By Stephen Miller, OF THE MORNING CALL

As the 2010 baseball season approached, Easton coach Carm LaDuca devised a plan for how to best use Justin Pacchioli's talents.

It revolved around one concept – keep Pacchioli involved with play as much as possible.

That led LaDuca to keep hitting Pacchioli at leadoff to maximize his plate appearances rather than dropping him to the middle of the order to take advantage of his improving power. It caused Easton to move Pacchioli from the outfield to catcher, where his strong arm could neutralize a running game.

He responded by playing well from start to finish this season, earning Morning Call player of the year honors.

He began the season by reaching base 15 times in his first 17 plate appearances and never cooled. He set school single-season records by hitting .519 and scoring 41 runs. He also had four doubles, six triples, five home runs, 23 RBIs, a .911 slugging percentage and 20 stolen bases in 24 attempts.

His production atop the lineup set the tone for the Red Rovers, who claimed the Lehigh Valley Conference title and reached the District 11 Class 4A semifinals. The LVC title was the program's first in the eight years the league has existed.

"The scrimmages and early on, he looked terrific hitting the baseball in the cage and during preseason practices," LaDuca said. "A lot of people think leading him off is unusual. He's just a tremendous weapon for us to get things going.

"He's a hard worker, too. He puts a lot of time in on the tee and doing soft-toss drills. A lot of kids don't like to do that kind of stuff. He's a good contact hitter, and he's a danger any time he puts the ball in play. We feel very fortunate to have a player of his caliber on our team."

For Pacchioli, the move from outfield to catcher came naturally. He had played catcher growing up, moving to the outfield as an Easton sophomore in part because of minor knee troubles.

He also happens to play quarterback for Easton's football team. Just as he loves the chance to command a huddle in football, he enjoys controlling a baseball game while crouched behind the plate.

"Having a great football season and having a great season as our team did carried over a lot, because [the baseball team] wanted to do the same thing the football team did," Pacchioli said. "It was kind of like a little competition we had, because a lot of football guys play baseball, too. We wanted to go as far as the football team did so we could show them we were as good as they were."

Easton's baseball team could not quite match the success of the football team, which won a District 11 Class 4A title. The Red Rovers fell to Parkland in the District 11 Class 4A baseball semifinals, though Pacchioli produced another solid game. He went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI in that game to cap his record-setting season.

Pacchioli hasn't slowed since Easton's season ended. He played for the Lehigh Valley Carpenter Cup team and also is playing for a travel baseball team. He wants to get stronger for both baseball and football, meaning his summer will be filled with workouts. He also has started considering colleges, with Lehigh, Virginia Tech, Connecticut and Maryland among the schools he's interested in for baseball.

For someone who wants to be part of the action all the time, rest can wait.

"I'm always going to practice or doing something, then coming home, doing homework and going to sleep," Pacchioli said. "That's basically my every day. I really don't have a choice if I like it or not, but I love doing all this stuff. It's what I like to be around."

stephen.miller@mcall.com

610-820-6750

Copyright © 2010, The Morning Call 

By MICHAEL BLOUSE, The Express-Times

The feeling of euphoria that comes with setting a goal, pursuing that goal and reaching the goal.

The scene of excitement that comes with winning a championship.

It's why coaches coach.

Today, a month to the day after Easton Area High School was crowned Lehigh Valley Conference baseball champion, Carm LaDuca can still visualize it. And each time he pictures it, the Red Rovers' coach is overwhelmed with pride.

"To share that type of feeling with 22 boys who are so special to you, the smiles on their faces after we won the championship, that feeling will never go away," LaDuca said of the moments following the Red Rovers' dramatic 10-9 extra-inning victory over Emmaus.

"Thinking of that night still gives me chills."

LaDuca and his staff at Easton coached this year's Red Rovers to the program's first conference title since 1978. His team finished with an 18-6 overall record and a No. 1 ranking in The Express-Times region.

