Luis Torres | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
NORTH JERSEY 2 GROUP 3 | BRACKET
Favorite
North Hunterdon: The Lions found their identity. After starting the season at 5-5, North Hunterdon has gone without a loss in 13 straight games. They surged to a championship in the H/W/S Tournament, taking down Phillipsburg in 11 innings after Nick Hernandez blasted a walk-off three-run home run.
Alongside Hernandez in the Lions’ lineup, look out for Alex Famolari, Tyler Anderson, Zach Fronio and Chris Sand to set the table. Fronio, Famolari and Sand lead one of the best rotations in New Jersey with Ben Linzer, Brandon Suler and Gavin Corcoran.
Contenders
Colonia: Colonia, the No. 5 seed in the section, emerged in recent weeks to be one of the top teams in the Greater Middlesex Conference. One reason why? It’s young and talented pitching staff. Junior Cory Pascarella has been fantastic this season, posting a 0.50 ERA in 42 1/3 innings pitched and recording 63 strikeouts.
Senior Anthony Singh has been great as well with a 1.15 ERA in 30 1/3 innings pitched, while sophomore Colin Kroner has a 1.83 ERA in 46 innings with a team-leading 75 strikeouts. Those three, along with the rest of the staff, gives Colonia a good chance to end up on top of the section.
South Plainfield: Top-seeded South Plainfield has been one of the top teams in the state over the last month as coach Scott Gleichenhaus has had his team rolling, including making the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament championship game. Senior infielder Zack Robinson has been stellar this season, hitting a team-leading .462.
Junior Dan Kapsch and Senior Jayden Alvarez are both hitting at least .390, while the pitching staff has been good, amassing a 2.78 ERA this season. South Plainfield’s lineup is athletic and can slug with the best of them and will be hard for any pitching staff to limit for seven innings.
Randolph: Second-seeded Randolph has been leaking a little bit of oil down the stretch since the end of the Morris County Tournament, but the Rams are good and talented enough to end up winning this section. Veteran coach Mark Rizzi has production up and down his order, which is led by junior shortstop AJ Terry, a North Carolina commit. Terry is hitting .462 this season with 23 RBIs.
The pitching staff has been led by senior righty Tommy Martin, who has been fantastic this season and has pitched in every big game for Randolph so far this year. Senior Connor Stokoe has been productive at the plate as well. Senior righty James Kleiven, a University of Miami commit, could be an x-factor as well.
Summit: Summit, the No. 6 seed in the section, has been one of the most consistent teams in Union County and in North Jersey this season, picking up several marquee wins. Summit has beaten teams like Gov. Livingston and Westfield this season, both have spent most of the season in the NJ.com Top 20.
Those wins should give coach Kevin Zaleski’s team plenty of confidence moving forward. Junior Ryan Barber has been great this spring, hitting a team-leading .463, while junior pitchers Gavin Smith and Thomas Flack have been tremendous.
West Morris: West Morris, the No. 4 seed in this section, got off to a slow start this season, but has come on strong since mid-April to get one of the top four seeds in the section. Coach Tom Reindel has a good pitching staff, led by junior Nick Rotundo and sophomore Liam Costello, giving the Wolfpack a good duo heading into the state tournament.
Senior Evan Rymer has been West Morris’s most productive hitter this spring, hitting .387, while fellow senior Michael Ferry is hitting .338.
Players to watch:
Ryan Barber, Summit, Jr., INF
Dylan Falk, Cranford, Sr., UTL
Alex Faust, Millburn, Jr., P/INF
Shea Losino, Ridgefield Park, INF, Sr.
Wes Maksimow, Chatham, Jr., P/INF
Tommy Martin, Randolph, Sr., P/INF
Cory Pascarella, Colonia, Jr., P
Marco Rinaldi, Cliffside Park, INF, Sr.
Zack Robinson, South Plainfield, Sr., INF
Nick Rotundo, West Morris, Jr., P
Chris Sand, North Hunterdon, P/INF, Jr.
Dylan Swarts, Mendham, Sr., P/INF
Erik Thompson, Nutley, Sr., INF
Sean Walsh, Belleville, So., P/INF
Daniel Willis, Warren Hills, P, Jr.
Best first-round game
13-Chatham at 4-West Morris
Two teams and two coaching staffs that know each other extremely well meet as West Morris hosts Chatham in the first round. This was also a first-round matchup last spring, with Chatham coming away with a 2-1 win in a pitchers’ duel. This year’s matchup could be another contest where runs could be at a premium.
Chatham junior Wes Maksimow has been strong on the mound this season, recording 56 strikeouts in 39 innings pitched with a 1.62 ERA. West Morris has a strong pitching staff as well, with junior lefty Nick Rotundo tossing 48 1/3 innings and racking up 54 strikeouts and a 1.88 ERA.
Championship matchup:
3-North Hunterdon at 1-South Plainfield
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