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| Mark Tomei of South Plainfield is The Star-Ledger's Middlesex County baseball Player of the Year for 2011. () |
Player of the year: By his own standards, this was a disappointing season for Mark Tomei.
“My biggest goal this year was to try to win a state title,” the South Plainfield junior outfielder said. “I just went out there and tried to do my best every game.”
Turns out Tomei’s best was pretty darn good, because his offensive statistics were the equal of any player’s in the state: 58 hits, including 34 for extra bases, with 20 doubles, five triples, nine home runs, 47 runs and 26 RBI as a lead-off hitter. He had a .496 batting average, a .983 slugging percentage and a 1.522 OPS.
“He took the aggressive approach. When you get a fastball, you want to attack it and that is what he did,” South Plainfield coach Anthony Guida said. “And this year he got a lot of fastballs.”
Tomei batted ninth as a sophomore, but Guida looked to him to fill a void at the leadoff slot this fall.
“He wasn’t happy batting ninth,” Guida said. “This year I was able to put him at leadoff and he flourished there.”
Tomei credited Guida’s emphasis on fundamentals with helping him and praised the influence of senior teammate Brandon Downes.
“He’s probably one of my idols,” Tomei said. “I kind of look up to him as a big brother. He’s great on the field and off the field he’s just a well-rounded kid."
So what are Tomei’s goals for his senior campaign? Sixty hits? Thirty doubles?
“I want to win the GMC and state tournaments,” Tomei said. “It’s more about the team than myself.”
ALL-MIDDLESEX COUNTY
FIRST TEAM
Brandon Downes, South Plainfield, 6-3, 180, Senior
Virginia-bound outfielder drafted by Boston Red Sox batted .389 with 37 hits, nine doubles, three triples, five home runs, and 23 RBI as leadoff hitter with 23 walks, 11 intentional.
Mark Tomei, South Plainfield, 5-9, 185, Junior
County player of the year and outfielder had unreal offensive season with 58 hits including 20 doubles, five triples, nine home runs, 47 runs and 26 RBI as lead-off hitter, batting .496.
SECOND TEAM
Dan Hansen, South Plainfield
Stephen Petriello, South Plainfield.
Other Tigers that garnered attention around the conference:
Fourh team: Charlie Huber, South Plainfield
Fifth team: Nick DeMarco, South Plainfield
All-junior: Stephen Petriello, South Plainfield; Mark Tomei, South Plainfield
Juniors to watch: Nick DeMarco, South Plainfield
All-sophomore: Quinn Cochrane, South Plainfield
Sophomores to watch: A.J. Celentano, South Plainfield
All-freshman: Robert Eggert, South Plainfield
ALL-STATE BASEBALL 2011
FIRST TEAM
Mark Tomei, South Plainfield, 5-9, 185, Junior
The left-handed hitting outfielder batted .496 with a whopping 58 hits, 34 for extra bases, including 20 doubles, five triples and nine home runs. Drove in 26 runs as lead-off batter with a .983 slugging percentage and 1.522 OPS, ended his season with a 16-game winning streak.
THE STAR-LEDGER FINAL RANKINGS
MIDDLESEX COUNTY
1-Perth Amboy (22-5)
2-Old Bridge (18-10)
3-South Plainfield (21-9)
4-Monroe (20-6)
5-Woodbridge (21-7)
6-St. Joseph (Met.) (17-10)
7-South Brunswick (15-8)
8-Middlesex (23-8)
9-Metuchen (15-9-1)
10-South River (14-9)
http://www.nj.com/hssports/blog/baseball/index.ssf/2011/06/baseball_2011_season_in_review.html
AREA TOP 10
1. Governor Livingston (26-6)
2. Westfield (25-5)
3. Watchung Hills (18-8)
4. Voorhees (18-4)
5. Hillsborough (l8-9)
6. South Plainfield (21-8)
7. Hunterdon Central (20-9)
8. Ridge (15-13)
9. Middlesex (23-8)
10. Immaculata (12-10)
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20110625/NJSPORTS0130/306250040/Memorable-year-high-school-baseball
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