Baseball is back! It’s been a crazy start to the New Jersey High School Baseball season. The boys of spring have already shown us how much talent we have here in the Garden State this year. With week two nearing its end, let's look at some teams and players who have caught our eyes early this baseball season at JSN.
Don Bosco Prep Off to a 6-0 Start
Well, it should not surprise anyone that the Ironmen are off to a hot start in yet another sport. Mike Rooney’s squad has picked up right where they left off last year (and the year before). Bosco baseball has been a force, scoring double-digit runs in four of their six wins and giving up more than two runs only once.
Jason Kuhn has been lights out on the mound in the early going and shows no signs of slowing down. The Junior has already tossed 12 innings this year, striking out 19 batters with no runs allowed. The red-hot offense has been led by Sophmore Junzen Sarza early on. Saraza is batting .500 through six games with 1 HR and leading the team in RBIs with 13.
The Ironmen will hit the road on Friday for a huge matchup against 4-1 Bergen Tech. First pitch is slated for 4:15 pm.
Randolph Starts 4-0 for 2nd Straight Year
The Rams are in the same sport they were last year after their strong 4-0 start. This team has a different feel than last year's squad that finished 14-12.
Mike Rizzi’s group came into the year not even ranked in the Top 20, but are showing now that they belong there. Randolph hung on to beat ranked Seton Hall for the second straight year, but their 9-5 upset of then-top-ranked Delbarton put us on notice.
Trailing 3-0 heading into the bottom of the 1st, there was no panic shown from anyone in the Rams dugout. Starter James Kleiven showed poise by not letting a 3-run 1st linger and shut down the Green Wave while the offense had back-to-back 4-run innings to seal the win.
The Rams will have four games in the next five days, with the last game being against Morris Knolls under the bright lights of Gardner Field at 6 pm Monday night.
No State Title Hangover for Morris Knolls
After last year's magical State Championship run, Morris Knolls has shown they can run it back this year. Knolls’ lone loss was to St. Joes in a 2-1 pitchers duel on April 6th. Since that loss, the Golden Eagles have rattled off 3-straight wins, including an electric comeback win on Wednesday against a 3-0 Sparta team.
The Spartans tied the game at five in the bottom of the 6th inning and looked to have momentum heading into the final frame. Brodie Freker dug into the batter's box with the bases juiced and a chance to put the Eagles on top.
The Senior outfielder came through with one of the biggest hits this year, belting a Grand Slam to put Knolls up 9-5. Dylan Fitzsimmons tossed a scoreless 7th after relieving Joe O’Toole in the 6th and earned the win.
Pitching has been a big strength out of the gate for the Golden Eagles, allowing only 11 runs through five games. Offensively, University of Virginia commit Luke Dickerson has shown why he is ranked the top Shortstop in the state, hitting .579 with 7 RBIs and 2 HRs in the early going. Frecker and Fitzsimmons are also hitting over .500, with Frecker leading the team in RBIs with 10.
Knolls will host Passaic Tech on Thursday before Monday night's matchup with Randolph.
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