OCHS First Decade Teams
Mike Dugan was top Raider baseball player in First Decade!
By TOM WILLIAMS
Gazette Staff Writer
The First Decade of the 21st Century was a good decade for Ocean City High School
baseball. Craig Mensinger's team had six winning seasons and qualified for the NJSIAA
Tournament five times. It was also a decade that featured two players setting a new
OCHS single-season home run record, another setting a school record for assists and
the Raiders making their first spring trips to Florida.
Some talented athletes wore the Ocean City uniform during the decade. But the best was
Mike Dugan, a sure-handed second baseman who hit .460 in 2006, the top batting average
by any Raider in the 10-year period. He was a two-year starter and one of eight Ocean
City players to be named first team, all-conference.
Joining Dugan in the all-decade infield are first baseman Dave Evans, an all-conference
pick in 2000; third baseman Ryan Reich, an all-conference pick in 2000, when he hit .421;
and shortstop Matt Troum, a .347 hitter in 2005, when he set a school record with 67
assists.
Leading the five-member all-decade outfield are the two big home run hitters. Kyle Scott
hit seven home runs in 2000, when he was an all-conference choice. And Sean Feeney hit seven
in 2008, the first of his two seasons on the all-conference team. They are joined in the
outfield by Wes Yakopcic, an all star in 2004 when he hit .338; Adam Lauer, who hit over
.300 in both 2006 and 2007; and Connor Ortolf, a senior at OCHS now, who hit.346 last year.
Many of these position players - like Ortolf and Lauer - also contributed a lot as pitchers
for the Raiders.
The four pitchers selected to the First Decade All Stars include Adam Neaves, an all star in
2000 when he was 4-1 with a 1.86 earned run average; Will Kleva, an all-conference pick in
2004 when he won four games and had a 2.13 ERA; Justin Bird, who won four games in 2006 while
striking out 54 in 45 innings; and Graham Ginn, who was effective as a starter and reliever
over three seasons. Kleva and Ginn were also outstanding hitters.
The catcher who will be responsible to bring this staff together is Rick Henshaw, who hit well
over .300 in 2000 and 2001 while driving home 30 runs.
The designated hitters are more like utility players. Chugger LaCasse hit .344 over two seasons
while doing effective work on the mound. Mike Hinsley, who hit over .360 across two seasons,
played many positions and, like LaCasse, made contributions as a pitcher.
Dugan, LaCasse, Feeney and Kleva all played in the Carpenter Cup all star tournament. LaCasse,
in fact, blasted a long home run to center field at Citizen's Bank Park.
The Raiders had a good decade from 2000-09 and the all-decade team is filled with talented,
versatile athletes. But Mike Dugan was the best. He joins Ben Charles (90s), Matt Dice (80s),
Joe Myers (70s) and Charley Mumford (60s) as Ocean City High School Baseball Players of the
Decade.
OCHS Baseball in the First Decade
Year....Record....Coach
2000....17-8........Craig Mensinger
2001.....5-14.......Craig Mensinger
2002....11-10.......Craig Mensinger
2003.....8-11.......Craig Mensinger
2004....11-8........Craig Mensinger
2005....14-9........Craig Mensinger
2006....11-9........Craig Mensinger
2007.....6-14.......Craig Mensinger
2008.....6-14.......Craig Mensinger
2009....12-11.......Craig Mensinger
The First Decade Raider Baseball Team
Pitcher........Adam Neaves (2000)
Pitcher........Will Kleva (2004)
Pitcher........Justin Bird (2006)
Pitcher........Graham Ginn (2006)
Catcher........Rick Henshaw (2001)
First Base.....Dave Evans (2000)
Second Base..Mike Dugan (2006)
Shortstop......Matt Troum (2005)
Third Base....Ryan Reich (2000)
Outfield.......Kyle Scott (2000)
Outfield.......Wes Yakopcic (2004)
Outfield.......Adam Lauer (2006)
Outfield.......Sean Feeney (2009)
Outfield.......Connor Ortolf (2009)
Des. Hitter...Chugger LaCasse (2004)
Des. Hitter...Mike Hinsley (2005)