After the graduation of six starters, Hackettstown’s baseball coach Gary Poyer will be looking for his new, young players to step up alongside the returning and established members of the team. 

The Tigers do have three terrific returning players who are expected to be the staples of the 2018 roster.

Senior first baseman Alex Rodriguez is among the position players being counted upon by Poyer. He also is counting on one of the league’s top batteries in senior pitcher Joey Rodriguez, who went 5-2 in 2017, and junior catcher Mike Danza, who hit .318.  

With the steady mix of old and new, Poyer knows that there will be a learning curve of sorts, but he already has a good idea of where his team will excel and what may need some work. 

“Our strength will be our defense,” he said. “We have to figure out a way to solidify some pitching and filling some spots in the batting order. In any case we should be a competitive team.” 

The Tigers went 13-8 in 2017 and were able to advance to the second round of the states tournament. With a few unknowns still out there, making the playoffs again would be a solid goal.