Priolo top S.J. baseball player

He might be 5-foot-8.

Maybe.

He might weigh 175 pounds.

Possibly.

He doesn't look like an ace pitcher. He doesn't look like a cleanup hitter, either.

He's both - and for the Group 4 state champions and the No. 1 baseball team in South Jersey, no less.

"He's our heartbeat," Eastern senior Nick Tierno said of his classmate, Steve Priolo.

Quiet and unassuming, with an attitude that coach Rob Christ describes as "laid-back," Priolo never sought to steal the spotlight from his teammates.

But the Marist-bound athlete rose to meet every big moment.

"He has this rare dynamic," Christ said. "He's so laid-back, but inside, he has this fire that's burning. You just don't see that combination very often.

"When he steps on the field, he's a bulldog."

Priolo was both Eastern's top pitcher as well as one of its most productive hitters. For his dual contributions to a team that went 29-4 and won the first state title in the history of the program, Priolo is The Inquirer's South Jersey Baseball Player of the Year for 2013.

"I never thought I would have the kind of season that I had," Priolo said. "I never thought I would go 9-1. To me, that's amazing and it's all because of my teammates."

With a live fastball, a sharp curve, and a knee-buckling change-up, Priolo battled some of the best competition in the state in the Olympic Conference American Division as well as the Group 4 state tournament.

He went 9-1 with two saves and a 1.89 ERA. He struck out 68 in 701/3 innings. In his only loss, he pitched a five-hitter with five strikeouts and didn't allow an earned run.

Priolo was 3-0 in the state tournament. In a 8-1 victory over Westfield in the Group 4 championship game, he pitched a five-hitter with seven strikeouts.

"The dude's a beast," Tierno said. "He's out there on the mound and he's what, 5-8? But he battles like a bull."

Christ said he has coached good hitters who didn't want any part of the No. 4 spot in the lineup. Priolo accepted the role without a blink.

"He was like, 'OK, whatever you need,' " Christ said. "That pressure never fazes him."

Priolo batted .323 with 31 RBIs. He was among South Jersey's leaders with four triples. He also stole 15 bases.

"I worked hard on my hitting this year," Priolo said. "Me and my dad [also Steve], we would work in the cage almost every night. I wanted to be able to do whatever I could to help my team."