Back in March, we were taking a look at some of the top high school baseball teams in the area coming into 2025, and we talked with South Plainfield head coach Scott Gleichenhaus.
The Tigers were coming off a 22-6-1 campaign where they earned the top-seed in the GMC Tournament as the Red Division champion. They made it to the finals, falling 6-5 to Old Bridge in one of the highest-scoring title games in years, and went to the North 2, Group 3 finals, falling in spectacular fashion to Randolph, after looking in control late.
That left a bad taste in the mouths of the returning players, who came into the season believing they had unfinished business. But before that, Gleichenhaus also was looking at answering some big question marks, both on the left side of the infield with third-baseman Jayden Alvarez and shortstop Zach Robinson graduating, and the departures of quality senior arms like Chase Donovan and Aldo Pigna.
Well, those questions were answered fairly quickly. They started with a home-and-home sweep of Edison, and later swept two games from Woodbridge, which still wound up finishing ahead of the Tigers and got the top-seed in the GMCT.
And yet, here they are, 18-10, and in the state Group 3 semifinals Monday as the North 2, Group 3 champions, where they will travel up to Rockaway to take on three-time North 1, Group 3 champion Morris Knolls (14-11) at 2:30 pm. Follow Dylan Allen on Twitter for updates, and postgame reaction and a game recap here afterwards.
As far as the lineup, Gleichenhaus says other than a few position shuffles, his opening day nine hasn’t changed, and his top pitchers Kevin Penny and Aiden McCarthy have been rock solid.
The two teams are very similar in a lot of the numbers. The Tigers are hitting .278 as a team, Morris Knolls .266 on the year. South Plainfield has a 3.05 team ERA, with 3.03 for the Golden Eagles.
One area in which the Tigers have well outdone their opponents: on the basepaths. Morris Plains has only 10 stolen bases on the year, while South Plainfield has swiped 100 even. The Tigers are notoriously aggressive when it comes to baserunning – any aspect of the game, really – and that could be a big difference when the two meet up Monday.
The winner moves on to Saturday’s Group 3 state final scheduled for 4 pm at Veterans’ Park in Hamilton against the winner of the other Group 3 semifinal between South champion Toms River East (20-6) and Central champ Northern Burlington (26-2).
https://cjsportsradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/6-8-25-SCOTT-GLEICHENHAUS-G3-SF-for-web.mp3
South Plainfield (18-10) at Morris Knolls (14-11)
When: Monday, June 9 at 2:30 p.m.
Coaches: Scott Gleichenhaus, South Plainfield
Last finals appearance:
Did you know? - South Plainfield
The Tigers have several lethal threats at the plate on notable hitting streaks. Aiden McCarthy, Nick Irizarry, Dan Kapsch and Dom Massaro each have hit safely in five consecutive games. Two of them have streaks that have lasted at least nine games. Massaro has 13 hits over the course of his nine-game run and Irizarry has 15 during his 10-game hitting streak. In fact, Irizarry has earned at least one hit in 26 of South Plainfield’s 28 games.
Did you know? - Morris Knolls
It was a challenge for Morris Knolls to find its footing during the regular season and the team won consecutive games only once through the first 17 games. That abruptly changed after May 8. The Golden Eagles have now won eight consecutive games. This is the third winning streak of at least eight games for this team in the last two seasons.
How South Plainfield got here:
First round: 14-Rahway, 15-0
Quarterfinal round: 6-Cranford, 5-2
Semifinals: 2-Millburn, 8-1
North 2 final: 1-Colonia, 5-4
How Morris Knolls got here:
First round: 11-Ridgefield Park, 11-1
Quarterfinals: 14-Bergenfield, 10-5
Semifinals: 2-Old Tappan, 5-3
North 1 final: 1-Ramapo, 5-4
By the numbers
|
South Plainfield |
Morris Knolls |
|
|
Runs For (w/ state rank) |
172 (T-77th) |
133 (T-188th) |
|
Runs Against |
108 (T-113th) |
119 (T-152nd) |
|
Runs For Per Game |
6.14 (T-127th) |
5.32 (T-207th) |
|
Runs Against Per Game |
3.86 (69th) |
4.76 (143rd) |
|
Run Differential |
+64 (T-70th) |
+14 (168th) |
South Plainfield players to watch:
Nick Irizarry, Sr., OF
Dom Massaro, Jr., OF
Aiden McCarthy, Jr., 1B/P
Dan Kapsch, Sr., SS
Kevin Penny, Sr., P/1B
Mike Castagna, Sr., P
Morris Knolls players to watch:
Dylan Fitzsimmons, Sr., OF
Billy Wingren, Jr., OF
Ryan McDonald, So., 1B/C
Ryan Kuehne, Jr., C
Jason LoBello, Jr., OF
Dean Kaletcher, Jr., P
Carter Infante, Jr., P
Gavin Toland, So., INF
Colin Iberer, Jr., INF
Colin Iberer, Jr., INF
A look at South Plainfield:
The top of South Plainfield’s lineup is a demanding challenge to get through with Dom Massaro, Dan Kapsch and Nick Irizarry combining for 105 hits. Nine players overall have double-digit hits. It’s the first time in 10 years this team has gotten this far but it’s playing some of its best baseball of the season at the right time. Both Irizarry and Massaro have 18 hits since the start of May, which ties them for the 49th most in New Jersey in that span.
A look at Morris Knolls:
The reigning state champions are starting to resemble their old selves and that’s been bad news for the rest of Group 3. The offense is putting up 7.125 runs per game during its eight-game winning streak, almost two more than its season average. The defense has been stout as well, not allowing more than five runs in its last 11 games compared to eight times in its first 14. Dean Kaletcher has 41 strikeouts since the start of May, which is tied for 26th in the state.
N.J. baseball state semifinals preview, Group 3: State repeat is on the line - nj.com
No comments:
Post a Comment