Northampton manager Mick Sugra had a good feeling about senior Brady Simock’s potential this season.

Sugra didn’t just get it from watching him on the mound and in the batter’s box, but he also had some good vibes from the classroom.

“I had Brady in my sport psych class this past fall, and we had a talk about his confidence and focus,” recalled Sugra. “Last year I think he worried too much, and that led to bad thoughts that compounded and compounded. A few poor misses and that lead to a walk, and that lead to another walk.”

For the past two seasons on the basketball court, Simock played an integral role in the team’s success, helping the Konkrete Kids to an East Penn Conference championship and a state playoff appearance.

Sugra cited his hoops success due to its heightened atmosphere.

“I think the reason he was so successful in basketball is because he doesn’t have a lot of time to dwell on mistakes,” stated Sugra. “In basketball, you are up and down the court and it’s constant motion and you don’t have a lot of time to dwell on mistakes.

“In baseball it is one pitch at a time and if we are worried about the last pitch, or last walk then we are in a state of distraction. So we talked about how good his stuff is and if he remains focused on one pitch at a time, then there is less chance to lose focus and therefore that will lead to better performances.”

Simock opened the season driving in five runs on three hits - one a two-run homer - and he threw three scoreless innings striking out eight in a 16-0 victory over Dieruff.

This season, Simock plans on throwing a fastball, curve, change-up, and slider. He was impressed with his first showing.

“My outing was great,” beamed Simock of his first start. “Going into my start, I just wanted to focus on getting on top of the hitters and limit my walks which I did very well only giving up one walk. I was mainly using my fastball but mixed in a couple changeups.

“On the hitting end, coach Sugra just harped on us putting the ball in play, and making the defense do the work. My last at bat I got my pitch and took it over the right center wall to end the game.”

Sugra anticipates a banner season ahead for his lefthander. Over 32 innings last season, Sugra went 2-5 with a 3.00 ERA and 54 strikeouts.

“Yes, he can have a big year,” noted Sugra. “He has the ability to sit down a lot of teams with his fastball alone. Then factor in his other two pitches, and he could be a really dominant pitcher this year.

“Dieruff was a prime example of that, he struck out eight of the nine batters he faced after he walked the second batter of the game. His confidence remained high, and his focus was on one pitch at a time. We are going to go as far as our pitching takes us this year. There are no easy wins on our schedule again this year.”

Simock and his teammates missed district play last year with an overall 8-12 record. It marked the first time in 15 years the Kids were out of the postseason.

“We are looking forward to being competitive this year,” stressed Simock. “I’ve worked most on my changeup, but most importantly getting on top of hitters. I’d say we don’t have a chip on our shoulder, and take it one game at a time and look to get better each game.”