It's County Tournament time for New Jersey High School Baseball! We will be previewing each matchup from the Morris County tournament and take a look at some of the key players for each team going into each game. With Morris County's first round starting this Friday. There are a total of eight games to be played in Morris County, so let's jump right in:
16 Parsippany vs No. 1 Morris Knolls
Parsippany:
Parsippany advanced past the Morris County preliminary round after shutting down Morristown 2-0. The Red Hawks enter this week at 7-5 overall with a team batting average of .286 and their ERA sitting at 3.71. Juniors Matt Parker and Keven Regan have led the offense. Parker enters the week leading the team in batting average, hitting .427 on the year, while Regan leads the Red Hawks in RBIs with 10.
Brian Sunga has been the ace on the pitching staff, going 2-0 with a 1.62 ERA and 21 strikeouts this year. Expect him to take the ball on Friday against the Knolls lineup.
Morris Knolls:
The Golden Eagles will enter the week at 13-2, winning three of their last four games, with the loss coming to Roxbury. Junior Dylan Fitzsimmons enters the week with a .500 BA, while Brodie Frecker leads the team in RBIs with 24 on the year.
Colin Ferschman has been lights out on the mound this season for Knolls. The senior hurler is 3-0 on the year with a 1.56 ERA.
Final Thoughts
If Parsippany can shut down the Eagles offense like Roxbury did last week, we could be in for an interesting game. The Golden Eagles have great hitters up and down their lineup and will be aggressive on the basepaths to try and jump out to a big lead early.
15 Hanover Park vs No. 2 Delbarton
Hanover Park:
The Hornets enter the week winners of five straight, including a 5-2 victory over Butler in Saturday's Morris County Preliminary Round. Freshman Vinny Dorey and junior Alex Cheringal lead the offense. Both players lead the team with 15 hits on the year, and Cheringal is the team leader in batting average (.484), home runs (2), and RBIs (15). The team is hitting .324 on the year and is excellent at putting the ball in play and making things happen on the bases.
Cheringal is also the ace and workhorse for the Hornets' pitching staff, striking out 46 batters in just 27 2/3 innings pitched. Sophomore Jake Kovacs is another name to look out for, giving up only one earned run in 18 2/3 innings pitched entering this week.
Delbarton:
The Green Wave entered the week at 12-1, with their only loss coming to Randolph earlier in the year. They start the week against a very good Glenn Rock team that will test them before Friday's game. Senior third baseman Jack Harley is having himself a year, batting .514 with a team-leading 16 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. Harley is currently ranked the 12th-best player in the state and has committed to Virginia Tech next year.
Christian Zebrowski has been automatic on the mound for Delbarton this season. The Senior has allowed just one earned run in 16 2/3 innings of work, good for an ERA of 0.42. Sophomore AJ Saccento has racked up a team-leading 30 Ks in his 17.2 innings of work with an ERA of 2.38.
Final Thoughts
This game has all the makings of a classic. Delbarton has been incredible this year, but Hanover Park has the talent to pull off the upset. The pitching will decide this game; due to both teams' electric arms, look for it to be relatively low-scoring.
14 Jefferson vs. No. 3 Randolph
Jefferson:
After a five-inning rout of Kinnelon in the Morris County Prelims, the Falcons will look to take down one of the best three-seeds in the state county tournaments. Entering the week with an 8-5 record, the Falcons' offense has been paced by sophomore Josh Hale, who leads the team with a .521 BA and 24 RBIs. Senior Gabe Consuegra has also shined for the Falcons, batting .425 with 15 RBIs and one long ball in the year.
Pitching has been Jefferson's undoing this season, with a team ERA of 5.01 entering the week. However, Junior Noah Mednick has been the team's top arm, fanning 30 batters and sporting a 2.45 ERA. Look for Mednick to get the start on Friday.
Randolph:
The Rams enter this week having lost their last two games, the first in extra innings against Mendham last Tuesday, followed by a 6-0 loss to Ridge the next day. Randolph will host Caldwell on Monday and then travel to face a tough Livingston team Wednesday. Chase Lorent and AJ Terry lead the way for the Rams offense, with batting averages north of .400. Terry has stolen four bases to this point and has driven in 14, putting together a memorable junior year.
