Baseball Shore Conference Tournament Pitching Preview: Round of 16

Pitching match-ups do not always dictate which team will win a given game, but it is a major variable in baseball – especially in a tournament setting. In round one of the 2025 Shore Conference Tournament, the teams that had the best pitching situations generally prevailed. We took a look at the eight match-ups and in attempting to determine which team had the edge on Saturday, only one team that figured to be at a disadvantage (Brick) won its first round game. The Green Dragons did not have their ace, Sean Savannah, available but Peyton Horning still fired a four-hit shutout to beat a Middletown South team that had all of its pitching available, but no clear No. 1 option.

In the round of 16, the inherent advantage goes to the home team – all of which had a first-round bye. That bye did not, however, result in a rested pitching staff for each of those teams since many of them were competing for other prizes at the end of last week. Here is a look at how each team lines up on the mound for Monday and beyond.

(17) Toms River South at (1) Christian Brothers Academy, 4 p.m.

CBA has its entire stable of pitchers ready for the week and the Colts are likely to need all of them. Monday’s round of 16 game vs. Toms River South could be the first of three games in three days for CBA, with the Monmouth County Tournament championship game vs. Red Bank Catholic scheduled for Tuesday at Brookdale Community College. The Colts are also coming off their second loss of the season and have been nursing some injuries that have forced a reshuffle of the lineup. That has been the case for most of the year, though, so CBA is not especially vulnerable heading into Monday given that Sean Loggie, Danny DiTullio, Dylan Iwanyk and Shane Langan are all rested while Jack Dufficy and Dan Pardini are both eligible to pitch after each throwing between 50 and 55 pitches each in Thursday’s loss to Middletown South.

Toms River South’s options are far more limited after the Indians played back-to-back big games on Friday and Saturday. The story surrounding Toms River South coming out of the weekend is the offense, which put up 11 runs each in wins over Brick and Howell. Prior to Saturday, Toms River South had been much better at home by the numbers: the Indians are 9-1 at Ken Frank Stadium and only 3-5 on the road while being outscored, 58-42, in those games. On Saturday, though, the Indians pummeled Howell, 11-0, behind six extra-base hits and a four-hit shutout by Aiden Lynch. With only 76 pitches in that complete game, Lynch will be eligible to throw up to 74 pitches on Wednesday, but to get by CBA, the Indians will need Evan Schmidt, Christian Mascaro and Ruben Febres to hold down the Shore’s No. 1 team and for the offense to stay locked in against the Shore’s deepest pitching staff. With the Monmouth County Tournament final on Tuesday, CBA may not pitch Loggie, but the left-hander has not pitched since May 3 and is next up in the Colts’ rotation.

Advantage: CBA

(15) Rumson-Fair Haven at (2) Toms River East, 7 p.m.

It was less than a week ago that Rumson scored six runs in the last two innings to rally from a 6-1 deficit and beat the reigning Ocean County Tournament champions. The circumstances will be much different this time around, starting with the fact that Toms River East won’t be 48 hours removed from winning the OCT championship for a second straight year. That meant neither of Toms River East’s top starting pitchers – Dan Nafziger nor Mason Pentz – pitched in the game and both will be eligible to go on Monday. In theory, playing at home should also help Toms River East, although four of the Raiders’ five losses this season have come at home.

Rumson’s pitching situation is as strong as it has been all season, even after having to survive a tough test from Southern on Saturday in the SCT first round. Freshman Brady Williams will not be available after throwing 55 pitches, but Hunter Beattie maintained his eligibility after throwing just 33 pitches in three shutout innings. That means only Williams and Max Hinchliffe – who threw more than 100 pitches in Thursday’s win over Toms River East – are excluded from the lineup card for coach Owen Stewart on Monday. Owen O’Toole and Cooper Jones figure to be Rumson’s combination in Toms River, with Beattie also available and throwing the ball well. None of those pitchers pitched against Toms River East last week, while the Raiders gave Rumson a brief look at submarine left-hander Jonathan Pallman – Toms River East’s best relief pitcher this season. That could give Rumson an edge on Monday, but as long as Nafziger is an option, Toms River East has a chance to defend its home field.

