high four home runs this year, stole 20 bases and had 26 RBIs. … Also team’s closer and filled in nicely for Fernelys Sanchez in center field.
Mandl’s take: “He’s on a tear right now. We could use it one more game. He hit fourth a little bit. He has a lot of raw power.”
Wesley Rodriguez
Year: Freshman
Position: Third baseman
Notes: One of the top freshmen in New York City. … Pure hitter, uses all fields. … Knocked in 28 runs this season and plays all over the field.
Mandl’s take: “He’s phenomenal. He’s going to be the next big, big guy out of the school. He can play all nine positions. We’re thinking of making him our next catcher. Put him on the mound, the kid’s incredible. He just goes after people.”
Marvin Campos
Year: Senior
Position: Second baseman
Notes: Started season as a reserve. … Uncommitted, has added depth to lineup and has played a solid second base.
Mandl’s take: “He’s really a shortstop, but he’s not going to play short with Randy there. He’s been a real good surprise with the bat. He put up some pretty big numbers. He’s got some good pop in his bat.”
Fernelys Sanchez
Year: Senior
Position: Designated hitter
Notes: Picked in the 16th round (509) of the First-Year Player Draft Wednesday by the Atlanta Braves. … Suffered broken fibula at start of preseason and returned at beginning of playoffs. … In five playoff games, batting .417 with five RBIs and nine runs scored. … Transferred to GW from Lehman during freshman year.
Mandl’s take: “Even his outs have been hit hard. It’s an inspiration having him. He motivates everyone. He’s just about healthy. We have to him on the field on Friday.”
Henry Rodriguez
Year: Junior
Position: Right fielder
Notes: George Washington’s unsung leader. … A clutch performer with power, he played all over the field, at the top of the batting order and at the bottom and produced in both spots. … Has driven in 18 runs, batted .511 during the regular season and .615 in the playoffs.
Mandl’s take: “He can play any position and he can hit in any position. He’ll do whatever it takes to move a runner over, score a run, win a game. We weren’t getting enough production [out of the bottom of the lineup]. When Fernelys came back, we moved the lineup around a little until it worked.”
PITCHING
Notes: One of the deepest staffs in the city, the Trojans have two co-aces, Kevin Torres and Edwin Corniel, who combined to go 9-0 this year. … Corniel has been particularly sharp in the playoffs, picking up three wins and the team’s semifinal clincher over Telecommunications. … Coach Steve Mandl hasn’t indicated who he will start on Friday. … Hard-throwing left-hander Reynaldo Hernandez and right-handers Alexis Torres and Wesley Rodriguez are also late-game options.
Mandl’s take: “We can use anybody in any situation, I feel really good about that. Either guy [Torres or Corniel] who starts, the two big guys, we feel comfortable with the fact the other one will be sitting there waiting. We have Alexis and Wesley to close. We’re sitting good with that.”
COACH
The legendary coach with over 900 wins returned after a year away from the team for recruiting violations and has the Trojans on the verge of a second straight title. He dealt with an early-season injury to center fielder Fernelys Sanchez, one of the top players in New York City, and the team didn’t miss a beat.
Mandl did a fine job moving Marvin Campos and Michael Richardson into the starting lineup after others struggled and the two have come up big. He’s also altered his coaching style somewhat, bunting and moving runners over more rather than waiting for extra-base hits, which has diversified the Trojans’ attack.
He also lost one of his top pitchers Aneuris Rodriguez midseason to academic ineligibility and has gone more to Edwin Corniel. The senior rewarded Mandl’s faith with a brilliant postseason. He’s pushed all the right buttons thus far.