Senior Tommy Martin or Miami commit Jame Kleiven will likely toe the slab for the Rams on Friday. Martin has been nearly untouchable this season, striking out an impressive 37 hitters over his 29 1/3 innings pitched, giving him a team-best 1.67 ERA.
Final Thoughts
Jefferson has plenty to look forward to in the coming years. If they want to hang with Randolph, their pitching needs to be better than it has been so far. Coming off their two straight losses, one of which was to a 5-5 Mendham team at the time, the Rams may very well be looking to make a statement this week.
13 Parsippany Hills vs. No. 4 Mendham
Par Hills:
After defeating Morris Hills in the Morris County Prelims, Par Hills will look to upset Mendham on Friday. The Vikings are 7-5, and their offense has been the team's strength in the early going. With the team average at .388, Par Hills relies primarily on its ability to put the ball in play. The Vikings' offense is led by senior Rocco Guglielmo, who is batting .414 on the year with nine RBIs.
Seniors Jacob Forgatch and Andrew Phelps have been the Vikings' workhorses on the mound this season. Forgatch leads the team in strikeouts, fanning 30 over his 25.5 innings pitched, and has a 2.73 ERA. Phelps is right behind Forgatch, striking out 27 and only allowing two runs this year, giving him a 0.82 ERA.
Par Hills will face Sparta on Tuesday before Friday's Morris County first-round matchup with Mendham.
Mendham:
The Minutemen are sitting at 6-6 and will travel to face a tough Montclair team on Wednesday. They are hitting a combined .273 as a team, but senior Dylan Swarts has started the year on fire with the bat and on the mound. Swarts has a team-high 17 hits on the year, good for a .447 average, and is tied for the team lead in RBIs with fellow senior Tommy Blackwell at 11 each.
On the mound, Swarts has a 1.75 ERA, setting down 32 batters on the year, leading the team in both categories. Senior Ryan Leckie is also having a solid start, with his ERA sitting at 2.55. While both pitchers have been able to limit runs, the hurdle they need to overcome is their control. Leckie and Swarts have combined for 18 walks and plunked seven hitters this year.
Final Thoughts
This game will be fun to watch, with both teams a game apart in overall record. Par Hills has the pitching that can certainly take over the game, but Mendham does as well. It's a game to get excited about.
No. 12 Chatham vs. No. 5 Mount Olive
Chatham may be the lower seed in the Morris County Tournament and have a record below .500, but they have not lost to Mount Olive since 2016. The Cougars come in winners of back-to-back games, outscoring their opponents 27-3 in the process. The Marauders will take the field Friday after two heartbreaking losses to Jefferson and Roxbury and will be fired up for this one.
Chatham
It’s been a slow start for the Cougars on offense, with a team batting average of just .273. Senior Trent Jenks (Ranked the 13th-best OF in NJ) has been a bright spot for Chatham, leading the team with 13 RBIs and three long balls. Jenks has also been plunked a team-high ten times so far this year and has drawn eight walks. Justin Regno has a team high.450 BA, Wes Maksimow is 10 for 31 on the year with 9 RBIs.
Miskimow has been Chatham's ace this season with an ERA sitting at 2.58, striking out 36 hitters in 21.2 innings. His control will be something to watch, with him walking 12 and hitting six batters on the year. Jenks is the only other Cougar who has pitched more than ten innings this year.
Mount Olive
The Marauders look to their Seniors on offense, with Jayden Rush and Ben Nugent setting the tone. Nugent is tied for the lead in long balls with four dingers and stands alone at 26 RBIs, while Rush has a team-high .469 batting average. Thus far, the season's story for Mount Olive has been Freshman Brayden Longo. Longo will enter Friday’s game on a 12-game hitting streak and is tied with Nugent with four home runs.
Sophomore Robert Hubbard is manager Pete Zoccolillo’s go-to arm with a 3.82 ERA and setting down 28 batters in just 22 innings pitched. Jake Asbury is right behind Hubbard with 21.2 innings pitched but has fallen victim to giving up 28 hits and 16 walks thus far, but Asbury always shines in big moments. The Junior led a game-winning drive on the road in Roxbury last Fall to advance in the Football State Playoffs.