Advantage: Push

(14) Brick at (3) Red Bank Catholic, 3:45 p.m.

This game is almost a duplicate of the CBA-vs.-Toms River South game in that a team playing in the Monmouth County Tournament final is hosting a Class C South team that had to play important games on both Friday and Saturday. Red Bank Catholic will be in an even more difficult position than CBA is because the Caseys also had to play Friday against Colts Neck in the MCT semifinal, which forced RBC to use senior right-hander Luke Meyers to get past the Cougars. With Meyers unavailable until Tuesday – and with only 64 pitches available if he does appear in the MCT final – coach Buddy Hausmann will have some tough decisions to make over the next two days. Ace Ryan Prior would be the obvious choice to pitch against Brick were it not for the MCT championship game on Tuesday, so junior Glen Popes and freshman Sam French will come into play during the early part of the week.RBC would likely prefer to hold Meyers until Wednesday, when he would be fully eligible, but it could be a situation in which the Caseys play to win the day and worry about tomorrow when it arrives.

Like Toms River South, Brick had to play two important games within 24 hours on Friday and Saturday and although the Green Dragons lost to Toms River South on Friday, they came out of the weekend in solid shape. On top of still controlling their own destiny in the Class C South division race, Brick also burned the eligibility of just one of its pitchers for Monday. Peyton Horning pitched a four-hit shutout Saturday against Middletown South – a team that just two days earlier clobbered No. 1 CBA, 11-3. On Wednesday, it was Sean Savannah who pitched a near-shutout, spinning 6 2/3 shutout innings in an 8-0 win over Toms River South. Savannah will be fully eligible to pitch on Monday, but Brick coach Jason Groschel does have other games to consider next week with the Green Dragons still needing to win two out of three division games to clinch the outright championship. RBC’s lineup is fully healthy and as imposing as any in the tournament, but the Caseys’ pitching situation amid their own crowded week could make them vulnerable. It will be interesting to see how both teams handle the next two days, should the weather cooperate, but with the chance for them to throw both Monday and Saturday – the day of the SCT semifinals – Prior and Savannah would be the most appealing choices.

Advantage: Red Bank Catholic

(20) Monmouth at (4) Brick Memorial, 4:30 p.m.

Monmouth survived an eight-inning staring contest between two aces on Saturday, with Wall blinking first in the Falcons’ 3-1 win. Most teams are better with their No. 1 pitcher on the mound and Monmouth is a clear example of that: with Collin Denton pitching, the Falcons are 5-2 and without him pitching, they are 4-7. The two losses with Denton on the mound were a 2-1 loss to Ocean on opening day and a 5-4 loss to Shore in which the Blue Devils scored four runs after Denton reached his pitch limit. All of that is to say Monmouth will have to figure out how to piece together seven innings without Denton at its disposal until at least Thursday. Sophomore Eddie Segarra pitched a shutout against Matawan in his first start of the season, but took the loss vs. Freehold Boro last week. Connor Keefer is the other option for coach Paul Crivello as his team prepares to take on what might be the most formidable lineup in the tournament.

Along with that formidable lineup, Brick Memorial has a host of quality pitchers ready to make a run at the Shore Conference Tournament title after the Mustangs came up just short of their first Ocean County Tournament title in 29 years. Brody Moore has been Brick Memorial’s most consistent starter among its top three and is eligible to pitch after he needed just 50 pitchers to get through four shutout innings Thursday vs. East Brunswick. The Mustangs, however, are likely to stay on rotation with either Brayden Nalducci or Zach Pirnik – both of whom pitched in Tuesday’s Ocean County Tournament championship game. On top of the top three starters, both Zach Martin and Will Montanye have been dependable options on the mound for coach Evan Rizzitello, so Brick Memorial has more than enough on the mound to get through the week – especially if the offense can get back to clicking after a rare quiet day in the OCT final.

