With the baseball season opening in full force this week, here is our first Greater Middlesex Conference Top 10 of the season.
The ranking will be posted Monday morning all season, which promises to have plenty of twists and turns.
There is already a big change from last spring – the GMC moved from five divisions to four. That means beefed-up pennant races. Among the notable changes are Edison and Woodbridge moving into the Red Division from the White; North Brunswick moving to the White from the Red and St. Thomas Aquinas moving up to the White Division.
GMC Preseason Top 10
(last season’s records in parenthesis)
1. Old Bridge (20-9): The Knights start where they ended last season – as No. 1. The defending GMC Tournament champs do graduate All-Area players in Frank Papeo (RHP-1B) and JT Meyer (RHP-CF) and other pieces such as pitcher Luke Hagen. However, a pair of All-GMC players return in ace Justin Hascup and leadoff hitter John Smith. There’s experience sprinkled throughout the lineup with talented newcomers ready. Plus, the winning attitude remains.
2. South Plainfield (22-6-1): The Tigers could make a case for the preseason top spot. The reigning Red Division champions ooze talent on the mound with hot bats and should overcome the loss of a half dozen stalwarts. Where do those South Plainfield arms come from? Ryan Balent, Mike Castagna and Kevin Penny are on the ace-level, while Dominic Massaro, Dan Kapsch and Nick Irizarry are All-GMC candidates.
3. Colonia (19-7): The Patriots just might have the top pitching staff in the GMC. They feature two certified aces in Cory Pascarella (56 1/3 IP, 0.37 ERA, 86 Ks) and Colin Kroner (49 IP, 2.20 ERA, 78 Ks). It’s a show when they toe the mound and Colonia has an excellent chance to win every time they’re pitching. The Patriots also have other nice arms with seasoned bats back looking to boost the offensive production from last season.
4. Edison (16-12): Remember last season when the Eagles entered with some mystery, featuring superstar, two-way senior Jaxon Appelman and a ton of youngsters. Well, the kids were all right as Edison had its second straight 16-win season and reached the GMCT semifinals. Now, eight players return with big-game seasoning. All signs point to another strong spring as Edison moves into the Red Division from the White. All-GMC Robert Roma (LHP-OF) and All-Division Anthony ...
