Andy MendlowitzMyCentralJersey.com
Following are the Home News Tribune's selections for 2021 All-Greater Middlesex Conference first-, second and third-team, as well as our honorable mention picks.
FIRST TEAM
P: Andrew Goldan, St. Joseph, Jr.
Goldan had the golden arm in helping St. Joseph capture the GMC Tournament title. The league's coaches selected him as the Pitcher of the Year and he's the Home News Tribune's GMC Player of the Year. The junior righthander, who has committed to Rutgers, finished 7-0 with a .50 ERA, allowing three earned runs in 41 1/3 innings with 46 strikeouts and 17 walks.
P: Zack Konstantinovsky, North Brunswick, So.
In a league with dominant pitching, the sophomore righthander can match anyone. The Rutgers-commit had a 1.69 ERA and struck out 70 batters in 54 innings, allowing 10 walks. You want consistency, Konstantinovsky struck out at least six batters in all eight of his starts. In a key White Division win, he punched out 16 hitters against Edison. He handed South Plainfield its only division defeat with 10 strikeouts in a 2-1 win.
P: Matt Rowe, Metuchen, Sr.
One could say that Mets star Jacob deGrom is putting up Matt Rowe-like numbers. The Bulldog pitched like a bulldog throughout his career. This spring, he allowed one earned run in 33 innings with 63 strikeouts for a .21 ERA. On opening day, the Rutgers-commit threw a no-hitter with 18 strikeouts against St. Thomas Aquinas. The righthander allowed 11 walks for the season and reached double-digit strikeouts three times. Rowe threw a two-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts to give Group 1 champs Middlesex its only Blue Division loss.
P: Frankie Sanchez, South Brunswick, Sr.
Sanchez carried that big-game mentality -- he wanted the ball in the most high-pressure games. Most often than, he delivered. The righthander had a .74 ERA, allowing four runs in 38 2/3 innings, with 64 strikeouts and 18 walks, finishing 2-0. The Southern New Hampshire-commit also had big moments at the plate and hit three home runs.
C: Mark Gialluisi, St. Joseph, So.
Go ahead, just try to run on the sophomore. Gialluisi threw out 65 percent of base stealers and is considered one of the area's best defensive catchers. At bat, the coaches moved Gialluisi to lead-off after he was getting on so much. The Boston College-commit had a .538 OBP, including 21 hit by pitches. He batted .315 with a home run, 14 RBI, 21 runs scored and seven stolen bases.
1B: Tyler Delvecchio, St. Joseph, So.
With a young team, St. Joseph needed someone to step up. Delvecchio emerged as a fledgling star and was a key member in the Falcons run to wining the GMCT. He hit .410 and had a .500 OBP. He finished with a team-high 25 RBI, 17 runs scored and his 35 hits included seven doubles.
INF: Tyler Lewandowski, Spotswood, Sr.
In Spotswood's 20-win season, Lewandowski hit a team-high .421 with 40 hits, including 16 doubles, two home runs and two triples. He also scored 38 runs and stole 12 bases. The second baseman provided one of the biggest moments of the season for the Chargers. His two-RBI double in the eighth inning gave Spotswood a walk-off win over East Brunswick in the annual Post 25 Commander's Cup meeting. Another highlight -- he hit for the cycle in a season-opening win over Carteret. Lewandowski is playing at Keuka College in New York's Finger Lakes Region.
INF: Brandon Shine, South Plainfield, Sr.
Shine emerged as a star for South Plainfield. The shortstop led the White Division champs with 31 RBI, a .403 batting average (29 of 72), a .521 OBP and a .569 slugging percentage from the No. 3 hole. His hitting resume includes 10 games where he had multi-hits and a pair of four-RBI and three-RBI games. He provided steady defense up the middle for the Tigers. Shine has committed to play at Rowan University.
INF: Walker Zampella, Edison, Sr.
The senior was a hitting machine for the Eagles. The GMC coaches selected him as the league's Player of the Year. Over half of his 31 hits went for extra bases -- two home runs, 10 doubles and four triples. The shortstop was part of a potent lineup that reached the GMCT semifinals and contended in the White Division. Zampellla, who is headed to East Stroudsburg, hit .388 and had a .400 OBP. He also scored 23 runs and stole four bases.
OF: Thomas O'Halloran, Woodbridge, Sr.
The centerfielder was the definition of consistency this spring. He didn't make an error all season and was 22 of 22 in stolen base attempts. Oh, he also batted .537 (36 hits) with 18 RBI and had 29 runs scored. His eight extra-base hits included five triples. Simply, the senior was a threat to make a big play for the Barrons every time he swung the bat.
OF: Jacob Veckzo, Monroe, Sr.
Veckzo was one of the best players for the co-Red Division champions. He drove in four runs in Monroe's 12-9 win over St. Joseph that clinched a share of the division title. Veckzo, along with teammates such as Garrett VanBuren, helped Monroe earn the No. 1 seed in the GMCT. The University of Dayton-signee hit .343 and had a team-high 19 RBI.
OF: Ryan Vollmer, Middlesex, Sr.
