Calabrese Named to All-Tournament Team for Felician and More

Posted by Scott Stump – http://twitter.com/Scott_Stump

E-mail: stump@allshoremedia.com

Felician College senior outfielder Jeff Calabrese (Christian Brothers Academy) was recently named to the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference All-Tournament team after registering seven hits in two tournament games for Felician.

Calabrese hit .219 with three homers and 10 RBIs for the season while also going 1-3 as a pitcher.

He is one of several former Shore players on Felician’s roster, as junior second baseman/outfielder Mickey Zudonyi (Holmdel) finished fourth on the team with a .313 batting average, second with 34 runs scored, third with 56 hits, third with 24 RBIs, third with 19 walks, and second with 18 stolen bases. Also, freshman infielder Mike Farrell (Middletown South hit .250 and started 23 of 33 games, and junior pitcher John Rose (Point Boro) went 0-0 with a 1.84 ERA in 14 appearances over 14 2/3 innings out of the bullpen.

In addition, freshman pitcher John Siedler (Jackson Liberty) went 0-2 with a 4.44 ERA in 16 appearances and senior Danny Conti (Matawan) went 3-3 with a 4.38 ERA in 13 starts.  Other Shore players on Felician’s roster include freshman outfielder Anthony Bizien (Raritan), junior pitcher Joe Brescia (Holmdel), senior pitcher Kevin Ernst (Manalapan), junior pitcher/first baseman Dan Morris (CBA), and senior pitcher/first baseman Al Jardine (Neptune).

An Update on the 2007 Colts Neck SCT Baseball Champs

Posted by Scott Stump – http://twitter.com/Scott_Stump

E-mail: stump@allshoremedia.com

Looking back on the 2007 Colts Neck team that set a school record for wins (22) while also winning a share of the Class A North title and the program’s only Shore Conference Tournament title, that was one of the more loaded teams in the Shore in recent memory. That team had six players who are currently playing Division I baseball, and here’s an update on them.

—The ace of that team, right-hander Anthony DeSclafani, is now a sophomore at the University of Florida. He is 2-3 record and a 7.79 ERA over six starts and 14 overall appearances. DeSclafani was selected in the 22nd round by the Boston Red Sox out of Colts Neck after his senior year in 2008 but kept with his commitment to Florida.

—The star shortstop of that team, A.J. Rusbarsky, has been a three-year starter at shortstop for Seton Hall, where the junior recently set the school record for career assists with 490. He is having a tough year at the plate, hitting .219, although his 16 doubles lead the team and his 17 RBIs are tied for second.

—Outfielder Dom Hayes, who hit a memorable grand slam to beat CBA at FirstEnergy Park in the SCT final in his last high school at-bat, is now thriving at West Virginia. He originally went to NJIT, transferred to a Potomac State, and is now a junior with the Mountaineers, who also feature former Ocean star Eric Hinkle, who originally attended LIU and then transferred to WVU. Hayes leads the team with a .376 average, which ranks 10th overall in the Big East, and his 73 hits lead the team.

—The catcher on that Cougars team, Mike O’Reilly, as well as pitcher/third baseman Chris Leroy, are now both freshmen at Rider. O’Reilly is hitting .190 through 42 at-bats, while Leroy is 2-0 with a 4.37 ERA in 15 appearances out of the bullpen.

—The big first baseman/pitcher from that Colts Neck squad, Ethan Jackson, is now a sophomore right-hander pitching for St. Peter’s College. He is 3-4 with a 6.82 ERA in 10 appearances, including six starts.

—Outfielder Ashton Jackson went on to play at Gloucester Community College.

Mancini Playing Well for St. Peter’s

Posted by Scott Stump – http://twitter.com/Scott_Stump

E-mail: stump@allshoremedia.com

The group that made up Toms River North‘s South Jersey Group IV champion squad continues to excel as freshmen. In addition to Steve Nyisztor’s brilliant season for Rutgers, freshman outfielder Matt Mancini is fourth on the team at St. Peter’s College with a .320 average. St. Peter’s, which has already gotten commitments from Ocean pitcher Ed Mejias and Freehold Twp. DH Matt Gelchion from this year’s senior class, also includes junior outfielder Mike LaCava, Mancini’s former Toms River North teammate.

