High Point Wildcats
Coach: Mickey Thomas (229-106, 15th season, third stint).
2011 record: 13-10, 6-7 NJAC American Division (tied for third).
Key returnees: Sr. Brett Fundell (.439 avg., 32 RBIs) P-INF; Sr. Ryan Conklin (.379 avg.) P-INF; Sr. Ryan Shulok OF; Jr. Mike Ragnetti P-OF; Sr. Luke Loughery Utility.
Key losses: Jared Musilli SS; Joe Drossel OF; Scott Carroll P; Austin Caldwell C; Kevin Fasano 1B-RF; Brandon Bonham 1B-RF; Justin Bellis INF; Mike Fasano INF.
Promising newcomers: So. Kyle Adams (transfer from Pope John) INF; So. Jon Stone P-INF; Sr. Nick Aroune OF; Sr. Kevin Pettenger C; Sr. John Torppey P-OF.
Coach's comment: "The outlook [for High Point baseball] is bright."
Outlook: As the veteran coach said, things look bright for this year's Wildcats. High Point has gone a combined 29-18 overall the last two seasons and 14-13 in NJAC play, including a nice 7-2 upset of Montville last season. Now in the third year of the NJAC, expect the 'Cats to make significant improvement after their run to the North 1, Group 3 quarterfinals in 2011. Fundell and Conklin are a nice 1-2 punch in the pitching rotation.
Hopatcong Chiefs
Coach: Chris Buglovsky (52-67, sixth season).
2011 record: 13-8, 7-3 NJAC Freedom Division (tied for second).
Key returnees: Sr. Scootie Fischer (.426 avg, 3 HRs, 21 RBIs) SS-P; Sr. Ray Annett 1B; Sr. Hunter Guard (.340 avg, 8 HRs, 27 RBIs) 3B-P; Sr. Frank Fendrock C; Sr. Matt Cautero (3-1) P; Sr. Dillon DelRosso (5-3) P; Sr. Ben Colabella 2B.
Key losses: D.J. Ross C; Joe Lobue OF; Rob Nadrowski P-3B; Josh Bishop OF-P; Jake Winch P; Miguel Burgos OF; Matt Tobin 2B.
Promising newcomers: Jr. Ryan Frace OF-P; Jr. Adam McLagan OF; Jr. Rick Prestifilippo OF; Jr. A.J. Bongiovanni C; Sr. Dave Testa 2B; Sr. John Loscalzo P; Sr. Nick Esposito OF; So. Pat McNamara INF; So. Pat Stanton P.
Coach's comment: "Our strengths are pitching depth and defense, so we are focusing on those to help overcome the graduation of a lot of our offense. Hunter Guard and Scootie Fischer should set the tone with our bats. DelRosso, Cautero and Guard are the backbone of our pitching staff."
Outlook: Chiefs graduated a ton of talent, particularly on the offensive end. Fisher and Guard will be counted on heavily to help pick up the slack. This team appears to have more pitching than most, at least in the county, so that could give Hopatcong a chance to be in most games. For now, though, it looks like the days of outscoring teams with double-digit run totals is over -- at least away from the Homer Dome.
Kittatinny Cougars
Coach: Brian Bosworth (first season).
2011 record: 5-16, 1-9 NJAC Freedom Division (sixth).
Key returnees: Sr. Greg Orlando (.329 avg) C; Sr. Dan Chernati (.426 avg) 2B; Sr. Brendan Ullmann 1B; So. David Moyer (2.53 ERA) SS-P; Jr. Kyle Potten SS-P; Sr. Dustin Sallitt 3B; Sr. Jordan Murch OF-P; Sr. Cory Zervas OF-P; Sr. Brian Frawley OF; Sr. David Coombs OF.
Key loss: Rory McArdle P-OF.
Promising newcomers: So. Joe Repasy INF-P; Sr. Brandon Pittenger OF-P; Jr. Matt Mozczsynski OF; Jr. Casey McArdle OF-P; Sr. Corey Dannhardt OF.
Coach's comment: "We return most of our position players. With 10 seniors, we are not short on senior leadership. However, we do have some young pitching. We won five games last year, so the kids are motivated to improve on that [total]."
Outlook: Bosworth takes over the program after Brandt Anderson stepped down after his ninth season in charge a year ago. Bosworth served as Anderson's assistant the last eight years, so the kids are plenty familiar with him. It's been a struggle for the Cougars in recent years, as they went 3-21 two years ago. Like Bosworth says, the team has most of its position players back and quite a few arms. Expect this team to improve on last year's win total.
Lenape Valley Patriots
Coach: Bob Klinck (48-52, fifth season).
2011 record: 11-11, 7-3 NJAC Freedom Division (tied for second).
Key returnees: Sr. Bob Pregno C; Sr. Carmen D'Aiuto OF; Sr. Zack Samiljan INF; Jr. Drew Burke P; Sr. Kyler Houser 1B; Sr. A.J. Nolan 3B-P.
