Julian Roman smiled and felt less weight on his shoulders when he walked off the Johnnie B. Wiley baseball field in late April.
The senior pitcher and first baseman had led Hutchinson-Central Technical High School to a 10-7 win against City Honors, ending the Centaurs’ 34-game winning streak against Buffalo Public Schools competition. Over the last few seasons, City Honors had evolved as the team to beat in BPS. Three years ago, City Honors won the district’s first sectional title in baseball since 1986.
The victory over the Centaurs gave Roman hope that maybe, just maybe, Hutch-Tech could get on a playoff run once the sectionals begin. The Engineers are No. 4 in the Section VI Class AA rankings with an 8-2 overall record.
“I had a lot of confidence going into that game, just knowing who they lost from the previous year and how young that team was,” Roman said. “Going into that game, I knew they played differently than they did last year, and it boosted my confidence once I got on the mound to throw as many strikes as possible. It was great. It was like a burden lifted off my shoulders of all those years of losing close games against them. I feel like we finally got over that hump.”
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City Honors went on to beat Hutch-Tech the following week 9-1, and sits atop the Division I Buffalo rankings with one more win than the Engineers. It is a breath of fresh air for the Centaurs to have tough competition in Buffalo, and that competition is led by Roman and junior shortstop, catcher and pitcher Nate Mulligan.
Mulligan leads Hutch-Tech with a .417 batting average and 13 RBIs. On the mound, he has 18 strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings. Roman’s batting average is .259, with 11 RBIs. He has also logged 20 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings on the hill.
“This year had been really good,” Mulligan said. “I’m happy with the team this year. There’s been a lot of practice and improvement with the team this year. The team has a ton of participation and effort to play ball. Me and Julian are good leaders for this team, and I like it a lot because it’s not hard. These guys understand the basics. I think at other schools, kids are messing around in the dugout, where we’re cool, calm, and collected and just want to play ball. We have boundaries and just want to play.”
Hutch-Tech coach Tom Jost talks with players May 8 at the Johnnie B. Wiley Stadium Sports Pavilion.
Mulligan and Roman are two of the few players on the team who have played baseball since childhood and are now on travel teams. The latter is a rarity for kids in Buffalo, compared with those in the suburbs. According to the Global Sport Matters, only 6% of Black students in urban school districts play high school baseball.
Hutch-Tech’s aces have experience that not many of their teammates or other BPS students have, and that’s why 20-year Engineers coach Tom Jost has entrusted them to guide the team. Having been around city baseball for a generation, he is happy that there is competition again to compete with City Honors, and he hopes it continues.
“It’s good for our league, and I wish we had some more city teams to raise it back up again,” Jost said. “Back in the day, the games meant something and know it’s really for City Honors, and I miss that.”
Jost has long tried his best to build a program at Hutch-Tech. The Engineers have never won a baseball sectional, but that hasn’t stopped him from being dedicated to the program.
He does his own fundraising for the program and has given to the students to assist them. Jost cares about the program, despite retirement being on his horizon. There is an excitement he gets from coaching and teaching because he wants his players to feel like their suburban opposition.
All Jost asks in return from his players is commitment to the team. Being a city school, he and the players know they are at a disadvantage, compared with the suburban schools. From resources and talent, there is a gap, and with that, Jost urges his players to be as present as possible at practice, because an opportunity to get better can go a long way.
“Public school kids start texting you their excuses around noon, and I’ll say, ‘OK guys, I’ll practice with whomever wants to get better,’ ” Jost said. “That’s the fight we have because they need the practice time and the reps. All those kids you’re playing against in sectionals, they’ve had thousands more reps. You can’t miss practice when you’re a Hutch-Tech kid.”
It is the dedication he has sought, and this season has gotten it, to an extent, with his top players leading the charge. There is an aura of optimism with Hutch-Tech, and it was heightened in late April when the team beat City Honors. Jost doesn’t see this season being a blip, but as a trend in the right direction.
“A couple of years ago I was recruiting out of gym classes,” Jost said. “If a kid looked good during dodgeball, I’d say, ‘Congratulations, you’re my shortstop.’ The cupboard was that bare. I think we should be good for the next couple of years, though, and we should be able to compete with City Honors again.”
