Central Group 1 Baseball Final Preview: Shore Seeks Revenge at Point Beach

NJSIAA Central Jersey Group I Championship

Friday, June 5, 2026

No. 5 Shore Regional at No. 3 Point Pleasant Beach

 

Teams at a Glance

Shore (21-8)

Head Coach: Jay Kuhlthau
Last Sectional Championship: 2014
Last Sectional Final Appearance: 2024

 

Road to the Final

First Round: Liam Hennelly opened Shore’s dominant NJSIAA Tournament on the mound with a four-hit shutout and 11 strikeouts to drive the Blue Devils to a 4-0, round-one win over No. 12 Manville. Third baseman Braden Calandriello put the game out of reach with a two-run single in the fifth inning.

Quarterfinals: Ryan Barham followed Hennelly’s shutout with one of his own, as the senior-left-hander outdueled No. 4 Metuchen’s talented sophomore, James Fenton, in another 4-0 win for Shore. Barham pitched a four-hitter with seven strikeouts and one walk while Hennelly and fellow senior Trevor Doremus each delivered an RBI single in the win.

Semifinal: With four days to recover and gain eligibility, Ryan Barham returned to the mound and pitched another shutout, this time limiting No. 1 Middlesex to three hits and four walks while striking out eight in a 2-0 Shore win that avenged a lopsided loss to the defending Group I champion in last year’s sectional semifinal round. Hennelly and Barham also delivered the run-scoring hits in the top of the fifth inning – Hennelly on an RBI single that broke a scoreless tie and Barham on an RBI double down the rightfield line. The shutout was Shore’s four straight of the tournament and fourth straight overall.

 

Projected Lineup (2026 Stats)

Luca Delonardo, So., 2B (.300, 30 H, 5 2B, 25 R, 3 RBI, 9 SB)

Liam Hennelly, Sr., P (.340, 34 H, 2 2B, 24 R, 9 RBI, 8 SB)

Ryan Barham, Sr., 1B (.300, 27 H, 6 2B, 1 3B, 18 R, 20 RBI)

Riley Smaltini, Sr., C (.337, 31 H, 11 2B, 1 HR, 19 R, 19 RBI)

Andrew Barham, Sr., SS (.329, 27 H, 7 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 19 R, 23 RBI, 19 SB)

Braden Calandriello, Sr., 3B (.349, 30 H, 2 2B, 6 R, 25 RBI, 2 SB)

Trevor Doremus, Sr., LF (.214, 18 H, 1 2B, 1 3B, 5 R, 12 RBI, 1 SB)

Enzo Cagliostri, Sr., CF (.116, 8 H, 1 2B, 3 R, 5 RBI, 7 SB)

Mike Russomano, Sr., DH (.235, 12 H, 4 2B, 11 R, 4 RBI)

DH for: Luce Moccia, Sr., RF

 

Projected Starting Pitcher (2026 Stats)

Liam Hennelly, Sr., RHP (6-3, 51.2 IP, 44 H, 26 BB, 55 SO, 2.98 ERA) – 110 pitches available

 

Available Relief Pitchers (2026 Stats)

Andrew Barham, Sr., RHP (2-2, 3 Saves, 26 IP, 18 H, 8 BB, 24 SO, 1.35 ERA) – 110 pitches available

Luce Moccia, Sr., RHP (4-1, 31.2 IP, 31 H, 19 BB, 36 SO, 1.77 ERA) – 110 pitches available

 

Ineligible Pitcher (2026 Stats)

Ryan Barham, Sr., LHP

 

 

Point Beach (17-6)

Head Coach: Angelo Fiore
Last Sectional Championship: 2024
Last Sectional Final Appearance: 2025

 

Road to the Final

First Round: Tommy Conroy and Antonio Acevedo combined on a five-inning no-hitter with 12 strikeouts, one walk and a hit batter as the Garnet Gulls handled No. 14 South Amboy. Conroy also went 2-for-2 with a double, walk and two runs scored, while senior catcher Dan Lubach led the offense with a homer and three RBI as part of a 3-for-3 game. Junior Brody Powers also drove in three runs in a 1-for-3 day with a double while Carson Pfeifer (triple) and Thomas Slobiski (double) each went 1-for-3 with an extra-base hit and an RBI.

Quarterfinals: Powers drove in three in going 1-for-3 with a double and senior Bennett Moberg fired five strong innings to earn the win in an 11-1 Point Beach win in five innings. Pfeifer was also 1-for-2 with a double and two RBI and senior Dylan Ryan also doubled and drove in a run.

