Vernon Vikings excel on the baseball mound for the spring season

The saying, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going,” is certainly applicable to the realm of athletics in general, and to the 2022 Vernon High School baseball program in particular.

The Vikings had a challenging schedule, to say the least, this past season. But they met the challenge head on and ultimately found success on the field.

“We had quite a few impressive games,” Vernon head coach Stephen Myhren said. “A lot come to mind quickly, Kinnelon, Parsippany Hills, Hackettstown, even the tough loss to Pope John. But the two that stand out the most are the come-from-behind walk-off in the bottom of the seventh against High Point to keep our championship hopes alive.

“And the extra inning walk-off in the bottom of the eighth against Jefferson to guarantee a share of the title, just the ability of the team to battle, stay focused and find ways to get the job done with championships on the line.’’

Leadership was crucial to the Vikings finding their winning ways this year. “John Kowalski is someone the guys look to and follow his lead. They listen when he speaks. Other guys like Matt Rogers are more of a lead by example type. Derek Lazier took charge of the infield. Justin Bell and Rob Nathan were the leaders of the pitchers always making sure guys were taking care of their arms. Jake Klein did a great job becoming a vocal leader from behind the plate and rallying the guys.”

Bell was among the most improved players on the roster this spring, Myhren said. “He’s just a gamer and always kept us in games. He did everything for us on the mound – starting or out of the pen and he always wanted the ball.

“Ryan McLachlan’s defense is something that improved from the beginning of the season to the end. He seemed to grow more and more confident out in the field. But we had a lot of new guys come in and do a great job for us like Evan Amato, Ricky Healy, Colin Dignan and Ryan Groves.”

Vernon had an overall record of 15-6 and were co-champions in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference Freedom Division with a mark of 7-3.

They advanced to the NJSIAA North 1 Group 2 Sectional Tournament where they topped Indian Hills in the opening round before losing in the quarterfinals to Mahwah.

“We have four upcoming seniors who already have two varsity seasons and two varsity championships in Derek Lazier, Jake Klein, Ian Schmid and Rob Nathan,” Myhren said. “All of which received All Conference honors. We have a really good group of guys coming back but are going to have to some big shoes to fill next season.

“John Kowalski was able to reach 100 hits despite losing his sophomore season to COVID. He averaged just under 34 hits a season. You could argue that he should have around 130 hits if he didn’t lose his sophomore season due to COVID. Last season, we were in the NJAC Colonial Division and won the Division going 10-0. This year we bumped up into the NJAC Freedom Division and repeated as Division champions.”