For his efforts and Easton's accomplishments in 2010, Carmelo LaDuca Jr. is our unanimous choice as coach of the year.

"This season, and our success this season, was not about me at all," said the Palmer Township resident. "It's about our players."

Some coaches, when they say it isn't about them, it is actually all about them. LaDuca, though, is both genuine in his words and respected by his peers.

He credited his players and coaches for the successful season.

Mike Grasso of Bethlehem Catholic, the dean of LVC baseball coaches, is a fierce competitor who is also extremely complimentary of the 44-year-old LaDuca.

"Carm is a great coach who I think gets the most out of his teams," Grasso said. "But the most important thing to me is, Carm LaDuca is a great role model for young men. In this day and age people are looking for role models. And I think he's a terrific one."

Easton's road to a championship season started sometime last summer.

Sensing this could be a special team, LaDuca and No. 1 assistant Greg Hess shared several conversations about the offseason training. And they came up with a new plan.

"We wanted to do everything in our power to prepare the kids for this season," LaDuca said. "Of course, we'd always done things to improve in the offseason but we researched and we did a ton more. Practicing within limits, working out, doing core training with our pitchers and lots of hitting drills.

"We knew this group had a stronger work ethic than some groups in the past, to be honest. And they did everything we asked."

Justin Pacchioli, a junior catcher, was the Red Rovers' most talented and productive player this spring. Pacchioli batted .519 and scored 41 runs from his leadoff spot. Also, senior Matt Mink was a consistent No. 1 pitcher for Easton. The left-hander went 5-2 with a 2.00 ERA and was clutch late in the season.

But, one through nine, the Red Rovers were potent. Pacchioli, Shane Raymond, Colin Case, Kevin Nemeth, Dan Eckel, Mark Sweitzer, Devon Wood, Jon Bisci and Evan Wilkins filled out the batting order for most of the year.

Starter Aaron Barry and reliever Alex Lawson were consistent pitchers behind Mink.

"You don't win a championship with only one guy," LaDuca said. "We came from behind a lot this year, and it showed that this was a team that never gave up."

Easton's varsity staff included Hess, who served as the pitching coach, and first-base coach Ben Childs. Matt Rusnock was a volunteer assistant and Jim Warga a special assistant.

LaDuca also credited junior varsity coach Scott Ordway, who led the majority of this year's varsity starters to a 19-1 record at the lower level. (Ordway did not coach the JV team this season because of a family issue.)

As head coach, LaDuca is definitely a delegator rather than a dictator.

"I feel like it's a complete team effort as a staff," the 1983 Easton graduate said.

LaDuca and Hess are especially close on and off the baseball field despite the fact that LaDuca is a fan of the Philadelphia Phillies and Hess is a diehard New York Yankees supporter.

"It's hard for me to mention Carm without mentioning Greg," Grasso said.

Grasso, whose Bethlehem Catholic teams have won multiple District 11 titles, is a coach who knows the rewarding feeling of winning a team championship.

Easton was an annual contender in LaDuca's first eight seasons as coach, but his Red Rovers had never won a title. Easton lost to Emmaus in the 2005 and 2006 district finals.

This year's LVC crown was a long time coming.

"I was so thrilled for Carm when Easton won the conference championship," Grasso said. "You come close for years and as a coach you think about the bad bounces or not coming through with the key hit or a key decision not working out.

"I thought Easton was a very talented team. But I also thought Carm did an outstanding job coaching those young men."

Michael Blouse can be reached at 800-360-3601 or mblouse@express-times.com. Talk about sports in the region at lehighvalleylive.com/forums. 

Justin Pacchioli, Eastons' junior catcher was an All-LVC selection who hit over .600 for most of season and finished with school-record .519 average. The Red Rovers' leadoff batter scored 41 runs and 15 of 41 his hits went for extra bases. He collected four hits, three runs, three RBIs in District 11 Class AAAA championship win. He walked 22 times and struck out just four times.