Semifinals: The Garnet Gulls made it three straight mercy-rule victories in five innings by hammering No. 2 Piscataway Magnet, 14-2, on the road. Lubach belted his second home run of the tournament in going 2-for-4 with two RBI and Conroy went 2-for-3 with two RBI while earning the win on the mound with two hitless innings. Powers doubled for the third straight game in going 1-for-2 with two RBI and the bottom of the Point Beach made an impact, with sophomore Thomas Slobiski going 1-2, with an RBI and classmate Davin Marquez finishing 1-for-1 with three runs scored and an RBI.

 

Projected Starting Lineup (2026 Stats)

Tommy Conroy, Sr., CF (.441, 30 H, 6 2B, 2 HR, 28 R, 16 RBI, 13 SB)

Mason Sesny, Fr., 2B (.253, 19 H, 3 2B, 1 HR, 15 R, 9 RBI, 5 SB)

Dan Lubach, Sr., C (.522, 35 H, 2 2B, 8 HR, 18 R, 27 RBI, 4 SB)

Brody Powers, Jr., LF (.371, 26 H, 5 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 18 R, 31 RBI, 6 SB)

Carson Pfeifer, Jr., 3B (.342, 25 H, 5 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 15 R, 13 RBI, 2 SB)

Antonio Acevedo, Sr., SS (.262, 17 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 17 R, 18 RBI, 8 SB)

Thomas Slobiski, So., DH (.393, 22 H, 5 2B, 11 R, 17 RBI, 2 SB)

Dylan Ryan, Sr., 1B (.235, 8 H, 1 2B, 11 R, 9 RBI, 2 SB)

Davin Marquez, So., RF (.250, 1 H, 4 R, 1 RBI, 3 SB)

 

Projected Starting Pitcher (2026 Stats)

Bennett Moberg, Sr., RHP (6-2, 49.1 IP, 43 H, 22 BB, 45 SO, 2.84 ERA) – 110 pitches available

 

Available Relief Pitchers (2026 Stats)

Tommy Conroy, Sr., LHP (8-0, 41.1 IP, 31 H, 10 BB, 40 SO, 1.86 ERA) – 110 pitches available

Antonio Acevedo, Sr., RHP (2-2, 2 Saves, 28 IP, 34 H, 17 BB, 27 SO, 3.50 ERA) – 110 pitches available

Thomas Slobiski, So., RHP (1-2, 1 Save, 29.1 IP, 21 H, 21 BB, 28 SO, 1.43 ERA) – 104 pitches available

Prediction

Shore heads to Point Beach Friday looking to end a 12-year championship drought and for a few of the many seniors on the Blue Devils roster, it is also a bus ride in search of revenge. Two years ago, Shore reached its first sectional title game in nine years and was blanked, 5-0, by Point Beach on the same field the Blue Devils will travel to on Friday.

The Blue Devils have been one of the Shore’s best pitching outfits and are pitching like it at the moment. Ryan Barham’s three-hit shutout Wednesday at top-seeded Middlesex marked the club’s fourth straight shutout, three of which have come in the Central Group I Tournament. The streak marks the second time this season Shore has posted four consecutive shutouts, with the first instance coming as a part of a 14-game winning streak that included eight shutouts.

While Shore has been battling through tightly-contested games through two rounds, Point Beach has played the minimum number of innings while beating three overmatched teams. Beating up on lesser teams while trying to stay sharp to play an equal or better opponent is something Point Beach got used to as a program while playing in the former Class B Central division of the Shore Conference, but the Garnet Gulls played their toughest schedule of the season this year while playing as a member of the Class A South division.

Point Beach stepping up in competition after three easy games will be the question surrounding the Garnet Gulls on Friday, but their pitching should be a strength. Every pitcher on the Point Beach roster is eligible to work, while Shore will not have the services of Ryan Barham after he threw 113 pitches in six innings on Wednesday. Hennelly has been a huge part of Shore’s pitching success, however, and Andrew Barham and Luce Moccia are capable of backing up Hennelly and keeping the score low.

Bennett Moberg has been a big-game pitcher for Point Beach down the stretch, which has allowed the Garnet Gulls to keep its other top pitcher, Tommy Conroy, in centerfield to strengthen the defense.

With the game on its field, Lubach locked in at the plate and on defense, and a dependable pitching staff fully prepared to go, the Garnet Gulls have the overall edge on paper. Shore, meanwhile, has survived two huge road tests, is the more senior team and has the extra motivation of the 2024 loss and a 12-year championship drought. Shore is very much in play to win this game, but we’ll let them play the role of underdog against a proven championship group.

The Pick: Point Beach, 3-2