Advantage: Brick Memorial

(21) Central at (5) Colts Neck, 4 p.m.

The structure of this year’s Shore Conference Tournament figured built in a major advantage for the top eight seeds, which all received first-round byes. That advantage, however, goes away when a team has to finish the week prior to the tournament trying to both clinch a division championship and advance to a county championship game, which is how Colts Neck ended last week. The Cougars burned both of its top two pitchers to close out the week, with Nick Hardy throwing 113 pitches in a 4-2 win over Ocean that clinched Colts Neck the Class B North division championship and Nick Hayden throwing 75 in Friday’s 11-5 loss to Red Bank Catholic in the Monmouth County Tournament semifinals. That leaves coach Mike Yorke with Ryan Spencer, Jack Dugo and Ronan Kiely as the top options to tackle Central on Monday, with Spencer last pitching on Wednesday in a 95-pitch outing vs. Ocean. Spencer is the likely starter, with Dugo and Kiely both available after brief outings vs. RBC Saturday. If Colts Neck can weave together the seven innings on the mound and ride its dangerous lineup past Central, Hayden and Hardy both become options for the remainder of the week.

Central already won a road game in the SCT thanks to left-handed ace Vinny Berardi, who pitched six shutout innings in a 4-0 Golden Eagles win at Holmdel. Berardi threw 91 pitches, which means he is not eligible again until Thursday – one day after the SCT quarterfinals are scheduled. That means, if the weather does not force the quarterfinals to Thursday, Central would have to win the next two games without its ace to reach the semifinals, which will be held at Central’s home field. Both Chase Macri and Tyler Woemer have had solid seasons on the mound for Central and the Golden Eagles have a well-rounded lineup that should have a chance to put some runs on the board with Colts Neck also without its top two starting options on the mound. Central will need both Macri and Woemer to get to the semifinals, so Macri is likely to get the start, with Woemer an option out of the bullpen – just as Macri was when he finished off Saturday’s win over Holmdel. It is a precarious position both teams face with their pitching, but both still have a chance to advance because the team in the other dugout is in the same boat.

Advantage: Push

(11) Point Pleasant Beach at (6) Ranney, 4 p.m.

Point Beach is another team that had a lot to play for at the end of last week and after falling to Manasquan on Wednesday, the Garnet Gulls came through. Friday’s 9-5 win over Manasquan clinched the outright Class B South division title and Point Beach followed that up with a convincing 12-2 win over Toms River North in the first round of the SCT. Invariably, those two wins required using some quality pitchers and two of them will be unavailable to the Garnet Gulls when they arrive at Ranney on Monday. Tommy Conroy threw 89 pitches on Friday, putting him out of play for coach Angelo Fiore until Tuesday. Bennett Moberg, meanwhile, threw over 70 pitches in Saturday’s win over Toms River North, which keeps him off the list of options until Wednesday. That leaves senior left-hander Noah Banick as the likely choice for the Garnet Gulls and it is not a bad one. Banick has had his share of ups and downs on the mound this season, but he has been a big-game pitcher over the last two seasons for a team that has won 40 games and counting since the start of 2024. Antonio Acevedo is also a key weapon on the mound for Point Beach and he has also caught fire at the plate, adding even more length to a Garnet Gulls lineup that could do some serious damage on Ranney’s hitter-friendly field.

Ranney has not played since Wednesday, which means every one of its pitchers is eligible to pitch. The last Panthers pitcher to take the mound was sophomore left-hander Nate Fuller and all he did was pitch a five-inning no-hitter with 13 strikeouts against a quality Middletown North team. Fuller has been their best pitcher by the numbers this season and could go again on Monday, but the Panthers might want to keep on schedule and go with either senior Zach Messina or sophomore Justin Kauffman to start the game, with junior Noah Hynes also an option. Point Beach has a dangerous lineup that will likely require more than one look on the mound, so Ranney is working at an advantage by going in with a full stable, plus a lineup that puts up huge numbers at home.