Key losses: Anthony D'Aiuto 1B-P; Brian Kreuder OF; Bill Sabo SS; Chris Hosler 2B-P; Nick Williams P; Jon Rivera OF-P; Joe Kohl OF.
Promising newcomers: Jr. Ken Costa SS-P; Jr. Brian Falato OF; Jr. John Leyden OF; Fr. Jim Fluke INF-P.
Coach's comment: "We return several players with varsity experience. The success of the team will depend on how pitchers respond to varsity competition. This team has enough senior experience to have a very successful season."
Outlook: Patriots are in the same boat with just about everyone else -- heavy losses on offense and inexperienced pitching at the varsity level. Pregno and D'Aiuto are solid players and Burke showed flashes on the mound last season. If the arms come through, this team could be among the top clubs in the county.
Newton Braves
Coach: John Selitto (42-94, seventh season).
2011 record: 3-17, 2-8 NJAC Freedom Division (fifth).
Key returnees: Sr. Sammy Hontz OF-1B-P; Jr. Anthony Morro P-1B; Jr. Chris Branham P-SS-3B; Jr. Ryan Vasquez OF-P; Jr. Anthony Perigo C; Jr. Jordan Vail P-3B; Jr. Joey Selitto 2B; Sr. Sean Lupo 3B-SS; Sr. Joe Zalewski OF; Sr. Jim Papis C; Jr. Alan Koontz 2B-OF-P; Sr. Conner Kasabian P-OF.
Key losses: Eric Dillard P-1B-3B; Derek Smith OF; Jared O'Conner SS-3B; Paul Giordano 1B.
Promising newcomers: So. Ben Cramer OF; Jr. Brady Castle OF-SS-P; So. Casey Thomas SS-OF-P; So. Joey Maker 3B-DH; So. Charlie Grotyohann C; So. Alex Keimel OF-P; Sr. Brandon Grant 3B-DH.
Coach's comment: "Coming off a rebuilding year with a very young team, we return many starters with varsity experience. We look to be vastly improved defensively, and the strength of our team is pitching. We feel we can contend and be very competitive for the next few years."
Outlook: Braves are coming off three straight losing campaigns, though they did reach the North 1, Group 2 quarterfinals in 2010. This was an extremely young team a year ago and being a year older will definitely help. Hontz, a three-year starter, is the team's top player with the graduation of Dillard, who was the team's ace pitcher in 2011. Selitto pointed to this season as a turn-around campaign for a tradition-rich program, so the optimism is high for this club.
Pope John Lions
Coach: Vin Bello (199-125-1, 13th season).
2011 record: 24-5-1, 11-2-1 NJAC American Division (second).
Key returnees: Sr. Matt Tietz SS; Sr. Matt McNally OF; Sr. Glen Gavan 3B; Sr. Sam Redwood OF; Sr. Jack Meehan P; So. Dan Cunico P; Sr. Colin McGivney P.
Key losses: Alex DeBellis C; Matt Ackerman OF; Brendan Mayers P-2B; Nick Salazzo 3B; Mike Liegel P; Conner McGlynn P; Kyle Warden P; Nick D'Alessio DH.
Promising newcomers: Fr. Jay Sanford INF; Fr. Ethan Collins P; Fr. Matt Piwko P; So. Ken Mott P; So. James Gignatelli P; Jr. Rob Sauders C; Fr. Zack Leach C; Sr. Jay Newman INF; So. Conner Kopnick INF.
Coach's comment: "We should be very competitive within the league this year. Our pitching staff is young, but good. We should still have a tough middle of the [batting] order with Tietz and McNally."
Outlook: After back-to-back outstanding seasons (a combined 48 wins) and the program's first Non-Public A championship last season, expect the Lions to come back to the pack a bit this spring. Pope John suffered monumental graduation losses, including batterymates DeBellis (UConn) and Mayers (Rutgers) who were two of the best players in school and county history. Tietz, a slick-fielding shortstop, is the top player in Sussex County this year and is heading to Rutgers in the fall. This team should hit, so if it gets consistent pitching, the Lions will be tough to beat once again.
Sparta Spartans
Coach: Sam Slobodzian (239-150-2, 16th season).
2011 record: 14-10-1, 6-7-1 NJAC American Division (tied for third).
Key returnees: Sr. Devon Livingston (.325 avg., 4 HRs) C-P; So. Thomas Ruddy OF; Jr. Peter Forman DH-Utility; Sr. Jason Postorino 3B-P.
Key losses: John Brucker SS-P; Connor Glew 1B-P; Gaveric Bach 3B-P; Tommy Roche P-OF; Brendan Monahan OF; Ryan Magid OF; Nick DeAquino P-2B; Kyle Zaleski P-2B.
Promising newcomers: Sr. Derek Tappen 1B-P; Jr. Sean Dilger 1B-OF-P; Sr. Connor Campbell 1B; So. Austin Unglaub 2B; Sr. Gil Gibbs 2B-P; T.J. Estanislau SS-P; So. Kevin Foulds 3B-P; So. Matt Chemis OF; Jr. Grant Hagedorn OF; Jr. Codie Aromando OF-P; Jr. Jon-Karl Widuch OF.
