A big hit
for “Tito” Rohena

By Joe Mason
For the Times

Edwin “Tito” Rohena never wastes a sunny day.
Rohena, a junior at Frankford High School, spends the bulk of his free time on a baseball field. Last year, for example, his baseball season began during the spring with the Pioneers.
After school ended, he played for the Olney American Legion team, participated in the Phillies RBI program, contributed in the Penn-Del League and took part in various travel teams and showcase tournaments.
By the time Thanksgiving rolled around, Rohena estimates he had played in roughly 100 baseball games.
Sounds pretty draining.
“No, I never get sick of baseball, not at all,” Rohena said. “When I’m not in school or doing something I have to do, I’m playing baseball. I love it, it’s the only thing I really want to do.
“When I don’t have a game and when no one is around, I’ll just hit off a tee or throw the ball around,” he said. “Sick of it? No, I’d never get sick of it. I want to play all the time.”
Maybe that passion is because of his success.
Then again, maybe that success is because of his passion.
Rohena is a star outfielder and the No. 2 pitcher on Frankford, which won the Public League championship last June. Since then, former head coach Bob Peffle retired and in stepped Juan Namnun, Peffle’s former right-hand man.
Other than the skipper, every key component of last year’s team is back in uniform.
But things aren’t exactly the same.
Once Rohena was forced inside by sub-baseball temperatures, he started prepping in the weight room for the upcoming season.
“I wanted to get stronger, so I started lifting, just doing anything I thought would help my throwing and my hitting,” said Rohena, who hails from North Philadelphia. “I put on a lot of muscle. I tried to turn my fat into muscle to help me get around in the outfield. And I worked a lot on the treadmill.
“I want to be an all-around player, and I feel a lot better this year.”
It didn’t take long for Rohena to show off his new power. In Frankford’s opening game, Rohena hit a towering home run during his team’s 16-1 triumph over Northeast on April 1.
Thanks to a spring-training team trip to Florida and inclement weather late last week, that was the Pioneers’ only game thus far as the Times went to press this week.
“I’ve seen Ryan Howard hit balls like that, but truthfully, I’ve never seen a high school kid hit a ball that far,” said Namnun, who was victorious in his head-coaching debut. “Tito has gained about twelve pounds of muscle, and when I saw that ball, I was in awe as I watched it go over the fence.
“That was a great way to start our season, because we know Northeast is a great team,” Namnun added. “It was our first game, so we were fresh and we were excited. Getting up for a game like this is easy, and I’m glad we played as well as we did.”
Still, the Pioneers are just one game into the new season, and because of their recent success and returning stud players, opposing teams will always try their best to topple the champs.
Being the “team to beat” is tough in any sport. But it’s particularly so in baseball, where teams tend to throw their ace pitchers against the better squads.
That doesn’t worry Rohena, though. Not because he’s cocky, but because it’s baseball.
“We’re focused and we’re having fun,” Rohena said. “I don’t really think there’s a lot of pressure on us, because we’re out there having fun. Everybody on the team loves baseball; we play because we love it.” ••
Joe Mason can be reached at joemason70@hotmail.com