Baseball NJSIAA Tournament Preview: The Shore in Group 2
After a run of sectional championships from 2017 to 2023, the Shore was shut out of winning hardware in Group II in 2024 and will try to start a new run this season. That will not be an easy assignment thanks to the presence of two No. 1 seeds that have been doing a lot of winning lately. In the case of Central Jersey Group II No. 1 seed Governor Livingston, “lately” means “all season long.” The Highlanders are a perfect 22-0 entering the tournament and look poised to win their second straight Group II championship after breaking through a season ago.
Five Shore Conference teams — Manasquan, Raritan, Point Pleasant Boro, Manchester and Rumson-Fair Haven have won a sectional title in Group II since 2018 and another current Group II team (Wall) won an overall Group III championship in 2019. Along with Monmouth Regional and Jackson Liberty, Wall is one of three teams in Central Group II to fall short of qualifying for this year’s NJSIAA Tournament when they would have qualified in any of the other 19 sections in the state. Point Boro surged in front of Monmouth and Wall over the final three days prior to the NJSIAA Tournament cutoff to grab the final seed in the hyper-competitive Central Jersey Group II section.
Manchester and Barnegat are the Shore’s only hope in South Jersey Group II, which is home to a No. 1 seed in Haddonfield that has won 14 of 15 heading into the opening round on Tuesday. Barnegat’s best chance to win a sectional title in its relatively young history as a program was 2014, when the Bengals lost in the South Group II final to Buena. Manchester, meanwhile, won a sectional title as a No. 12 seed in 2021, so a run to the championship game as a No. 14 seed doesn’t seem like such a wild idea.
As competitive as Group II has been and figures to be, the ultimate question is whether any team in the Central and South fields can deny Governor Livingston and Haddonfield before the two teams clash in the state semifinal. In the meantime, the road to the championship game figures to be an entertaining one.
Central Jersey Group II
Shore Teams in the Field: No. 4 Ocean, No. 5 Raritan, No. 7 Manasquan, No. 10 Rumson-Fair Haven, No. 15 Holmdel, No. 16 Point Pleasant Boro
Top Seed: Governor Livingston
Defending Champion: Governor Livingston
Favorite: Governor Livingston. The Highlanders enter the NJSIAA Tournament the No. 1 team in all of New Jersey, according to NJ Advance Media, thanks to a 22-0 record. That undefeated mark is powered by four committed Division I hitters – a group that includes two-way standout, ace and Stetson commit Matty Diskin. Diskin and junior Keith Mann lead a pitching staff that takes a backseat to the lineup when it comes to notoriety, but Governor Livingston gets it done on the mound as well. As for the lineup, eight of the nine Governor Livingston starters enter the state tournament with a batting average of .300 or better and a slugging percentage of .400 or better – including six starters with a slugging percentage better than .575. Virginia commit and shortstop Zach Geertsma is in the middle of a monster junior senior (.458, eight doubles, three triples, seven homers), as is Caldwell commit Anthony DeNora (seven homers).
Dark Horse: No. 11 Allentown. No team familiar with Allentown’s recent history would find it surprising if the Redbirds were to reach the Central Group II final as a No. 11 seed. After all, Allentown won Central Jersey Group III championship a year ago by beating top seed Lawrence and Middletown South in back-to-back rounds on the road to close out the sectional title victory. This year’s Redbirds team has not been as good on day-in, day-out basis, but the program pedigree – as well as some proven talent from last season – is still there. Dom Inzilla is still lurking in the middle of the order as a third-year starter with power and Chris Whalen takes a 0.43 ERA into the state tournament.
While Allentown’s credentials make the Redbirds standout, the entire bracket is loaded with teams that can make a run. Outside of the teams that would have to play Governor Livingston in the first week in order to advance to week two – Point Boro, No. 9 South River and No. 8 East Brunswick Magnet – every team in the field is capable of making it to the sectional semifinals. Holmdel is stuck in the No. 15 spot and will likely have to tangle with No. 2 Robbinsville ace and Pitt commit Tyler Bunnell in round one, but Robbinsville also has to consider what is waiting for the Ravens in round two and whether or not they feel comfortable holding back Bunnell for the Rumson-Manasquan winner and taking on Holmdel ace and NJIT commit Dylan Zammit without their best pitcher on the mound. Regardless of which pitcher gets the ball for Robbinsville, Zammit gives Holmdel a chance.