Coach's comment: "Unlike past seasons, we only return four players with varsity experience. I'm excited with the cast of 11 newcomers. I feel this new group has brought a high level of competitiveness for the nine starting positions. I would say right now our main question mark would be pitching. I'm confident that if we can get up to varsity speed this team will be able to challenge the top teams in the NJAC."
Outlook: Spartans also took a hit with the graduation losses of their best position players (Brucker, Monahan) and their top pitchers (Roche, Bach). As the coach said, this team has major pitching questions. Sparta will hit the ball, so it's just a matter of the arms keeping the club in games. Livingston is an excellent backstop and a player to watch. The captain is headed to Keystone College in the fall.
Sussex Tech Mustangs
Coach: Howard Drake (sixth season).
2011 record: 10-9 New Jersey Technical League.
Key returnees: Sr. Dempsey Walters P-1B; Sr. Mike Hough OF-SS-C; Sr. Luke Magera Utility; Jr. Jimmy Crumb 1B-OF; Jr. Chris Manzi C-P.
Key losses: Robert Wilson 2B-P; Jeff Garrigan Utility-P; Cody Owens 3B-SS-P.
Promising newcomers: Sr. Tyler Carpenter OF-P; Jr. Chris Greene 2B-P; So. Matt Beck 3B-P; So. Dustin Burnham OF; So. Daniel Louis OF.
Coach's comment: "This year we have a lot of new faces on the mound. Keeping our young pitchers healthy will be the key to our success. Our defense is young, but should be sound. We should do well within our conference.:
Outlook: Mustangs return their best player in Walters, who is the team's best hitter and pitcher. As the coach says, pitching is young, so the arms will have to develop quickly if this team is to approach the .500 mark like it did in 2011.
Vernon Vikings
Coach: Scott Berge (23-41, fourth season).
2011 record: 7-11, 5-9 NJAC American Division (sixth).
Key returnees: Sr. Steve Fitzsimmons OF; Sr. Brian Vinniski 3B-C; Sr. Evan Schilling OF-P; Sr. Joe LoPicolo OF; Jr. John Lipari 1B; Jr. Kevin Berge C-OF; Jr. Ryan Duvall SS-P.
Key losses: Jon Conklin 2B; Dylan Moroses P; Anthony Ezzo 3B; Ryan Gaule SS; Bryan Faris C; Matt Fazio OF.
Promising newcomers: Sr. Alex Hoffmann 1B-P; Sr. Mike Annunziata DH-C; Jr. Kevin Ufferfilge INF-P; Jr. Michael Franklin INF-P; Jr. Cory Frappier INF; Tyler Kart 3B; So. Chris Pontus SS.
Coach's comment: "We have a good nucleus of solid players returning and we have more depth on the mound. We're looking to be more competitive as a team and get over that .500 mark."
Outlook: Vikings rebounded from a 5-17 campaign in 2010 to approach the .500 mark last season. After a 4-1 start, an eight-game losing streak derailed this club a year ago, when the offense went stale and the pitching faltered. Life in this division can be tough when those things happen and Vernon will need some arms to rely on this season in order to approach the .500 mark.
Wallkill Valley Rangers
Coach: Kevin Lukich (33-46, fourth season).
2011 record: 7-17, 3-7 NJAC Freedom Division (fourth).
Key returnees: Sr. Brendan Drexler C; Sr. Tommy Sweller (13 RBIs) 2B-P; Sr. Owen Law OF-P; Sr. Brandon Moore OF-P; Sr. Mike Penque (.368 avg.) 3B-2B; Sr. Eric Blain 1B; Sr. A.J. Castelucci OF-P.
Key losses: Randy Squier C; Ian Endres 1B; Brandon Ramage SS-P; Brian Wegman 3B-P; Ryan Hopp OF; Tyler Grabkowski OF-P; Mike Berardo OF-P; Ryan Kelly OF-P.
Promising newcomers: Sr. Eric Blain 1B; Jr. Joe Hocking 3B; So. Brandon Grabkowski OF-P; Jr. Jake Konopka SS; Jr. Brian Niedergall 2B; Jr. Casey Jervis P; Jr. Richard Stecher P; Jr. Alex Reiman C.
Coach's comment: "We have high hopes this season. We start seven seniors and hope to lean on their experience to get back to the state playoffs. We have two returning starting pitchers [Owen Law and A.J. Castelucci] and will need good years out of them to be successful."
Outlook: Lukich takes over the full coaching duties with the retirement of former co-coach John Petronaci. Rangers slipped a bit the last two seasons (16-35 combined) after reaching the North 1, Group 1 semifinals in 2009. This figures to be a bounce-back season in Hardyston, though the loss of Endres hurts the offense. Law is the team's ace pitcher.
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