Teaching H.S. is quick study at winning

Jose Cortes was hopeful but not confident. The Queens High School of Teaching baseball coach thoroughly enjoyed the program’s first year of varsity competition the previous spring, a season that saw the Tigers win 12 of 16 league games, qualify for the postseason and even win a round. However, they graduated seven seniors - not a positive step moving forward for a burgeoning program.
“Last year’s team was great,” he said. “I was kind of thinking we were going to have a tough season this year.”
Instead, the young Tigers - QHST features two freshmen and five sophomores, including staff ace/shortstop Lerone Lashley - have improved, up to this point at least, upon their previous accomplishments.
They have won 13 of 14 league games, and reside, all alone, atop Queens South-B with two regular season games remaining. This group, Cortes, a Queens College graduate and Queens Village native, said, is more dedicated. He does not have to worry about the entire team showing up on a daily basis, issues that curtailed them last spring. This group shows up for workouts, be it on weekends or during the holidays.
“They listen,” he said, “they learn and they execute. The team has good chemistry. Everybody is into this.”
It is mostly a new group, nine players that did not suit up a season ago, and four new starters - sophomore outfielder Mark Olman, freshman outfielder Nick Hoyte, senior first baseman Andrew Frey, and freshman infielder Joshua Zecena.
The Tigers, not a power-hitting bunch, play small ball, one reason they were able to survive for 10 games without the services of junior cleanup hitter Alex Deonarine. Of course, due to the citywide advent of wooden bats, moving runners over and using speed - five of the top seven base stealers in Queens South-B are Tigers - has become a necessity. They beat Martin Van Buren last week on Olman’s suicide squeeze and manufacture runs on a consistent basis.
Yet when asked for the major reason for their success, Cortes points to Lashley, who is 7-0 with two saves and a 0.00 earned run average in 41 1/3 innings pitched and 68 strikeouts. He has also scored a Queens South-B high 27 runs, stolen 38 bases, second best in the city, and is batting .571.
Most impressive, though, is his maturity level. As a freshman, Lashley displayed poor attitude and imprudent judgment. Cortes received unsatisfactory reports from his teachers, too. Nevertheless, the 15-year-old standout has become a leader this season, on and off the field, always encouraging others and remaining humble after brilliant efforts.
“He’s grown so much,” Cortes said.