Knoch grad Angelo DeLeonardis emerging as key player in 2nd year with Chatham baseball

When Angelo DeLeonardis arrived at Chatham last fall, he was eager to contribute during his freshman baseball season. Coach Nic Rush saw enough in DeLeonardis that convinced him he could be a catcher at the college level right away.

But here’s the rub.

The Cougars were returning two experienced catchers. One was grad student Caleb Lehman, whom Rush called “one of the best ever to come through Chatham” in its brief baseball history (since 2017). The Gateway alumnus hit .339, drove in 94 runs and committed only nine errors in his 144-game career.

The other catcher was sophomore Tyler Cote, who appeared in 38 games as a freshman.

So that meant DeLeonardis was going to spend most of his freshman year as an understudy. He appeared in only five games, getting 11 at-bats with three hits, two of which went for extra bases. All three hits came in the same game.

In hindsight, the Knoch grad said he believes being on the sidelines might have been for the best.

“It definitely was tough not getting a lot of minutes last year,” he said. “But I think it was kind of a good thing. It kind of opened my eyes. I knew I needed to work hard. I don’t think last year I was ready to play, looking back at it.

“It taught me how to work hard and the things I needed to do to get on the field.”

So DeLeonardis set about trying to live up to Rush’s mantra: Find a way to be one of the best nine guys and force your way into the lineup. This season, he has done that.

Over the Cougars’ first 10 games, in which they went 4-6, DeLeonardis started all 10. When he isn’t catching, he plays second base. Rush said he likes to save wear and tear on his catchers by getting them out from behind the plate on a regular basis, so DeLeonardis now is the other half of the platoon with Cote. Cote plays first base when DeLeonardis is catching.

Offensively, DeLeonardis is hitting .267 with five RBIs. That, Rush said, is where he needed the most improvement, and he could see the difference right away.

“One of our assistant coaches said in a handful of practices into the fall: ‘I don’t think Angelo has had a bad practice yet,’ ” said Rush, in his third season at Chatham. “And I think that still rings true to this day.

“I think he’s just become more dynamic offensively. He’s not a guy who is going to drive the ball over the fence, but he can square the baseball up. He’s got solid contact. He can move the baseball. He can bunt. And he’s starting to turn into a threat on the basepaths as well.”

DeLeonardis said there was no secret sauce to his offseason preparation. He just did a little more of it: lifting, running and hitting. He said the biggest improvement he noticed was in his speed.

“Not really anything new,” he said. “I just kind of kept working, and it’s paying off.”

Offense, of course, is only half the battle. DeLeonardis had to shore up his catching skills as well. For that, he gave a lot of credit to Lehman.

The most important lesson he took from the veteran last season, he said, was how to be a better communicator behind the plate. As the catcher, he serves as the de facto quarterback of the Chatham defense.

That skill is even more in demand this year as the Cougars field a relatively young roster. There is room, Rush said, for DeLeonardis to make his voice heard.

“Communication was something I struggled with definitely as a freshman,” he said, “communicating, getting guys in the right spots, being very vocal. You need to be a so-called leader back there behind the plate.”

Added Rush: “The leadership has got to come from somewhere. I think Angelo is naturally a guy who does that to an extent just with the nature of the position. From our conversations, I don’t know if he’s ever been in a position where he’s had to open his mouth a ton.

“I think he is starting to get comfortable with that and starting to realize that when he talks, guys listen.”

He also continues to develop chemistry with the pitching staff. Even though he saw limited game action last season, DeLeonardis frequently caught bullpen sessions, so he was able to figure out many of the pitchers’ tendencies and preferences.

Rush said he is working on trying to match the same pitchers and catchers on game days as much as possible but is confident DeLeonardis can handle the entire staff.

In a more tangible sense, DeLeonardis said he has become more comfortable in general behind the plate, particularly when it comes to blocking balls in the dirt. That tracks with his overall skill set that Rush can see trending in the right direction.

“I think for him it’s just to continue what he has done,” Rush said. “I think he has the ability to be a complete player.”

For his part, DeLeonardis is pleased with his start and anticipates he can continue to build his game. But he isn’t setting any specific goals. Mostly, he just wants the Cougars to be successful.

“I’m not too worried about the numbers right now,” he said. “I just want to give my best effort and try to give my team the best chance to win. I mean, it would be nice to (hit) something pretty crazy. But I just want to put my best foot forward and help this team any way I can.”