County title on the line: South Plainfield to face Old Bridge Saturday for 2024 GMC crown

 

Baseball Notebook

May 17, 2024 by Mike Pavlichko

There’s always debates about seeding, scheduling and crossovers, but one thing is certain: Whether it’s basketball or baseball, the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament is one of the best in the state.

The games come in rapid fire fashion, and it’s never a dull moment. And this year, it was widely considered a wide-open tournament.

This Saturday, the 2024 GMC will crown a baseball champion. And for the first time in three years, we’ll have two new teams vying for the title. Top-seed and GMC Red Division champion South Plainfield will battle third-seed Old Bridge for Middlesex County Supremacy, and Central Jersey Sports Radio will be there.

Click here to listen to the live broadcast!

Of course, weather could be an issue. As of Friday morning, The Weather Channel is calling for cloudy skies in the morning with a few showers later in the day. For first pitch, it would be 63 degrees with a 30 percent chance of showers.

The GMCT finals rain date is Sunday, with the forecast calling for a mix of sun and clouds and a high of 74, with only a six percent chance of precipitation all day.

Scroll through this story for the finals at-a-glance, interviews, links to our coverage of both teams, how they got here, team records and finals history, and other notes and stats.

GMC FINALS AT-A-GLANCE

Teams:
(1) South Plainfield (19-3-1*, 10-2, GMC Red Champions, #11 in NJ)
(3) Old Bridge (17-7, 9-3 GMC Red, 2nd place, #18 in NJ)
*Note: South Plainfield has a regular season game Friday evening vs. Notre Dame of Lawrenceville

Head Coaches:
South Plainfield: Scott Gleichenhaus, 4th season (67-36-1)
Old Bridge: Mike Murray, 7th season (99-70)

Probable Starters:
South Plainfield: Kevin Penny (2-0, 1.67 ERA)
Old Bridge: Frank Papeo (3-1, 0.23 ERA)

Date and Time: Saturday, May 18 – 2:00 pm
Location: Ray Cipperly Field at East Brunswick Magnet School (Rues Lane, East Brunswick)
Listen On: Central Jersey Sports Radio, Pregame 1:30 pm (Click here to listen live!)
Announcers: Mike Pavlichko & Justin Sontupe

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

South Plainfield:
First Round: bye
Second Round: def. (17) Perth Amboy, 11-1
Quarterfinals: def. (8) South Brunswick, 10-9
Semifinals: def. (5) Edison, 8-3

Old Bridge:
First Round: bye
Second Round: def. (14) St. Joseph-Metuchen, 6-4
Quarterfinals: def. (11) North Brunswick, 8-5
Semifinals: def. (10) Sayreville, 10-0

TEAM LEADERS:

South Plainfield*:

• Batting Average: Zack Robinson (.479), Dan Kapsch (.410), Jayden Alvarez (.386)
• RBI: Jayden Alvarez (24), Zack Robinson (23), Nick Irizzary (19)
• HR: Zack Robinson (3), Dan Kapsch, Kevin Penny (1)
• Walks: Aiden McCarthy (17), Zack Robinson (16)
• Stolen Bases: Nick Irizzary (30), Zack Robinson (21), Jayden Alvarez (20)
• Wins: Zack Robinson, Mike Castagna (4)
• ERA (min 12 innings): Ryan Balent (0.70 in 20 IP), Aldo Pigna (1.67 in 29 1/3 IP)
• Strikeouts (Pitcher): Aldo Pigna (Kevin Penny (25), Mike Castagna (23)

*Note: Stats heading into Friday’s game vs. Notre Dame

Old Bridge:

• Batting Average: Akhil Penkala (.436), John Smith, Justin Hascup (.371)
• RBI: John Smith, Michael Altman (150), JT Meyer, Frank Papeo (13)
• HR: Frank Papeo, Evan Smith (2)
• Walks: Frank Papeo (13), John Smith (10)
• Stolen Bases: John Smith (2), Christian Cavanaugh (1)
• Wins: Justin Hascup, JT Meyer (5)
• ERA (min 12 innings): Frank Papeo (0.23 in 30 1/3 IP), JT Meyer (0.91 in 38 1/3 IP)
• Strikeouts (Pitcher): Justin Hascup (51), Frank Papeo (40)

County title on the line: South Plainfield to face Old Bridge Saturday for 2024 GMC crown – Central Jersey Sports Radio (cjsportsradio.com)