Unsung Hero: Baseball's Harry Cicale Can Do It All

When Cinnaminson High School varsity baseball head coach Kevin Merrill was looking to shore up his defense this season, sophomore Harry Cicale separated himself from the crowd.

“I knew what I was getting as a fundamentally sound fielder,” Merrill said. “I knew right away that he was one of our better outfielders.”

Cicale is a 16-year-old sophomore who is enjoying time both as a starting left fielder and a pitcher this season. He has experience at both positions, as he has been playing the outfield since sixth grade and pitching since fourth grade.

“There is a lot of action at those two positions,” Cicale said.

As a pitcher, Cicale has developed a three-pitch repertoire, including a curveball, a fastball and a changeup, but admitted, “My best pitch is my fastball.”

Merrill has been impressed with Cicale’s maturity at the plate, where he’s facing more experienced pitchers who force him to make adjustments on a daily basis.

“At the plate, he has been doing a great job of finding his pitches and hitting the ball hard, getting on base or at least making productive outs,” Merrill said. “As a young player, one of the things I always tell the kids is to understand the situation and be productive.”

Cicale admitted that the pitchers he faces now are tougher than he’s ever seen before.

“They throw a lot harder, and have more pitches to throw at you,” Cicale said.

Merrill is projecting Cicale as one of the keys to the promising future of Cinnaminson baseball.

“Harry is certainly one of the guys who will be important in our success,” Merrill said. “He needs to be there to give us innings on the mound and keep us close in big games. Also, as a guy batting in the bottom half of the order, he will be counted on to get on base and provide us an opportunity to maintain offensive production throughout the lineup.”

“I expect him to be a three-year starter in the outfield, and constantly improve his pitch recognition at the plate, establishing himself as a great high school baseball player,” Merrill continued. “I also expect him to be a leader and role model for everyone in the program over the years with his excellent work ethic and desire to succeed.”

Cicale is already giving credit to the coaching staff for his improvement, both physically and mentally.

“They have helped me out with my hitting and my attitude a lot,” Cicale said.

That attitude improvement has Merrill thinking that Cicale is going to be a player for the younger kids that come onto the team in the future years to look up to.

“I know I can count on getting the very best effort from Harry, day in and day out,” Merrill said. “He has enough ability to be able to translate that into being a great player for this program over the next three years.”