During the next month, temperatures won’t be the only thing heating up in the Bronx. The arrival of spring brings the start of another baseball season for the high school teams in the Public School Athletic League (PSAL). This season, some local teams are looking to build on strong performances last spring while others are trying to fight their way into contention.

The biggest difference on the playing field this season is at home plate, where a recent City Council ordinance has forced all high schools to play with wooden bats for the first time. Most coaches admit the new bats will take some getting used to. “The ball doesn’t jump off the bat the way it does with aluminum bats,” DeWitt Clinton coach Robert Miller said. “You really have to earn your hits.”

John F. Kennedy High School

Last season, the Knights finished first in the Bronx West A Division and made it to the PSAL semi-finals. After losing 10 players from last year’s squad, Coach Alex Torres is faced with the challenge of preparing their replacements. So far, the team has been successful, jumping out to a 6-0 record to start their season. “We have a young team with lots of new faces who need to learn our system,” Torres said.

Still, this year’s squad does not lack talent. Torres is relying on three of his returning seniors, Will Burgos, Antonio Rivera, and Bienven Martinez, along with fellow returning players Frankie Estevez and Sammie Dominguez, to lead the young team. Dominguez, who will assume the role of starting catcher this season, batted .512 with five homers and 18 RBIs last season.

Torres said the strongest part of his team is the starting pitching, led by Burgos who relies on his fastball and an arsenal of off-speed pitches to keep his opponents guessing at the plate. “As long as we play solid defense, pitch well and make the routine plays, we’ll have a chance to compete in every game,” Torres said.

DeWitt Clinton High School

The Governors enter the season having graduated every position player from last year’s 13-3 squad. Clinton started its season with two convincing wins over Bronx Science, before falling to rival Walton twice.

Coach Miller, in his sixth season at the helm, admits his players have their work cut out for them. “This is probably the toughest year I’ve had coaching so far,” he said. “There’s a lot of teaching going on.”

For a team that has a lot of “physical talents but not a lot of baseball instincts,” Miller focuses on the basics and reducing fielding errors during practices and games. The team’s strength lies in its pitching, led by senior Nelson Colon. Second baseman Arjenis Carmona and catcher Mauricio Matos also provide senior leadership.

Miller says the key to the season will be whether or not the Governors can hit the ball with consistency. “If we hit, we’ll be a better than .500 team,” he said. “If not, it’s going to be a long season.”

H.S. of American Studies

At a school with only 332 students, the Senators have significantly fewer players to choose from when fielding a baseball team. Despite this disadvantage, third year head coach Howard Blitz is pleased with the 17 players he has on his team, whose main goal is to increase their win total from last year’s 4-12 season.

“We have a great bunch of guys who are dedicated and work hard,” Blitz said.

Led by co-captains Matthew Bollati and Jake Walkup, along with catcher Jasper Klein and pitcher Andrew Michalski, the Senators are off to a strong start. Despite an 0-6 record, two of the losses came in close 2-0 contests against division front-runners.

Strong pitching and smart play will be the keys to the team’s success in the upcoming month. “The game is 90 percent pitching,” Blitz said. “We need to take advantage of what we have. We don’t have the greatest physical talent, so we need to play smart baseball, which we do well.”

Bronx High School of Science

Despite a slow 0-5 start, the Wolverines continue to focus on defense and hitting. Led by senior pitcher Robert Wong and junior centerfielder Robert Shimasaki, the team is looking to improve on last season’s 3-13 record. Sixth-year head coach Rafael Lajara says, “Our strongest part is our pitching.”

This strength came out at a recent game against South Bronx. Pitchers Andrew Stormont and Bryan Weisgal combined to allow only one earned run in seven innings in a tough 2-1 loss for Bronx Science.