Dom Massaro of South Plainfield batted .402 with 39 hits, 32 runs scored,
14 extra-base hits and 18 stolen bases.Scott Faytok | NJ Advance Media
By Luis Torres | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
South Plainfield coach Scott Gleichenhaus figured he had something in Dom Massaro following a preseason scrimmage against Christian Brothers.
Massaro had a good showing that day, so much so that CBA coach Marty Kenney Jr. went up to Gleichenhaus and told him Massaro was a stud and asked what year he was in.
Kenney was stunned to learn Massaro was just a freshman. Not a bad first impression for Massaro, who shined in that scrimmage.
It was then that Gleichenhaus expected Massaro to be a contributor once the season began. What he couldn’t have envisioned is the total impact he would end up having as a rookie facing stiff competition.
Massaro hit leadoff, patrolling center field each game and producing at a level that Gleichenhaus hasn’t seen in his almost two decades of coaching.
After hitting .402 with 39 hits, 32 runs scored, 14 extra-base hits and 18 stolen bases, Massaro is NJ.com’s 2023 Newcomer of the Year.
Massaro’s 39 hits led South Plainfield and were the most by any freshman in the state this spring. His 32 runs scored were tied for third-most by any rookie.
He recorded a hit in 22 of the Tigers’ 29 games and reached base safely in 25 of 29 games.
“You can’t predict that out of anybody,” Gleichenhaus said. “I would hope that the best players on your team, the guys that you expect to be the thumpers in the lineup, that they are going to be in that 30-hit range and put up the type of numbers collectively. RBIs, extra-base hits, things like that.
“You just hope that those guys can do it, and to expect that out of the leadoff spot from a freshman? That’s unheard of. No, I didn’t expect it.”
Gleichenhaus said Massaro didn’t get complacent after winning the starting center field job heading into the season. Massaro worked on his craft daily, finding ways to fine tune his skills as South Plainfield played in the Red Division - the toughest division in the Greater Middlesex Conference.
Massaro had to face pitchers like North Brunswick’s Zachary Konstantinovsky, Monroe’s Harrison Lollin, South Brunswick’s Joey Tuttoilmondo, Old Bridge’s Justin Hascup and St. Joseph (Met.)’s Jimmy Mulvaney, who each have unique pitching arsenals and were each named to their respective All-Group teams.
“The moment was never too big for him. You never had that sense that he was overmatched outside of a few occasions,” Gleichenhaus said. “I’ve never had a player like him at the freshman level. His performance ranks up there with any of the top players that I’ve ever coached in any grade at the varsity level.
“You look at a guy like that, and you’re like, this is a once-in-a-generational type player. That’s the type of caliber of player that he has the potential to be.”
That potential is still untapped, according to Gleichenhaus.
Gleichenhaus said that Massaro might end up being South Plainfield’s best pitcher by the time he’s a junior. Massaro didn’t pitch this season because of arm surgery, focusing only on being the best center fielder and hitter he could be this spring.
It paid off with a monster freshman season and Gleichenhaus is looking forward to what’s to come over the next three years.
“I think he wants to be the best and do whatever he needs to do to reach that goal,” Gleichenhaus said.
Dom Massaro of South Plainfield is the NJ.com Baseball Newcomer of the Year, 2023 - nj.com
South Plainfield coach Scott Gleichenhaus figured he had something in Dom Massaro following a preseason scrimmage against Christian Brothers.
Massaro had a good showing that day, so much so that CBA coach Marty Kenney Jr. went up to Gleichenhaus and told him Massaro was a stud and asked what year he was in.
Kenney was stunned to learn Massaro was just a freshman. Not a bad first impression for Massaro, who shined in that scrimmage.
It was then that Gleichenhaus expected Massaro to be a contributor once the season began. What he couldn’t have envisioned is the total impact he would end up having as a rookie facing stiff competition.
Massaro hit leadoff, patrolling center field each game and producing at a level that Gleichenhaus hasn’t seen in his almost two decades of coaching.
After hitting .402 with 39 hits, 32 runs scored, 14 extra-base hits and 18 stolen bases, Massaro is NJ.com’s 2023 Newcomer of the Year.
Massaro’s 39 hits led South Plainfield and were the most by any freshman in the state this spring. His 32 runs scored were tied for third-most by any rookie.
He recorded a hit in 22 of the Tigers’ 29 games and reached base safely in 25 of 29 games.
“You can’t predict that out of anybody,” Gleichenhaus said. “I would hope that the best players on your team, the guys that you expect to be the thumpers in the lineup, that they are going to be in that 30-hit range and put up the type of numbers collectively. RBIs, extra-base hits, things like that.
“You just hope that those guys can do it, and to expect that out of the leadoff spot from a freshman? That’s unheard of. No, I didn’t expect it.”
Gleichenhaus said Massaro didn’t get complacent after winning the starting center field job heading into the season. Massaro worked on his craft daily, finding ways to fine tune his skills as South Plainfield played in the Red Division - the toughest division in the Greater Middlesex Conference.
Massaro had to face pitchers like North Brunswick’s Zachary Konstantinovsky, Monroe’s Harrison Lollin, South Brunswick’s Joey Tuttoilmondo, Old Bridge’s Justin Hascup and St. Joseph (Met.)’s Jimmy Mulvaney, who each have unique pitching arsenals and were each named to their respective All-Group teams.
“The moment was never too big for him. You never had that sense that he was overmatched outside of a few occasions,” Gleichenhaus said. “I’ve never had a player like him at the freshman level. His performance ranks up there with any of the top players that I’ve ever coached in any grade at the varsity level.
“You look at a guy like that, and you’re like, this is a once-in-a-generational type player. That’s the type of caliber of player that he has the potential to be.”
That potential is still untapped, according to Gleichenhaus.
Gleichenhaus said that Massaro might end up being South Plainfield’s best pitcher by the time he’s a junior. Massaro didn’t pitch this season because of arm surgery, focusing only on being the best center fielder and hitter he could be this spring.
It paid off with a monster freshman season and Gleichenhaus is looking forward to what’s to come over the next three years.
“I think he wants to be the best and do whatever he needs to do to reach that goal,” Gleichenhaus said.
Dom Massaro of South Plainfield is the NJ.com Baseball Newcomer of the Year, 2023 - nj.com