Holmdel and Allentown are two of four double-digit seeds on Robbinsville’s side of the bracket that look much scarier on paper than most double-digit seeds. Rumson-Fair Haven has been a powerhouse in Central Jersey Group II within the past two seasons and has cultivated some real pitching depth over the course of the season to go with a young lineup that is improving with each week. No. 14 Bordentown is the fourth double-digit seed in that foursome and with three pitchers – Siena commit Connor Collora, Andrew Forster and Tyler Rossell – that have struck out at least 50 batters this season and each sport an ERA of 2.25 or better, No. 3 Delran will have its hands full in round one.
As for the other side of the bracket, Governor Livingston poses a major roadblock to any team hoping to make a Cinderella run to the title, but both No. 12 Spotswood and no. 13 Cinnaminson are formidable clubs that have a chance to get a shot at the No. 1 seed in the sectional semifinals. Spotswood will travel to Raritan in round one and has Seton Hall commit Carter Cumiskey to throw at the Rockets in round one and a battle-tested lineup that can compete even without its ace on the mound. Cinnaminson, meanwhile, will lean on Anthony Alessandroni to pitch the Pirates past Ocean in round one. The drop-off from Cumiskey and Alessandroni to the rest of the staff is fairly significant, so both teams would have to piece together a game on the mound in the quarterfinal round, but if either can make it to next week, Governor Livingston would be facing a quality ace with a trip to the sectional final on the line.
Bracket Breakdown: With the exception of Point Boro, the Shore teams in Central Jersey Group II all got fairly advantageous draws. The one team that might push back against that claim is Raritan, which has to face Cumiskey on Tuesday and would have to deal with Governor Livingston before the sectional final. The Rockets, however, have two go-to starters on the mound in Alan Warren and Will Meehan, plus freshman closer Brendan Evernham – all of whom are complemented by a lineup that has found its footing after hitting a slump in the Shore Conference Tournament.
Ocean will also have to navigate the side of the bracket occupied by the No. 1 Highlanders, but the Spartans can pitch ace Tommy Kowaliwskyj in round one against Alessandroni and Cinnaminson and still have plenty left in the stable to give themselves a good chance against either Raritan or Spotswood. The reason this draw and this schedule work for Ocean is because the Spartans will have the home-field advantage in the first two rounds and can pitch Kowaliwskyj in the semifinals at Governor Livingston if they get that far.
Of course, the better draw is to avoid Governor Livingston as long as possible, which is when Manasquan and Rumson-Fair Have both managed to do in drawing the Nos. 7 and 10 seeds, respectively. The downside to those two draws is Manasquan and Rumson will have to face one another in what will be a challenging first-round game for both teams. Whichever team wins will have a chance to go toe-to-toe with Robbinsville in the second round and the Ravens may need to burn their ace just to survive Holmdel. Manasquan handled Rumson, 8-0, in the Monmouth County Tournament first round with sophomore Logan Cleveland firing six one-hit innings, so it will be interesting to see if Manasquan goes back to Cleveland while saving junior left-hander Chase Kaplan for either relief or the sectional quarterfinals. Kaplan, Cleveland and Keegan Hertel are the trio that has led the way for the Warriors pitching staff and the lineup is loaded with athletes who can make an impact swinging the bat.
From the Rumson perspective, the Bulldogs have managed to build out their pitching depth over the last month. Freshman Brady Williams has been their most dependable starter, while both Owen O’Toole and sophomore Hunter Beattie have thrived as relievers who can pitch three-to-five innings. The x-factor on the pitching staff is sophomore left-hander Cooper Jones, who offers a unique look from the left side. If all four are clicking and Rumson’s well-rounded lineup of veterans and underclassmen is playing with confidence, the Bulldogs are a legitimate threat to win the section.
Championship Prediction: Governor Livingston over Rumson-Fair Haven. The hardest call in this bracket might be the Rumson-Manasquan round-one showdown, with the winner posing a serious challenge to Robbinsville in round two – particularly if the Ravens burn Bunnell to get by Holmdel. Rumson’s power coming out of the bullpen, plus Williams’s emergence gives the Bulldogs a dynamic that was not fully fleshed out when the teams met in April. Then again, Manasquan’s pitching – regardless of who gets the call – is capable of posting a zero in the run column for the game.
