Baseball coach of the year: Seneca’s Cassel

There are lots of routes to the mountaintop.

Sean Cassel took the high road.

It's easy to forget that, since Seneca surged from No. 8 seed in the sectional tournament to the Group 3 state championship.

It's easy to forget that, since the Golden Eagles got hot at the right time and rode a rejuvenated lineup and Kevin Comer's rested right arm to the second state title in the history of the program.

But it could have played out another way. It could have been too much to overcome - the mediocre record, the disappointing finish in the division, the snub from the Diamond Classic, the road games in the sectional tournament, Comer's lack of action through the first six weeks of his senior season.

"These guys understood there were going to be ups and downs in a baseball season," Cassel said as his players celebrated the state championship on the field at Toms River East. "They realized they needed to play with a sense of urgency when it got to one-and-done."

Cassel is The Inquirer's South Jersey coach of the year in baseball not because his team won the state title. He merits the award because he guided his team through those ups and downs, helped the players gather that urgency, and never compromised on his first priority as an educator.

"He keeps us safe and protected," Comer said. "He treats us as people and not just as baseball players."

This was a tricky season for Cassel. Comer, the hard-throwing senior righthander, was projected as a high pick in the major-league baseball draft - which meant a lot of money was on the line.

Comer also was hurt for much of the season. It was nothing major, a sprained ankle, a sore side, an illness. But it greatly complicated the situation.

More than a few coaches out there might have put the team's interests ahead of Comer's interests. More than a few coaches might have pressured the kid to pitch a little more, to tough it out for the team.

Cassel didn't do that. Comer pitched just 13 innings through the first six weeks of the season. He was 1-0 and Seneca was 9-6 on May 20.

But there was another side to the situation: the rest of the team. The Golden Eagles were a senior-oriented squad, with high expectations. They had to be frustrated not to win the Olympic Conference National Division, not to qualify for the Diamond Classic.

Cassel had to coach the rest of the team, too. He had to keep the Golden Eagles together through a rough patch that included five losses in seven games before the start of the state tournament.

He had to keep them focused and confident even as they watched Paul VI win the division title, as they sat on the sideline during the Diamond Classic.

"He takes everybody as an individual," Seneca catcher Mark Steen said of Cassel. "He tries to put everybody's individual specialty together to make a better team."

Maybe it looked easy from the outside, the way Comer went 5-0 in the state tournament and the way the offense came alive behind seniors such as Steen, Ryan Williams, Rich Powelson, and Gabe Santone.

But it wasn't easy. It was a remarkable balancing act. In his quiet way, Cassel did what was best for Comer, who went 57th overall to the Toronto Blue Jays and might be looking at a signing bonus in the $1 million-plus range, and what was best for Seneca, too.

Everybody celebrates after winning a state title. Everybody loves the view from the mountaintop.

Sean Cassel got to enjoy his even more because of the road he took to get there.