Testa proving to be quite an asset at Wagner
BY WAYNE WITKOWSKI
Staff Writer

DAVE SAFFRAN Joe Testa is one of the Wagner College baseball team's most valuable pitchers, but a recent rash of injuries has allowed the Brick native to display his versatility in the outfield and at the plate as well.

Joe Testa was well prepared for a big season on the mound for Wagner College's baseball team and showed it when the sophomore left-hander from Brick hurled his first career shutout, 3-0, at Central Connecticut on Saturday to salvage a doubleheader split.

Helped by a two-run home run by senior catcher Michael Picarello, Testa snuffed only one Central Connecticut threat when he struck out a batter with the bases loaded to end the fourth inning. It's his third Northeast Conference victory in four decisions, 3-4 overall.

But Testa did not expect that his contributions would extend beyond the mound and would include some time in the outfield, where injuries left the Seahawks shorthanded.

"We had injuries, and my coach asked if I played there before," said Testa, who also played in the outfield for Brick Township's baseball team when he was not pitching. "Actually, I've been playing in the outfield for about the past 13 years."

He had little problem adjusting and wasted no time leaving a favorable first impression. That included swinging the bat, something he did not do at Wagner last season.

But from the first inning of the first game he played in the outfield in a game at West Point against Army, he showed he can be a valuable and gritty fill-in. In the first inning, an Army batter hit a blast to center field and Testa caught the ball going full speed, face-first into the outfield fence. Testa says he held onto the ball and sustained a bloody gash.

He batted leadoff and in the top of that first inning, and he drilled a base hit. Testa later lashed a run-scoring single to left field with the bases loaded.

"Batting leadoff in my first game, I was happy to see that my coach had that kind of trust in me," said Testa, who has stolen 13 bases in 16 attempts.

After a while, Testa was moved to the bottom of the order but had no problem batting ninth in the strategy Wagner was using.

"The coach uses that No. 9 spot for double-leadoff and it was good because then I could see fastball and not so many sliders like in the leadoff spot," said Testa.

He highlighted his efforts against Mt. St. Mary's by going 2-for-3 for two RBIs, including a double that hit the top of the fence and just missed clearing it.

But with the injured outfielders returning to action these days, Testa realizes his opportunities to play in the outfield when he isn't pitching can be numbered, although he says the challenge has been fun.

His efforts have helped the Seahawks go 7-4 in the Northeast Conference and stay in the hunt for first place behind unbeaten Monmouth (22-11 overall,but 11-0 in NEC play) coming into this week's action. With five conference opponents left on the schedule, including a showdown with Monmouth, Wagner continues to work hard to stay high up in the standings for the upcoming conference tournament, with the winner getting a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Testa feels he is ready for the challenge, averaging a little more than a strikeout per inning with a 5.40 ERA in 11 appearances, nine of them starts. It's a big jump from a year ago when Testa was 1-3 with a 7.65 ERA.

He credits part of the improvement from the input from new pitching coach Jim Carone and Testa's decision last summer to play in The Florida Collegiate Summer League for the Barracudas, based out of Daytona Beach, instead of returning to the Jersey Shore League. Testa made the all-star team. Both of those leagues are wooden bats leagues.

"I pitched regularly, and the hitters were more disciplined and more competitive because most of them came from around there, where the weather is great and they can play all year round," said Testa. "It helped me because there were a couple of batters who could crush the ball."

Daytona Beach reached the playoffs but was eliminated in the opening round, but it was enough for Testa to fine tune his pitching and to add a slider to his repertoire.

He also changed his windup.

"That's where my pitching coach at Wagner helped me," said Testa. "He noticed I was a little off balance and landing in front of myself. I used to go over my head with my hands, and now I just keep them at my face, go over my head and then back down.

"I thought it would be hard for me to make changes but when I tried these things, I felt more natural and comfortable."

Although Testa said the pre-season work helped him "a lot" to be better prepared for this season than a year ago, it was tough in the beginning when he returned to Florida with Wagner for early season games against college teams that already had been outside for a long time.

"Early on, I was walking a lot of people and changed my windup to be more balanced," said Testa. "Once I did that, I did not allow more than three walks in a game I pitched."

His one conference loss was a tough one. Two batters reached on a walk and an error in the sixth inning and the next one belted a three-run home run to tie it at 3-3. Testa left the game in the seventh inning down, 4-3, and Wagner went on to a 5-3 loss.

But there also was a razor sharp outing he had against Fairleigh Dickinson when Testa allowed six hits over seven innings pitched with 12 strikeouts. His team built an 11-0 lead before he let in a run on a sacrifice fly.

"With the work I got in during the summer and playing fall ball, I feel like this is my third season with the confidence level I have," said Testa.

"Right now, I'm trying to put weight on. I'm 160 pounds and throwing my fastball at times up to 89-90 miles an hour. If I can get a little more weight with eating right and going to the gym, I feel I can add a few miles to my pitches."

But for now, Testa can't complain about the progress he's been making.