With Tamaqua junior Bo Rottet, the message was simple during the 2014 baseball season.

Whenever the Blue Raiders needed a big play, he was there to deliver.Rottet came through for the Raiders in almost every opportunity he was given, batting a stellar .446 from the leadoff position with 21 RBIs and 12 doubles.As much damage as Rottet did from the plate, he arguably did more from the mound, leading Tamaqua in wins with six on the season. He finished the year with a 2.15 ERA, but probably his most impressive pitching stat was his strikeout to innings pitched ratio in 2014. Rottet fanned 48 batters in 39 innings of work.Rottet's versatility and ability to come through in clutch moments for the back-to-back District 11 AAA champions is what has earned him the 2014 Times News Baseball Player of the Year award.As noted, Rottet hit well over .400 from his leadoff position, which is pretty impressive at any level. His 21 RBIs from that spot are also a tad "video game like," meaning when it comes to Rottet being ordinary, that just isn't his style."He set the tone for us in a lot of our wins during the season," said Tamaqua coach Jeff Reading. "When you have a guy with Bo's ability at the top of your lineup you're always going to be in good shape. He also set the tone in a lot of big games for us. I can especially remember when we were at Pottsville this season and he cracked a double off the wall to start the game against their ace and that got us going. He just knows how to come through in big moments."Hitting was something Rottet always had a knack for, and after seeing his pitching numbers this season, one would assume the same thing in that department. However, that was not the case heading into the 2014 season.Rottet's teammate and 2013 Times News Baseball Player of the Year Brett Kosciolek suffered an elbow and shoulder injury in the offseason and was unable to pitch to begin the 2014 season. Luckily for Reading and the Raiders they found a diamond in the coal region area that is Tamaqua.Rottet, who before this year didn't pitch significant innings since Little League, came in and showed he added yet another facet to his game, leading Tamaqua in most pitching statistical categories."Coach told me in the offseason that I was going to have to come in and pitch because of Brett's injury, so I prepared myself for that," Rottet said. "My mom, who is a physical therapist, helped me work my arm out, and I felt strong coming in. I didn't know how much I was going to pitch, and I didn't even think coach knew how much I was going to pitch, but I ended up pitching well and then ended up pitching more because of that."There is sometimes one moment during a season that can capture the potential of an athlete, and for Rottet that moment was in an extra-inning game against Pine Grove where he came in and pitched six scoreless innings. That was the moment Rottet and Reading knew there was something special brewing."He came in against Pine Grove and pitched a great game, and that's when we saw he was going to be our guy," Reading said. "It was one of those things where the more we saw him pitch, the more impressed we were, and he just settled into that role."In baseball, more than any other sport, statistics reign supreme, but what also has earned Rottet notoriety was his ability to do the "little things." Little things such as lead the team in stolen bases and striking out just eight times in 112 at-bats. It's the fundamentals of the game that are usually the driving force behind a good club, and Rottet was vital to the cause."Bo is not only a great player, he's a smart player," said Reading. "His baseball IQ is extraordinary. He's our leader on defense, being our shortstop, and he's literally another coach on the field for us. After an at-bat he's always telling the guys what he saw from the pitcher, telling them how his curveball broke and so on. He's always thinking out there, trying to be one step ahead."Rottet, of course, had many individual goals that he wanted to accomplish coming into the season, but with most exceptional leaders his team goals were paramount.After winning a District 11 AAA championship in 2013, Rottet was adamant that it was a team goal in 2014 to repeat as champs. He also wanted the Raiders to advance past their second round departure from states in 2013 as well.It's safe to say it was mission accomplished."I had a lot of high expectations for our team this year, we all did," said Rottet. "We wanted to win another district title and make it further into states, and we did all that. I think a big part of why we did that was we went down to Hilton Head, South Carolina, before the season. It was a fun trip, playing good baseball against quality teams, and I think we really gelled as a team down there. When we came back we all knew what our roles were, and we all stepped up when we had to."Looking down the road, it seems Rottet and the Raiders have a bright future ahead of them in 2015 with a lot of their top players, including Rottet, returning next season. Goals are sure to be lofty yet again in Tamaqua, and with players like Rottet leading the way, why wouldn't they be?