Final Thoughts:
Throw the record’s out; this matchup will come down to pitching on both sides. Mount Olive can be explosive at the plate and could jump out of the gates strong, but they need to get aggressive on the basepaths, having only one stolen base in the year. The Cougars need Maksimow to excel on the mound and Jenks to lead the way at the plate.
No. 11 Whippany Park vs. No. 6 West Morris
This Friday's Morris County matchup promises to be a thrilling one. Whippany Park, the 11-seed, boasts an impressive 10-2 record for the year and a flawless 7-0 in the Independence Division of the NJAC. In contrast, West Morris, seeded 6th, is just a game over .500 at 9-7 and 3-4 in the NJAC-National. Will this game see an 11-seed triumph over a 6-seed?
Whippany Park
The Wildcats' 9-game winning streak was snapped earlier this week when Lenape Valley came out on top 5-2. The offense is led by Juniors Andrew Guffanti and KJ Stockert, both of whom are hitting .500 entering Friday’s matchup. Guffanti leads the Wildcats in hits (19) and RBIs (15) while swiping 14 bags thus far. Another player to watch is Gaven Hesse, who has 12 RBIs on the year and leads the charge on the basepaths with 16 stolen bases.
Joey Vitale is putting together one of the best years we have seen from a Freshman pitcher. In 19.1 innings, the Freshman hurler has only allowed two earned runs, has walked just two batters, and has an electric .72 ERA. Junior Justin Bachman has a 2.88 ERA and leads the team in strikeouts with 22.
West Morris
The Wolfpack will go into Friday’s matchup riding high after exploding at the plate and scoring 19 runs in a huge win over Parsippany. Evan Rymer has 19 hits on the year to lead the team and is tied with Cole Warmann for the team lead in RBIs with 15. Michael Ferry has gone deep twice this year, leading the Wolfpack in homers, and has also been hit by five pitches, which also leads the team.
Junior Nick Rotundo put together a solid year on the mound, sporting a 2.12 ERA with 35 Ks in 29.2 innings pitched. The hurdle for Rotundo will be to limit the number of hits, as he gives up more than a hit per inning, with 39 allowed so far this season. Sophomore Kelly Morgan comes in with a 1.71 ERA but has walked nine and hit seven in 16.1 innings.
Final Thoughts:
Another fun game in the 1st round for the Morris County Tournament! The biggest matchup here is the Wolfpack offense going up against the Wildcats pitching. Joey Vitale hasn’t given up an earned run or walked a batter since April 19th. Can Evan Rymer and the powerful Wolfpack lineup breach through? Whippany Park has been a nightmare for opposing pitchers when they get on base, stealing 99 bases already this season as a team. West Morris will need to find ways to limit them from running.
No. 10 Roxbury vs. No. 7 Montville
This will mark the 2nd time these two teams have matched up this season. Montville stormed back in the 7th inning from three runs down to win the game 4-3. The Gaels will be sure to come out fired up and get revenge for that heartbreaking loss.
Roxbury
The Gaels enter Friday’s Morris County matchup with a .340 team batting average, with Junior Fabio Marcano leading the charge, batting .400, and driving in nine runs so far this year. Colin Richter (Ranked 99th overall and 10th amongst outfielders in the state) has left the yard twice this year with one of them coming against Montville earlier this season. Ryan Johannessen is right behind Richter for the team lead in RBIs as the Junior backstop has 8 RBIs on the year.
Kyle Phillips will most likely be the starter for Roxbury on Friday. In 28.2 IP, Phillips has a 3.42 ERA, with 38 strikeouts.
Montville
The Mustangs are 9-8 on the year but don’t let their record fool anyone. Four of their eight losses have come to Morris County powerhouses in Randolph and Pope John and another to 2nd-ranked Delbarton. They have been able to put up runs in a hurry but it will be a tough task with Phillips on the mound.
Final Thoughts:
Kyle Phillips is the key to the game for Roxbury. He has electric stuff but just needs to limit the walks. Montville is not what their record shows after their first meeting this year. This should be another classic and only one team will make round 2 in Morris County.
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