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Winslow Township's Maisonet a force on the diamond

It's easy to see that Darnell Maisonet is a terrific baseball player. It's easy to hear that, too. "He never shuts up," Winslow Township coach Keith Regn said of his senior centerfielder and leadoff hitter.

Winslow Twp's Darnell Maisonet runs to 1st base after taking a walk during the Winslow Twp. at Timber Creek H.S. boys' baseball game on April 17, 2015. (Elizabeth Robertson/Staff Photographer)
Winslow Twp's Darnell Maisonet runs to 1st base after taking a walk during the Winslow Twp. at Timber Creek H.S. boys' baseball game on April 17, 2015. (Elizabeth Robertson/Staff Photographer)Read more

It's easy to see that Darnell Maisonet is a terrific baseball player.

It's easy to hear that, too.

"He never shuts up," Winslow Township coach Keith Regn said of his senior centerfielder and leadoff hitter.

Regn was offering a compliment, because Maisonet is loud in the best kind of baseball way - issuing a steady stream of near-nonsensical but relentlessly positive chatter and unwavering support for his teammates.

"I just love the game," Maisonet said. "I love to play and I love to win and I love to see my teammates do well."

Winslow Township is one of the surprise teams of the early part of the South Jersey baseball season - the Eagles have 10-run wins over Cherry Hill East and Seneca as well as a victory over top-ranked and previously undefeated Bishop Eustace - and Maisonet has led the program's resurgence.

A speedy lefthanded swinger, Maisonet is batting .500 with a pair of triples. He's leading the team in hits (eight), runs (nine), RBIs (seven), and walks (seven).

On the mound, Maisonet is 2-1 with a 1.90 ERA. His lone loss was to North Carolina power West Brunswick on the Eagles' spring-break trip. He has 23 strikeouts with just six walks.

And Maisonet plays a dynamic center field as well. In s 4-3 loss to Timber Creek on Friday - a game in which Maisonet tied the score with a two-out RBI single in the sixth inning - he threw out a runner at home with a strike from about 250 feet away.

"I was worried because he threw 90 pitches [Thursday]," Regn said. "But his arm looked OK on that throw."

Regn said Maisonet is a natural leader who inspires his teammates both through his play and his approach to the game.

Timber Creek coach John Gladden knows Maisonet well. Gladden was a Winslow Township assistant coach during Maisonet's freshman season and has coached against the Eagles in the last two seasons.

"He's an absolute stud," Gladden said. "He's the type of player that any coach would love to have. He's a true team leader.

"He's a team guy. You hear him all game."

Maisonet said he grew up in Edison in North Jersey and moved to Winslow Township before his freshman year in high school.

Maisonet said Winslow Township's team is like a "family" to him. He said he felt the same vibe when he visited Delaware State, where he has signed to attend on a baseball scholarship.

"I need to be comfortable," Maisonet said. "I'm comfortable here. I felt comfortable down there. It was like the same feeling to me."

Maisonet says the best thing about baseball is the sport's degree of difficulty.

"I love how hard baseball is," Maisonet said. "You can't just pick up a bat or pick up a ball and be good in baseball.

"It's a tough sport. It's hard to play well.

"A lot of people don't realize that. They think baseball is easy. It's a hard sport to play."

In some ways, baseball is a game of failure, as even the best batters make more outs than hits.

That's why the attitude that Maisonet brings to the field is so important.

"To me, it's the coolest thing to see my players doing big things," Maisonet said. "They are my teammates. I want to see them do well. I'm cheering for them on every play."