Published March 30, 2026 at 12:00 AM
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ — The South Plainfield baseball team will open defense of its 2025 sectional championship when the 2026 season gets underway on Tuesday at St. Joseph of Metuchen.
That will actually be a meeting of two teams that both won championships last spring: South Plainfield won the NJSIAA North 2, Group 3 crown, and St. Joe's won the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament.
Tigers' coach Scott Gleichenhaus will try to mold another contender around the multiple talents of senior center fielder Dom Massaro and senior pitcher/first baseman Aiden McCarthy, two of the top holdovers from last year's squad, which was hit pretty heavily by graduation.
The other two regulars returning from that team are right-handed pitcher Jayden Jimenez, who served as the Tigers' closer in 2025; and junior Chris Loniewski, who will be moving from third base to catcher this season.
Massaro is one of the top all-around athletes in Middlesex County, an all-conference star in both baseball and football, one of the fastest players in the GMC and a Gold Glove caliber fielder in center. Massaro batted .394 with 28 stole bases last season. He scored 27 runs and drove in 20 runs. Gleichenhaus suggested that Massaro, who bats right-handed but throws lefty, could see some time on the mound, too.
The mound is the property of ace left-hander McCarthy, who is coming off a brilliant junior campaign in which he pitched to a 1.34 earned-run average with just 12 walks and 37 strikeouts in 52 1/3 innings. McCarthy will play first base when he isn't pitching. He batted .297 with 25 RBI last year.
Jimenez shined as a closer for the Tigers in 2025, putting up a 2.29 ERA with 15 strikeouts and eight walks in 18 1/3 high-leverage innings.
Loniewski turned in a strong sophomore season at third base and batted .268 with 11 RBI. He'll be tested with the transition behind the plate this spring.
"We will have our work cut out for us after graduating two of our top four pitchers and returning three regulars from the starting lineup," Gleichenhaus said.
The pitching staff beyond McCarthy and Jimenez, will include sophomore LHP Andrew Bena, senior LHP Joe Stanzione, senior RHP Aiden Kaplan and senior Ed Budzinszki. Sophomore Andrew Burns, junior Noah Dennis and senior Alex Pigna will also be looking to contribute innings on the mound.
"Pitching and defense have always been the Tiger recipe for success," the coach said. He'll be breaking in a new double play combination this season, with sophomore shortstop Anthony Cicenia and freshman second baseman Gabriel Garcia making their debuts.
Seniors Stanzione and Budzinzki, junior Hunter Ravi and sophomores Bena and Burns are options for the two corner outfield spots, with junior Mike Fiore and senior Alex Pigna both getting the chance to play third base.
South Plainfield 2026 Baseball Preview | South Plainfield, NJ News TAPinto | TAPinto
