Bruins making the most of their rebuilding season

John Colantuoni knew his Forest Park team would be inexperienced this year. The Bruins, who reached the state tournament two years ago and won the Cardinal regular season title in 2008, would be rebuilding this spring.

In fact, only one senior -- catcher Danny Morrison -- is listed on the club's roster. Instead, Forest Park features 10 juniors with few of them seeing significant playing time before this year.

The Bruins have stumbled to a 2-4 mark in district play and are 7-7 through Monday, but there have been bright spots. Third baseman/designated hitter Reuben Alarico and outfielder/pitcher Jimmy Mehr have provided Colantuoni a look at the program's future and he likes what he sees thus far.

"This is really their first year on varsity with as strong as we've been the past couple years," Colantuoni said. "They're really taking advantage of their opportunities to play now."

Alarico, suffering from a sore shoulder, has been limited to designated hitting for about three weeks, the coach said, but the junior hasn't let the injury bother his offense. Entering to-day's rescheduled game at Gar-Field, Alarico is hitting .378 with a triple and a home run. He's also driven in 10 runs this season.

Colantuoni, seeking to better utilize Alarico's ability to get reach base -- he has a .439 on-base percentage -- moved Alarico out of the middle of the order and to the leadoff spot.

"I think the biggest thing with us being so young and him being good with the bat is he's a good start for us offensively," Colantuoni said. "This way he'll get more at-bats, too. He doesn't strike out much and he goes the opposite way very well. He uses all the fields, but he especially goes the other way well. He's a very good contact hitter."

Mehr has also hit well for the Bruins, posting a batting average north of .300. It's Mehr's work on the mound, though, that has really impressed Colantuoni.

As Forest Park's ace, Mehr's gone 2-2 this year with a 1.69 ERA. In 32 innings he's struck out 39 opponents.

"He also hits at the top of the order for us," Colantuoni said. "He's an athlete, a football player. He's very competitive and loves the game."

Colantuoni hopes the successes Alarico and Mehr have had will carry over not only to next year but into the other players on the team.

"With all the inexperience," Colantuoni said, "to see some of them take off and take control, it's going to pay off. Both of these guys are capable of playing at the next level. It's good seeing the leadership they're bringing on the field and that's really helping the younger kids compete."