Statistics: 41-for-79, .519 BA, .631 OBP, 41 Rs, 4 2Bs, 6 3Bs, 5 HRs, 23 RBIs, 20 SBs.

Matt Mink was named 2nd team All-LVC pitcher.

Kevin Nemeth, Colin Case, Alex Lawson and Dan Eckel were named Honorable Mention. 

The Easton Area Baseball Program enjoyed a successful 2010 campaign that included a Lehigh Valley Conference Baseball Championship - our first in the existence of the conference and the first league championship since 1978. The varsity advanced into the District XI Semi Finals before falling to Parkland 4-3 to end a fantastic season. The entire program enjoyed a record of 37–22 overall with a 9-11 JV season and a 10-5 Freshmen campaign.

The Varsity team qualified for District playoffs for the 9th consecutive year and finished with an 18-6 overall record. Pre season rankings and picks left little respect for the 2010 Rovers as top teams like Nazareth and Liberty were picked to surpass them. The Coaching staff realized what a talented bunch they had before them as they saw the preseason work ethic this group showed. A strong desire to do well was easily seen in the returning senior and junior starters and they had one thing on their mind and that was GOLD. It became their chant as they left their team huddles each day and reminded them of their ultimate goal. It was an absolute pleasure to see them achieve their goal and this staff will fondly remember it for many years to come. This has been a special bunch to coach and lead and all of the coaches realize how special this year has been.

The season started with a 5-0 run with key defeats of division rivals Freedom, Liberty, and Bethlehem Catholic to put the Rovers in great position sweeping the division the first time through. The Rovers would stumble in a last inning loss to Pleasant Valley and a loss to Parkland but would come back with three straight wins to be 8-2 at the halfway point.

Exciting wins against Central Catholic, arch rival Phillipsburg, and Whitehall at Coca – Cola park would round out the middle part of the year. Down the stretch big wins against Nazareth and Bethlehem Catholic would position the Rovers for an LVC Championship run qualifying as the #3 seed for the tournament.

The Rovers would defeat Liberty in round one behind the crafty pitching of Matt Mink and would beat Emmaus in exciting fashion scoring two in the 9th to give them their LVC Championship. Onto the District playoffs Easton would again face Emmaus in District play defeating them 5-4 to advance to the semi- final against Parkland where the season would end in a well played and hard fought battle 4-3. Regardless of the feeling we all shared that night – we will always remember the accomplishments we earned as a team and for certain players who should be recognized for their individual achievements.

Shane Raymond – Easton Area High School Baseball Scholar Athlete Nominee
Shane Raymond – Co-Recipient of the Eddie Snyder Award 2010
Matthew Mink – Co–Recipient of the Eddie Snyder Award 2010
Matthew Mink – Top Pitchers Wins (5)
Matthew Mink – Team Captain 2010
Justin Pacchioli – Team MVP Award 2010
Justin Pacchioli – Lehigh Valley Conference Catcher of the Year 2010
Justin Pacchioli – Home Runs (5)
Justin Pacchioli - .350 Club batting Average (.519) Program Record
Justin Pacchioli – Runs Scored (41) Program Record
Colin Case - .350 Club batting average (.370) 2nd time in club Grade 10,11
Colin Case – RBI’s (33) Program Record
Alex Lawson – Top Pitchers Wins (8)
Kevin Nemeth – Lehigh Valley Conference – Honorable Mention (3B)
Dan Eckel – Lehigh Valley Conference - Honorable Mention (RF)
Jon Bisci - .350 Club batting average (.409)
Devon Wood – Team Captain 2010
Mark Sweitzer – Team Captain 2010