In the end, the bracket is Governor Livingston’s to lose, but it is worth mentioning that before last season – when the Highlanders won the overall Group II championship – they struggled to get out of the first round. Even last season, they barely survived a 7-6 scare vs. No. 16 Holmdel before marching to a championship, so while nobody matches up favorably with Governor Livingston one-through-nine on the lineup card, the right pitcher or staff could keep the game close and test the Highlanders’ mettle in a close game with a perfect season on the line.
South Jersey Group II
Shore Teams in the Field: No. 8 Barnegat, No. 14 Manchester
Top Seed: Haddonfield
Defending Champion: No. 15 Seneca
Favorite: Haddonfield. An 11-0 loss to Allentown dropped Haddonfield to 6-4 on April 25 – a decent record and positioning within the South Jersey Group II field but nothing that made the Bulldogs stand out in any way. After that loss, Haddonfield’s offense exploded. The Bulldogs won 10 straight games in the first seven, they scored at least 10 runs, with the streak ending with a 9-2 win over Collingswood. The 10-game winning streak ended with a 4-0 loss to Mainland in the Diamond Classic championship game, to which Haddonfield responded by starting another four-game winning streak with 32 cumulative runs heading into the state tournament. The pitching staff is more solid than spectacular, but as those scoring numbers suggest, Haddonfield gets it done with the bats.
Dark Horse: Seneca. Although the South Jersey section of the Group II Tournament is considerably weaker than the Central Jersey section, Seneca is a dangerous double-digit seed – even at 9-15. The Golden Eagles are the two-time defending champions in the section and will be a pesky opponent for No. 2 Haddon Heights in the first round. Scoring has been a challenge for Seneca this season, but the Golden Eagles will give the ball to savvy senior Dom Kleinknecht, who sports a 1.95 ERA with pitching appearances against Eastern, Northern Burlington and Bishop Eustace under his belt.
Outside of Seneca, it is hard to picture a double-digit team pulling off an upset, but there are two teams worth mentioning because of their starting pitchers. The first is Manchester and ace Brenden Spaziano, who takes a 1.50 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings into a first-round showdown with No. 3 Cedar Creek. Manchester has a win over Point Pleasant Beach on its résumé, so the Hawks have experienced beating a team the caliber of Cedar Creek, which would be wise to pitch ace Matt Vanaman against the Hawks to counter Spaziano.
No. 13 Pennsauken Tech has played a soft schedule and stepping up to beat No. 4 Sterling is a big ask for the Tornados, but they have a pitcher with the most eye-popping stats in the tournament. Senior Franklin Fernandez has posted a 0.53 ERA with just 12 hits and 19 walks allowed in 52 2/3 innings while striking out a staggering 126 batters – the most of any pitcher in the state. The list of teams he has dominated is not exactly a who’s-who of state powers, but when a pitcher in the tournament has a 21-strikeout one-hitter to his credit and three other starts with 15 strikeouts or more, he is worth following. Fernandez will pitch next season at the University of South Carolina Lancaster.
Bracket Breakdown: Haddonfield and rival Haddon Heights could be on a collision course for the championship game, but there are some teams that should grab the attention of both before they get there. Sterling has a stellar pitching trio of Vaughn McVeigh, Anthony Gogolski and Gavin McCormick, while No. 5 West Deptford will lean on sophomore workhorse Landon Delaney, with his 64 strikeouts and 2.46 in 54 innings.
Barnegat and No. 9 Lower Cape May each have aces that can cause Haddonfield problems, but the question is whether either would be willing to save its ace to face Haddonfield and if so, could they advance? Barnegat sophomore Nick Malinowski leads the Shore Conference with eight wins and owns an ERA (0.93) and WHIP (0.95) that are both under 1.00. Lower Cape May senior Matt DiCave has struck out 97 in 47 2/3 innings, but he has not faced the quality of competition that Malinowski has and his 31 walks have contributed to a 3.08 ERA.
Championship Prediction: Haddonfield over Haddon Heights. The Bulldogs have hit their stride thanks to a core of sophomores and juniors who have helped lead an offense that is red-hot heading toward June.
