IN THE DUGOUT: Dunmore's Forgione off to strong start
Apr. 16—Max Forgione came to the plate against Riverside in the bottom of the seventh with runners on second and third, one out, and Dunmore trailing by one run.
Four days earlier, Forgione hit a game-winning inside-the-park two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat West Scranton, 4-3.
"He came up in a huge spot where the team needed him," Dunmore coach Mike Hallinan said. "He hit a rocket to left-center at Schautz (Stadium) and with his speed I knew he was going to score."
This time, however, Forgione would not get the opportunity. Riverside intentionally walked him. Dunmore wound up scoring the tying run on a fielder's choice, then won in the bottom of the eighth inning, 7-6.
While the move to walk Forgione made baseball sense — it set up a force at any base — it also showed some respect to the sophomore. Teams are not going to let him beat them.
"That was frustrating because I knew I had a chance to knock some runs in," Forgione said. "But it's a compliment and part of the game."
Coming off a stellar freshman season, Forgione is off to a strong start this year. He has hit safely in each of Dunmore's first five games and is batting .500 (8 for 16) with two triples, one home run, six runs and four RBIs.
The lefty-swinging hitter has the strength and ability to take outside pitches the opposite way — an example being his home run against West Scranton.
"The first two games I started off a bit slow," Forgione said. "But I kept grinding, hitting off the tee, smoothing mechanics out. I slowly got my timing back and am hitting pretty good now. I feel pretty comfortable up to bat and have all the confidence in the world."
Forgione loves baseball and puts in the time and work on a daily basis to get better. He is the type of player who hits off the batting tee in his garage when the team has a day off from practice; who begs his coaches to throw one more round of batting practice to him; who asks to take a few more ground balls.
Hallinan first learned of Forgione while working with Sandlot Baseball Academy and he heard people talking about this sixth grader from Dunmore.
"I saw him working out and I was like, 'Wow, I hope he is going to continue,'" Hallinan said. "So we knew what we were getting and the buzz around him."
Coming into the program as a freshman with all sorts of expectations, Forgione did not disappoint. After going hitless in his first two games, he hit safely in 15 of the remaining 18 as Dunmore's leadoff hitter and batted .459 (28 for 61) with eight doubles, one triple, one home run, 32 runs and 14 RBIs.
He also was 3-2 on the mound with 37 strikeouts. He was chosen a Lackawanna League Coaches Division III all-star.
"I was really welcomed into the program," Forgione said. "Coach expected me to be a big player. I don't get nervous in those types of situations. I just fell into the role of being the shortstop and leading off, batting first. I just had the mentality to go out there and do my thing. Don't change anything and trust myself that my skill would do it for me."
While he primarily plays shortstop and pitcher for the Bucks, he also can play the outfield. In fact, that is the position he possibly is projected to play at the next level.
Because of how well his freshman season went, expectations only increased this season. But they are nothing compared to the expectations he has for himself.
"He's a humble kid and handles everything so well," Hallinan said. "Nothing seems to bother him, he doesn't get rattled.
"He's just cool, calm and collected and loves to compete. It's never about him. This kid just wants to win."
Well-respected by his coaches and teammates, Forgione was named a team captain this season. He said that meant a lot to him and he just tries to be a role model and help out the younger players.
"He's not a rah-rah guy. He's the guy who's going to pull you aside and teach you a couple of things," Hallinan said. "It's his work ethic and the preparation he puts in. In between at-bats he's talking to guys about what he's seeing. Even his own at-bats, if he gets out, he goes back in the dugout and processes that entire at-bat — what he did wrong, what pitch was thrown, what he could have done — so the next time at-bat he's more well-prepared."
Although he knows he shouldn't, Hallinan admits he turns into a fan watching Forgione's at-bats. Deep down, the coach also believes that Forgione has a chance to be the best player to come through the Dunmore program.
"I didn't get to see the Ang Meccas and the Tommy Sohns back in the day. They were the best from what I was told," Hallinan said. "But I told Max that, for how hard he works, he has the chance to be the best player this program has ever seen. That's how high I hold this kid right now.
"It's not fair of me to put that on him. But it doesn't rattle or bother him. He appreciates it and I think it drives him a little bit."
Whether that happens remains to be seen. For now, Forgione is simply focused on helping the Bucks win.
At a school where football is king and the girls basketball team just won a state championship, there is growing interest in the baseball team and Forgione is a big part of it.
"Our community has been talking us up, we've been getting some shoutouts on social media and getting recognized a little more the past couple of games," Forgione said. "I think we're going to end up being a pretty good team. Maybe not state championship good like our girls, but I think we're going to put Dunmore baseball a little more on the map and on the radar. That's definitely a goal of mine. I want to help make our team the best it can be."
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