The HWS Tournament starts its Quarterfinals this Wednesday, and Offense is the word of the week, as each team can hit in their own way. Let's dive into the matchups:
1 Pope John vs. 8 Delaware Valley
This will be the first meeting between the two schools this season, but they have met the past two years in this exact tournament. Pope John took both of those games against the Terriers, outscoring them by a total of 21-1 over that span. This year may be different, with Del Valley off to a 9-3-1 start.
The Terriers, with a team average of .320, are led by Senior’s Kevin Hults and Jack Reardon. Hults, with a batting average of .467 in 30 at-bats, is a force to be reckoned with. Reardon, on the other hand, has proven his prowess with a team-high 14 RBIs and one of the two home runs this year. Their performance is a testament to the team's strength and sets the stage for an exciting game.
Pope John has been led by the #10 SS in the state, Mac Tufts, who has done it all on offense thus far for the Lions. The Longwood commit leads the team, batting .370, driving in 13 runs, and stealing seven bases. Pope John has a team average of .275 but has stolen 40 bases already this season.
Ryan Auten will most likely get the start for Delaware Valley, with the Sophomore entering Wednesday’s game with a 2.42 ERA, striking out 47 batters in just 26 innings pitched. John Franconere has been the Lions' go-to arm this year, but the senior threw 90 pitches on Monday, so it is unknown how many innings he will get on Wednesday.
Final Thoughts:
While the Lions have dominated the past two years against Delewate Valley, this year feels different. If Auten can go out and limit baserunners, the Terriers will be well-positioned for the upset.
2 Sparta vs. 7 Warren Hills
In a matchup of schools that have only squared off on time since 2017, Warren Hills looks to bounce back from their 7-0 loss last year to Sparta.
Both schools have high-powered offenses and have players batting over .400 this deep into the year. For the Blue Streaks and their .308 team average, it has been, in part, to Jacob Valverde and Cohl Stevens. Valverde is sitting at .400 on the year, while Stevens leads the team in hits (19) and RBIs (15).
The Spartans are powered by Senior Josh Bracy batting .407 on the year and swiping 20 bases thus far. Fellow Senior John Langeraap has a .422 average and leads the team in RBIs with 15.
North Warren may have the advantage on the mound as their pitching staff has an excellent 2.08 ERA on the year. The workhorse on the mound has been Junior Daniel Willis, who, in 37 innings, has only allowed seven earned runs to go along with his 45 strikeouts. Langeraap and Sophomore Shane Hoover should throw some innings for Sparta on Wednesday. The one thing they both will need to limit are their walks as they have combined for 35 free passes on the year.
Final Thoughts:
This has all the makings of a back-and-forth, high-scoring affair from both teams' high-powered offenses. The pitching, however, will be the determining factor in which the team can limit those runs. North Warren has the advantage on the mound, but will it be enough to control the Spartans? Only time will tell.
3 High Point vs. 6 Phillipsburg
Both of these schools have games the day before they face off on Wednesday, so it will be interesting to see how they use their pitching. Phillipsburg enters the week on a 4-game winning streak, while High Point has won their last five straight.
The Stateliners' offense is all-around dangerous, with a team average of .321; almost every player on the team is batting above 300. Felix Matos leads the team in RBIs, entering the week with 16. Sophomore Mike Bracco is behind him with 15 RBIs and has the team's only long ball this year.
The Wildcats enter the week with an amazing .383 team average and 46 stolen bases. High Point currently has FIVE players batting over .400, including Kyle Morsell and Ethan Rasmussen, with averages north of.500. Senior Reed Peterson (.457 BA) leads the team in RBIs with 23.
Peterson and Matt Sabato headline a High Point pitching staff that’s averaged a 2.78 ERA. Sabato has almost been untouchable, striking out 44 in just 24.1 innings pitched. Phillipsburg has some aces themselves, with a team 2.81 ERA. Seniors Jaren Diefnbach (1.78) and Jake Kisselbach (1.31) could be two arms that High Point sees “Bach-to-Bach” come Wednesday.
Final Thoughts:
This is by far the most intriguing game in the Quarterfinals. Both schools have talent on offense up and down their lineup and have electric arms on their pitching staff. This one is too close to pick, so let's sit back and enjoy what promises to be a great baseball game.
5 North Hunterdon vs. 4 Hunterdon Central
Ah, the Route 31 Rivalry! With many of the teams in the Quarterfinals matching up only a few times in the past couple of years, these two schools have already played twice in 2024. Hunterdon Central took the first game back on April 9th, 5-4, then North Hunterdon bounced back with a 6-0 win a few weeks later. Now, they square off in the Quarterfinal in a do-or-die situation.
Zach Fronino headlines a Lions offense that is only hitting .233 on the season, batting .333 coming into this week. Nick Hernandez has a team-leading 3 home runs, while Jr Chris Sand leads the way with 13 RBIs. The Red Devils of Hunterdon Central come in, led by Junior Jesse Allen, batting .469 on the year.
North Hunterdon will have the advantage on the mound due to their pitching staff being a huge reason why they are winners of seven straight entering this week. Each pitcher on their staff has a sub-2.00 ERA, which could very well be the difference in the game.
Final Thoughts:
The rubber match between both teams should provide high-intensity baseball. Throw out the stats; these two teams know each other well enough that anything can happen when they take the field on Wednesday afternoon.
Get all updates on the HWS Tournament teams and their electric offense right here on JSN
Photo by Mark Tegethoff on Unsplash
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