Whether it is stepping up in a big moment or leading the team by example, Alex Bellovich has played a key role in the Ramapo baseball team’s success for the past four years. He has been a prominent catcher and hitting machine, now taking his talents as a student and baseball player to James Madison University next year. He plans to major in sports management and continue to play the game he loves for as long as he can.
Alex started playing baseball as young as three years old. Growing up in a family where baseball was a big part of everyday life, he was introduced to the sport as soon as he could hold a bat. His dad owns a baseball facility, and Alex was around the game 24/7. From these young moments, Alex fell in love with the game and started playing competitively at age six. Ever since then, he has improved as a baseball player and carried on his family’s love for the game.
Throughout Alex’s Ramapo baseball career, he has received several accolades. Alex is a four-year varsity player and has contributed to the team’s success in all of those years. In his junior season, Alex broke the all-time single-season RBI record with a total of 40 RBI’s (runs batted in). This achievement helped him receive a number of other awards, including first team all-league, second team all-county, and third team all-state group three. During his senior season, he earned second-team all-league. He is on track to receive even more awards at the end of his senior season.
When Alex was asked about what high school baseball is all about, he answered with: “Playing with friends from town and playing to win for everyone on the team. High school sports are special; you want them to last as long as they can, so you do whatever you can to win to keep it going before it’s all over. My greatest strength overall on the baseball field, I would say, is my IQ. Whether I’m behind the plate catching, in the box hitting, or on the bases running, I’m always thinking about the next move and what can potentially happen.”
After his junior season, Alex suffered a UCL tear in his elbow, causing pain in every throw. As a catcher, he needs his arm, but he has been playing through his senior year, determined to give everything he has to this special team and hoping to make a run to the state championship. This summer, he will get surgery and recover from his elbow injury before his college career.
Charlie Calabrese, one of Alex’s teammates and longtime friend, was asked what it is like playing with Alex. He replied: “Being a catcher in baseball is truly the hardest position on the field in an already very difficult sport. As a catcher, you have to have eyes all over the field, calling and framing pitches, calling out defensive signals, blocking wild pitches, and throwing runners out. Alex succeeds in all of these things, and that is what makes him a great leader and contributor to our team’s success over the years. He demonstrates what it means to be a great baseball player. Playing baseball with him has been a pleasure and an amazing experience. He is an incredibly great teammate and friend.”
When speaking with Head Coach Ward, he said, “Bellz is an integral part of not only our team but also our program. He’s been a staple in our lineup for four years and carries himself with a quiet confidence. Alex is the type of leader who leads by example, and his teammates notice. He’s played through some injuries the past few years and hasn’t once complained. He keeps his head down and does what’s best for the team.”
Ultimately, Alex shows what it means to be a strong competitor and leader while also being a great person. He has left a lasting legacy on Ramapo baseball as a role model who put his best effort every time he stepped on the field. We all wish him the best of luck at JMU and the next step in his life.