St. Peter’s also includes pitcher Ethan Jackson (Colts Neck), who is 3-4 with a 6.82 ERA in 10 appearances, and junior pitcher Craig Hughes (Wall), who is 1-5 with a 7.30 ERA.

Biserta Closing in on Rutgers HR Record/RU vs. Villanova/Corsi to Rutgers

Posted by Scott Stump – http://twitter.com/Scott_Stump

E-mail: stump@allshoremedia.com

Rutgers junior outfielder Pat Biserta (Pt. Boro) is now only four short of the Rutgers single-season home run record of 22 set by Cincinnati Reds prospect Todd Frazier (Toms River South) after smacking his 18th of the season in a loss to Villanova on Sunday. Biserta’s 25 career home runs have also tied him for sixth all-time at Rutgers with former Toms River East standout Jake Daubert.

Also, Rutgers freshman shortstop Steve Nyisztor (Toms River North) had a 26-game hitting streak that was snapped on Sunday in the loss to the Wildcats.

Earlier in the series with Villanova, Biserta and Nyisztor backed up a strong effort by senior pitcher Casey Gaynor (Toms River East) in an 8-4 win. In the series opener, Rutgers was shut down by Villanova’s Brian Streilein (Brick Memorial), who gave up two runs and struck out seven in seven innings in a 7-3 win by Villanova. In the loss, outfielder Ryan Kapp (Toms River South) hit his seventh homer of the season for Rutgers, catcher Jayson Hernandez (St. Rose) had a hit, and Kevin Lillis (Christian Brothers Academy) pitched a scoreless inning of relief.

Also, Rutgers looks to be adding another Shore Conference player for next season. Duquesne’s baseball program is folding after this season, and current freshman lefty Rob Corsi (Shore Regional) will be transferring to Rutgers, according to Shore Regional coach Jeff Karpell.

Tim Wright Has Strong Spring for Rutgers Football

Posted by Scott Stump – http://twitter.com/Scott_Stump

E-mail: stump@allshoremedia.com

Former Wall star wide receiver Tim Wright looks to be earning himself more of a role offensively with Rutgers this season after a great spring. Below is the Rutgers news release on Wright.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (May 4, 2010) – Rutgers rising sophomore wide receiver Tim Wright (Wall Township, N.J.) was named to the Rivals.com All-Spring team for his efforts during spring practice. Wright was the recipient of the Mark Mills Second Effort Award, given to the Most Improved Offensive Player during spring practice for the Scarlet Knights.

Wright played in 12 games last season for the Scarlet Knights at wide receiver, but did not record any statistics.

The Scarlet Knights return 14 starters and 45 letterwinners from last season’s 9-4 squad that won the St. Petersburg Bowl. Rutgers is one of four teams in the nation to win four bowl games in the previous four seasons. In total, the Scarlet Knights have averaged nine wins per season over the previous four years.

Season tickets for the 2010 season are now on-sale and are available by calling the Rutgers Ticket Office at 1-866-445-GoRU or visiting ScarletKnights.com.

Rutgers opens the 2010 campaign Thursday, September 2 at Rutgers Stadium versus Norfolk State.

Brick Memorial baseball alumni update

Posted by Scott Stump – http://twitter.com/Scott_Stump

E-mail: stump@allshoremedia.com

Plenty of updates on former Brick Memorial standouts, courtesy of Mustangs assistant Evan Rizzitello.

PITMAN, NJ (www.NJCUGothicKnights.com)…New Jersey City University sophomore ROB GONZALEZ (Brick Memorial), the first player in program history to achieve two 60-hit seasons, has been honored for his catalyst abilities at the top of the Gothic Knights lineup, as he was voted Second Team All-New Jersey Athletic Conference by the league’s head coaches.

