The 2026 high school baseball season proved to be one that players, coaches, teams and fans will remember for quite a long time.
There would be plenty of outstanding moments and terrific individual performances throughout the spring. Whether they were standout pitching efforts, big days at the plate or defensive gems, memories were created that will last a lifetime.
The NJ.com baseball staff followed all the action throughout the 2026 season, taking note of the top-notch brand of baseball played throughout the state. Now it’s time to honor those who stood out a little bit above the rest.
We’ve gone back through the games, studied stats and asked questions leading into our postseason selections. It’s not easy and plenty of time and energy has gone into what we believe is a standout group of award winners.
Check out our selections below for the Player, Pitcher, Coach and Team of the Year in the Greater Middlesex Conference as well as our final rankings, stats leaders for the season and coaches’ division all-star selections.
Co-Players of the Year
Dom Massaro, South Plainfield, Sr.
The stellar in center already had 102 career hits entering the 2026 season and yet he blew past expectations. He averaged 34 hits in his first three seasons but exploded for 54 hits as a senior, which tied him for third in the entire state. He hit .524 and was a key reason South Plainfield marched all the way to a sectional final.
For the second year in a row, he eclipsed 30 singles. Massaro picked up 18 total doubles in his career entering this season and put up 19. He also set a career-high with 39 runs scored. He closed the season with a five-game hitting streak and at one point hit safely in 15 straight between April 10 and May 9. In that span alone he had 12 multi-hit games. In five games from April 16-23, he was unstoppable and went 18-for-21
College choice: Brookdale
Season recap: NJ.com’s Newcomer of the Year in 2023 ... NJ.com’s Co-Player of the Year in the GMC ... A force at the plate and a stellar defender in center ... Hit safely in 25 of 29 games for South Plainfield ... Finished tied for third in New Jersey with 54 hits ... Most hits in the GMC ... Put together a 15-game hitting streak between April 10 and May 9 and hit .644 in that span with 38 hits, 20 RBIs and 22 runs ... Entered the season with 18 career doubles and put up 19 ... Stole at least 25 bases for the second year in a row ... Scored five runs in a win over Iselin Kennedy ... Went 2-for-4 with two runs in the sectional final against Cranford ... Hit .524 on the season to bring his final career average to .414 ... Finished his career with 156 hits, 122 runs and 87 RBIs ... Player profile
Ben Faigin, Monroe, Jr.
The junior did a little bit of everything and his squad won the GMC Tournament crown because of it. On the mound, he got stronger as the year progressed. He posted a 1.01 ERA in 48 2/3 innings with 86 strikeouts. Faigin surrendered just seven earned runs and five of them came in his first appearance of the season against Old Bridge. He gave up just one earned run after that in 30 innings of work. He threw a one-hit shutout with 13 strikeouts against a very strong South Plainfield squad on May 16. Just 14 days later, he capped a great season with another one-hit shutout against Old Bridge with 12 more punchouts in the GMC final.
At the plate, he became a breakout star. He had 19 hits as a junior and doubled that this spring. He bumped his average from .257 to .463. His 38 hits, 17 RBIs, eight doubles, four triples, 22 walks, 22 steals and 23 runs all set new career-highs.
Player of the Year & other postseason baseball honors in the GMC, 2026 - nj.com
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