To the Seniors who leave us – thank you for your leadership, your devotion to the program, and to being the best you could be. You all worked so hard to prepare for the season and I hope that you see that results can only be achieved when we work hard and work together. You believed in the off - season work and the direction we as coaches showed you and as a result we experienced success. You will always be a Rover wherever your college days and professional career leads you. You are always welcome here and can always count on us to help you in any way you need. Please come by anytime you can and visit. You will be talked about for many years to come to upcoming teams so as they can model themselves after the great direction you showed! We will all miss you. Thanks to Barry Schaffer, Matthew Cummings, Nicholas Corpora, Mark Sweitzer, Devon Wood, Dan Eckel, Shane Raymond, Matt Mink, Aaron Barry, and Evan Wilkins. You are a special group of people!

To the Juniors and Sophomore returning – there is a great nucleus that has all of us excited for 2011 but we will have to work hard to avoid believing it will just happen. Make your goal to win the District Championship next year and a trip to State playoffs. Honor these seniors by advancing farther next year and show progress even more. Don’t let up – just work harder. Many of you will be counted on to fill some big shoes and your chance is coming. Be prepared!
Returning 2011 rostered players will be Colin Case, Justin Pacchioli, Jon Bisci, Kevin Nemeth, Greg Butto, Conor Mulrine, Chris Bonham, Ian Hayden, Alex Lawson, Justin Souders, Steven Xiques, and Scott Anderson.

A special Thank You to our Athletic Department with AD Jim Pokrivsak, Assistant AD’s Greg Hess and Elaine Arnts, secretaries Jane Braido and Lois DeFrancesco for all their work. Thank you to our medical group Jeff Hunt and Rochelle Gilbert.

Thank You to our equipment guys Scott Austin and Rick Hartranft, announcers Bob Arnts and Jack Logic for their help. Our managers this year were Christina Pulcini, Gina Palmeri, and Madison Fiakowlski. Lastly – thank you to the EASD maintenance group led by Tim Case who prepares our fields.

A special thanks goes to the Easton Baseball Diamond Club and all of our parents who have worked tirelessly to raise funds in Dances and Bingos and more to allow our kids to have the best. The Booster group helps put the Rovers in the top equipment and uniforms and gives them the feel of a class program playing on the best field in the valley and beyond! Thank You to the Senior parents who played a key role in the organization of many of our fundraisers. Kim Wood Basket Bingo/Picnic, Sharon Bisci’s work on uniforms, to just name a few and many others who gave their all to us under the tireless leadership of Tony Ventola and Maria LaValva. Thank You !

I would like to thank the people who make the program go. The coaches!
Our success year in and out comes from this dedicated group of men who love the game of baseball. They spend countless hours away from home all throughout the year teaching the game because they care. Many of them do so voluntarily and have a great deal to offer! Thank You to their families for letting them give their time to us!

Varsity Assistants:
Greg Hess – Pitching Coordinator
Ben Childs – Pitching and Other Duties
Matthew Rusnock – Assistant Coach
Scott Ordway – Assistant Coach
Jim Warga – Assistant Coach

Junior Varsity:
Ryan Kanusky – Head Coach
Dan Gonzalez – Assistant Coach

Freshmen:
John Bisco Jr. – Head Coach
Jim Happel – Assistant Coach
Ron Vail – Assistant Coach

The Easton Baseball Program strives to win and teach young men the fundamentals of the game along with mentoring young men to be team players in a team concept. The belief that winning baseball comes from hard work, dedication, and a commitment to being the best student athlete you can be in the classroom and on the playing field is paramount to our mission as a coaching staff. The players that play in our program understand the commitment we expect and must work hard to attain the success that comes with being a champion. Best wishes to all of our players and their families this coming summer and we look forward to a successful 2011 season!

Carm LaDuca
EAHS Varsity Baseball Head Coach 

Todays District XI playoff game versus Parkland has been postponed due to the weather. All games are postponed until tomorrow.

The game will be played on Friday, May 28th beginning at 7:05pm.

For directions to Sammy Balliet Stadium, click here.