Andy MendlowitzMyCentralJersey.com
From wearing jackets in chilly April to putting on sunscreen in June, it was some season for Greater Middlesex Conference baseball fans. As usual, the players produced several memorable moments and much drama over the course of the spring.
This is how the teams wound up in our final Top 10.
Final GMC Top 10
1. Old Bridge (20-9) – preseason No. 1: The Knights started as our No. 1 and finished on top of the podium. In between, well, it was some ride. Old Bridge maneuvered through the typical tough Red Division tussles, placed second in the division and entered the GMC Tournament as the No. 3 seed. In the end, the Knights' talent came through, fueled by top pitching and gutsy play. Old Bridge put together four exciting wins to emerge as GMCT champs.
2. South Plainfield (22-6-1) – preseason No. 5: The Tigers can make a case for having the county’s most overall dominant campaign. South Plainfield captured the Red Division pennant with a 10-2 mark, sweeping Old Bridge in the regular season and producing a 14-game unbeaten streak at one point. Two close losses ding them to No. 2 – the 6-5 defeat to Old Bridge in the GMCT final and an 8-3 loss to Randolph in the North 2 Group 3 final (SP led 3-1 entering the sixth).
3. Monroe (16-10) – preseason No. 2: You’re going to have some tough losses in baseball and Monroe had seven defeats by three runs or less. Then, the Falcons got hot entering the postseason as the No. 5 seed in Central Group 4. Monroe scored two road upsets – a 3-0 win over fourth-seeded South Brunswick and a 6-5 win over top-seeded Old Bridge to reach the final. They took seven of their last eight and finished third in the Red Division.
4.Woodbridge (17-10) – preseason No. 4: The whole body of work counts, and the Barrons blazed through the tough White Division with an 11-1 record to capture the pennant. That includes sweeps over Colonia, Edison and Sayreville – which upset them in the GMCT quarterfinals.
5. Edison (16-12) – preseason No. 9: It wasn’t that Edison didn't have talent, just, they were so young. Well, senior Jaxon Appelman shined and up-and-comers broke out such as Robert Roma (1.66 ERA) and Anthony Calantoni (.430, 37 hits). The Eagles reached the GMCT semifinals and tied for second with Colonia in the White Division.
6.Spotswood (19-4-2) – preseason No. 8: The Chargers repeated as Blue Division champions with an 11-1 record, quite an impressive feat. The Blue featured North Non-Public B champs St. Thomas Aquinas (Spotswood had the sweep, including an incredible late comeback), as well as tough pitching across the board. The Chargers simply matched those aces and put up some big offensive numbers led by Carter Cumiskey.
7.South Brunswick (14-13) – preseason unranked: It was almost like a season of two halves, two different chapters for the Vikings. South Brunswick slugger/ace Ethan Fantel missed a month after getting hit in the face with a line drive on opening day. The Vikings went 8-3 after he returned, including a 3-2, 14-inning win over St. Thomas Aquinas in the GMCT first round.
8. St. Thomas Aquinas (19-9) – preseason unranked: They might still be celebrating in North Edison. St. Thomas Aquinas put together a memorable run in capturing the North Non-Public B title, its first sectional championship in 18 years. Gavin Sansone’s home run. Louis Rizzolo and Nikash Patel’s gutsy relief pitching. Key hits from players like Will Bethea and Donovan Epps. Yes, Trojans fans certainly won’t forget those memories.
9. Colonia (19-7) – preseason unranked: Simply, the Patriots had question marks on the mound entering the season. Well, the staff emerged as one of the best in the GMC with a 1.43 team ERA and 228 strikeouts in 171 IP. Junior Cory Pascarella (0.37 ERA, 86 Ks) and sophomores Colin Kroner (2.00 ERA, 78 Ks), Dylan Chiera (1.17 ERA) and Tyler Chiola (2.90 ERA) will all be back. Senior Anthony Singh (1.68 ERA, 43 Ks) also chipped in key innings as Colonia finished tied with Edison for second in the White Division.
10. Sayreville (12-13) – preseason No. 7: The Bombers had a slow start this spring but produced big-time in the GMCT with some redemption against White Division foes. The 10th-seed topped seventh-seeded Colonia 1-0 in the first round behind Thomas Schlaline's gem and stopped second-seeded Woodbridge 4-3 in the quarterfinals to reach the final four. The Bombers placed fourth in the White Division.
In the Red Division, South Plainfield displayed a balanced and pesky lineup that set a program record with 123 stolen bases. Shortstop Zach Robinson led the way with 43 hits, a .462 average and 30 RBIs. Perhaps overlooked sometimes in the Tigers’ prolific offense was the deep pitching staff. No one threw over 40 innings and that kept the arms fresh.
NJ Baseball rankings: Final HNT Greater Middlesex Conference Top 10 (mycentraljersey.com)
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