Gonzalez played and started all 37 games for NJCU (13-24) as the team’s leadoff hitter, batting .387 with 60 hits in 155 at bats while stealing 21 bases in 27 attempts. The 5-foot-11 left-handed batting Gonzalez scored 39 runs and added 19 RBIs with four doubles and two triples for 68 total bases. He walked 11 times and was hit by one pitch for a .431 on-base percentage with a .439 slugging rate and six sacrifice hits. He posted a .932 fielding percentage with just nine errors in 133 chances, and struck out only 10 times all year. He led NJCU in hits, steals and at bats and ranked second in runs scored and batting average.

Higgins, Csakai, Avella Starring at Wagner

Posted by Scott Stump – http://twitter.com/Scott_Stump

E-mail: stump@allshoremedia.com

Sophomore infielder Tom Higgins (Red Bank Catholic) is currently batting .325 and has 26 RBIs, second on the team, for Wagner College, which is in the hunt for a Northeast Conference regular-season title. Senior first baseman Vin Avella (Christian Brothers Academy) leads the team with 42 RBIs and a .605 slugging percentage in 39 games. Also, senior outfielder Damian Csakai (Freehold Twp.) is hitting .314 with 28 runs scored along with a team-high 23 walks and 30 stolen bases. Big-league scouts have apparently been following him this season, according to Freehold Township coach Todd Smith, so Csakai has a shot to get drafted after a career in which he is approaching or has school records with over 200 hits, and over 100 stolen bases,  and also is near the career marks for at-bats, runs scored, and hit by pitches.

Senior pitcher Matt Watson (Howell) is also tied for the team lead with three wins in 10 starts.

Also on Wagner’s roster and seeing some time are junior infielder Matt Logan (Wall) and sophomore pitcher Mark Holmes (Manalapan).

Darryl Jackson Invited to Philadelphia Eagles Mini-Camp

Posted by Scott Stump – http://twitter.com/Scott_Stump

E-mail: stump@allshoremedia.com

Former Red Bank Regional standout Darryl Jackson, who completed his strong career as a defensive lineman at Kean University this past fall, is currently at the Philadelphia Eagles’ mini-camp. Jackson played on the same defensive line at Red Bank as former Georgia star Kade Weston, who was drafted in the seventh round by the New England Patriots this year.

Click here to read more.

Billy Cerruti Named NJAC Pitcher of the Week

Posted by Scott Stump – http://twitter.com/Scott_Stump

E-mail: stump@allshoremedia.com

Rutgers-Newark junior lefty Billy Cerruti (Shore Regional) was named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week for the second straight week after throwing seven scoreless innings in an eventual 8-5 win over William Paterson.

Cerruti is currently 4-4 with a 3.47 ERA and is second in the NJAC with 63 strikeouts in nine starts covering 59 2/3 innings.

Rutgers-Newark also features sophomore outfielder Chris Ballester (Freehold Twp.), who is hitting .311 and has started 30 of 34 games. Senior Michael Dennis (Lakewood) is hitting .273 in 18 games as a reserve outfielder. Also, senior lefty Kevin Apel (Central) is 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA in five appearances out of the bullpen.

Marsch, Turano Having Strong Seasons for Rowan

Posted by Scott Stump – http://twitter.com/Scott_Stump

E-mail: stump@allshoremedia.com

Rowan’s baseball team recently earned the No. 1 seed in the upcoming New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament, and the Profs feature several former Shore Conference standouts. Rowan is ranked fifth in the NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Regional rankings and is 23-12-1 and 14-4 in the NJAC.

Leading the way is Jordan Marsch, a senior outfielder and former Brick standout who is fourth on the team with a .313 average, 42 hits in 35 games, and leads the team with 28 RBIs. Right behind him is former Manalapan star catcher Nick Turano, a sophomore who is hitting .306 and is second on the team with 10 doubles and third with 25 RBIs.

The Profs also feature junior right-handed reliever Kyle Norman (Ocean Twp.), who is 2-3 with a 5.31 ERA in 12 appearances, and sophomore reliever Ben Miller (Rumson), who is 1-0 with a 13.50 ERA in four appearances.