Advantage: Ranney

(23) Freehold Township at (7) Jackson Memorial, 4 p.m.

Freehold Township had the option of starting junior right-hander Jackson Redmond in Saturday’s game at Raritan and instead chose to hold him off for a save situation. That decision paid off, with senior Matt Nuccio limiting Raritan to two runs in five innings and Redmond coming on to fire two scoreless frames in earning the win in relief. With just 28 pitches in Saturday’s 3-2 upset win, Redmond is fully available for coach Todd Smith on the road at Jackson Memorial on Monday. Nuccio, meanwhile, is the only pitcher who is not eligible to throw a pitch on Monday, but he would be able to come back for as many as 68 on Wednesday should Freehold Township find its way past the Jaguars. Mark Rice, Cameron Chiapuzio, Jack Henry and Christian Borromeo are all ready to go as well and would likely be part of the potential plan for Wednesday.

While most teams in the tournament are deciding whether or not to line pitchers up for throwing on short rest, Jackson Memorial is hosting its top pitchers are not too rusty. Matt Colaneri and Danny Hutchinson will both be plenty fresh after long layoffs from game action. Colaneri last pitched in a 3-0 win over Manalapan on May 1, while Hutchinson hasn’t seen a game mound since he threw one inning of relief in Jackson’s loss to Southern in the Ocean County Tournament first round on April 27. Even if Jackson Memorial’s choice of starter comes out will a full tank on Monday, rust could be more of an issue for the lineup, which has played just two games in the last two weeks and scored three runs in each of them. There are examples – albeit anecdotal – of long layoffs hurting teams so Jackson Memorial will have to avoid being one of those examples. When it comes to pitching, however, coach Pat George will have every option at his disposal.

Advantage: Jackson Memorial

(9) Ocean at (8) Manasquan, 3:45 p.m.

Manasquan is in the enviable position of having its top option ready, but with an alternative that is almost as good. Chase Kaplan is eligible to pitch after throwing 112 pitches in Wednesday’s divisional win over Point Beach, but he has not pitched with four days of rest yet this season so it might behoove coach Brenan Gordon to either hold him off until the late innings to simply give him two extra days to be ready for a potential quarterfinal game. Gordon can be cautious with his ace because of sophomore Logan Cleveland, who also pitched on Wednesday, but has not started a game since April 23. That was only his third start of the year and he allowed three earned runs in 4 1/3 innings, but Cleveland pitched a one-hitter vs. Rumson-Fair Haven in his prior start and owns a tidy 1.64 ERA. Kaplan is the simplest of Manasquan’s potential plans, but with only Shane Hagerman ineligible on Monday, there is some room to get creative.

Ocean is among the teams that was still playing for a division title through Thursday and had to play a first-round game on Saturday, but the Spartans drew a Keansburg team that was short on pitching and took advantage by scoring 10 runs in the first inning and conserving their pitching for this week. Senior Tommy Kowaliwskyj pitched an inning of relief in Ocean’s 7-0 win over Colts Neck last Wednesday and has not started since a 3-1 loss to Red Bank Catholic on May 3, so he is the natural choice to tackle Manasquan from the jump. Manasquan is familiar with Kowaliwskyj and knowing he is the likely starter may force the Warriors’ hand with Kaplan to start the game. Beyond Kowaliwskyj, Jack Kelly and Derek Vazquez are both eligible while Brian Stevens and Mike Martin are both still ineligible after pitching on Saturday and Thursday, respectively. The Spartans also have Ben Robinson ready to play the closer role, which is a luxury in a tournament setting when it comes to controlling starters’ pitch counts.

Advantage: Ocean