Vollmer was Middlesex's main power threat as the Blue Jays won the Blue Division and captured Central Group 1 and Group 1 titles. The center fielder could hit to all fields and drove in a team-high 40 RBI from his No. 3 spot in the lineup. He had a scorching .487 batting average (38 hits) with five home runs, 36 runs scored and 16 stolen bases. Vollmer, who is playing at Mercer County Community College, had 11 multi-hit games and made several good catches during the season.
U: Sal Della Fave, Edison, Jr.
As a hitter, the first baseman was a big-time power threat. On the mound, he was a trusty pitcher who always gave the Eagles a chance to win. He slugged seven home runs with 26 RBI and scored 25 runs, finishing with a .348 batting average. As a pitcher, he had a 2.61 ERA and struck out 47 hitters in 37 2/3 innings with a 3-3 record.
U: Vincent Esposito, South Plainfield, Sr.
Esposito delivered for the White Division champs. The righthander finished 6-0 in 39 innings with a 1.80 ERA and 41 strikeouts. His impressive outings include a three-hit shutout to hand Middlesex one of its four losses on the season. Esposito, who is playing at the County College of Morris, moved to second base when not pitching. The No. 2 hitter batted .356 with a .473 on base percentage (14 walks). He also hit a team-high nine doubles with 13 RBI and 24 runs scored.
U: Diego Salazar, Highland Park, Sr.
What didn't he do? Salazar put up eye-popping numbers and made every at-bat an event. The shortstop/pitcher hit .690 (29 of 42) with seven home runs, six doubles, a triple and five walks. Oh, he also had 15 stolen bases, 17 RBI and scored 15 times. In a 13-11 win over Timothy Christian, Salazar hit for the cycle with a walk. The Rutgers-Camden commit had a two-home run game and stole three bases or more on three occasions. On the mound, the righthander had 52 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings with a 3.42 ERA. That included a sterling 17-strikeout performance against Piscataway Tech and 14 punch outs against Warlaw-Hartridge.
SECOND TEAM
P: Justin Herbstman, Old Bridge
P: JT Kroner, Colonia
P: Dustin McGuinness, East Brunswick
P: Joey Tuttoilmondo, South Brunswick
C: Charlie Taub, Edison
1B: Jeffrey Osborne, Spotswood
INF: Pete Cortez, South Brunswick
INF: Casey Cumiskey, Spotswood
INF: Anthony Long, Middlesex
OF: Robbie Carvelli, St. Joseph
OF: Jason Gilman, Old Bridge
OF: Nick Loniewski, South Plainfield
U: Garrett VanBuren, Monroe
U: Raiden Yost, Middlesex
U: Stephen Young, Middlesex
THIRD TEAM
P: Connor Nartowicz, J.P. Stevens
P: Chris Procaccini, East Brunswick
P: Josh Vazquez, Woodbridge
P: Chris Wisniewski, Monroe
C: Frank Garbolino, North Brunswick
1B: Colin Saliski, Carteret
INF: Mike Hein, J.F. Kennedy (1B/C)
INF: Robert Kuderka, Piscataway
INF: Nick Sellari, Monroe
OF: Jack Barry, Metuchen
OF: Drew Johnson, Dunellen
OF: Joseph Lepore, South River
U: Mike Colonnello, Sayreville
U: Tyler Kadi, St. Thomas Aquinas
U: John Carlos Ortega, New Brunswick
HONORABLE MENTION
NOTE: Players that were not on the first three teams earned Honorable Mention based on two criteria: 1, They were selected All-Division by the coaches. 2, They were selected to play in either the 2021 Frank Gavigan Senior All Star Game or the 2021 GMCBCA Underclassmen Showcase.
Carteret: Jhoalvin Ledesma, Luke Schleck; Colonia: Chris Waldron; East Brunswick: Michael Marchese, Jordan Williams; East Brunswick Tech: Ryan DellaFave, Ryan Jamison, Joseph Moye, Scott Pede, Daniel Penas; Edison: Jaxon Appelman, Dom LaPalosa, Ervin Virola; J.F. Kennedy: Isaiah Cherry, RJ Coleman, Ryan Samaroo; J.P. Stevens: Brody Marzano, Frank Papaianni, Ishaan Patel; Metuchen: Nick Dillon, Luke Schleck; Middlesex: Ty Nicolay; Monroe: Trevor Wallace; North Brunswick: David Nazario; Old Bridge: Christian Krause; Perth Amboy: Isaiah Batista, Jaydon Cabezudo, Joseph Duran; Perth Amboy Tech: Joshua Acevedo, Bryan Caba, Juan Espinal, Anthony Gonzalez; Piscataway: Rocco Bellamy; Piscataway Tech: Gavin Arieno; St. Joseph: Colin Leyner; St. Thomas Aquinas: Dan Rankin; Sayreville: Matt Abreu, Hunter Almeida; Somerset Tech: Ryan Delsordo, Brendon Grunder; South Amboy: Andrew Juhass, Anthony Vella; South Plainfield: Luke Bickunas, Jack Massett; South River: Nick Lehotzky, Vincent Lepore, Austin Soares; Spotswood: Matt Frobosilo, Nick Villalba, Nick Vitale, Ethan Williams; Timothy Christian: Joshua Francis; Wardlaw-Hartridge: Brandon McCall, Shiv Tickoo; Woodbridge: Brett Lukachyk
GMC baseball: Home News Tribune 2021 All-Conference selections (mycentraljersey.com)
