South Jersey is a perennial hotbed for talented high school baseball players.
This spring is no different.
Here are some of the top players heading into the 2025 season.
Players To Watch
Catchers
Trent Bantle, Audubon, Sr. Last season Bantle batted .400 with 32 hits, and he tied for the team lead with 27 RBIs. He is a Rutgers-Camden commit.
Anthony Cataldo, Eastern, Jr. Cataldo hit .310 with two home runs while tying the team lead with 29 RBIs. He went 2 for 4 with two runs scored in Eastern’s 7-5 state Group 4 semifinal win over Jackson.
Griffin Clarke, Haddonfield, Sr. Clarke batted .345 last season with a .558 on-base percentage. He is a Babson College commit.
Gavin Dillard, Glassboro, Sr. A third-team All-South Jersey choice, Dillard hit .463 with 12 doubles and 16 RBIs. He has 94 career hits and is a third-year captain who has committed to Misericordia.
Nick Filliponi, Northern Burlington senior. A Rider commit, Filliponi batted .305. Also an outfielder, he has good versatility and stole eight bases.
Sean Greene, Gateway, Sr. Greene hit .453 and had 16 stolen bases and 28 runs scored. On the mound he struck out 56 in 41 innings. He could also play some shortstop this year.
Braeden Lipoff, Gloucester Catholic, Jr. A second-team All-South Jersey selection, this East Carolina commit hit .389 for the state Non-Public B champs.
Steve Peltz, Palmyra, Sr. He batted .390 with 23 hits, four doubles, nine RBIs and 11 stolen bases. Peltz was also a pitcher who struck out 38 in 21 1/3 innings.
Willie Popoff, GCIT, Jr. Popoff batted .423 with a .511 on base percentage and .507 slugging percentage to lead the team in all three categories. He called the pitches and helps the staff record 200 strikeouts for the first time in school history.
Ian Robeson, Highland, Jr. A captain, who is entering his third year as a starter. He batted .371 with 13 RBIs last year.
Ricky Watt, Schalick, So. Watt enjoyed a great debut season, batting .435 with 37 hits and a team-high 40 RBIs.
Infielders
Kole Bagnell, Hammonton Sr. A shortstop, Bagnell batted .419 and scored 25 runs. He has 82 career hits.
Dante Bell, Bishop Eustace, Jr. Bell, who plays third base, hit .437 with two home runs, 25 RBIs and 25 runs scored while stealing seven bases.
Jacob Cagna, Egg Harbor Township, Sr. A shortstop-pitcher, Cagna batted .359 with 25 RBIs. He is a Canisius commit.
Noah Danza, Gloucester Catholic, Jr. This shortstop was a second-team All-South Jersey product after batting .438 with three home runs and 27 RBIs. He has committed to Virginia.
Joey Erace, St. Augustine, Sr. An outstanding defender at shortstop, Erace hit .357 with nine doubles, two triples and a team-high 33 runs scored for the defending Non-Public A state champions. Erace is a Rutgers commit.
Logan Dawson, Eastern, Sr. A Boston College commit, Dawson was a first-team All-South Jersey selection and is a standout as a pitcher-infielder. He batted .364 and had a 1.97 ERA in 64 innings for the SJ Group 4 champs.
Luke Guire, Bordentown, Sr. A three-time all-conference and three-time Carpenter Cup selection, Guire has 87 career hits with a .385 career average. A shortstop, Guire is a Delaware commit.
Noah Harvey, Cinnaminson, Sr. A senior shortstop, Harvey has committed to Richmond. Last season he batted .400 with 13 extra base hits, while providing strong defense.
Sean Karbach, Eastern, Jr. A first baseman, Karbach batted .400 last season. He added four doubles, two home runs and 14 RBIs. In Eastern’s 4-2 South Jersey Group 4 title win over Egg Harbor Township, he went 2 for 3.
Kyle Lamenteer, Vineland, Sr. A shortstop-pitcher and Rider commit, Lamenteer batted .367 with a team-high 25 RBIs, while striking out 32 in 25 1/3 innings.
Guy Lynam, Gloucester Catholic, Jr. A first-team Courier-Post All-South Jersey selection, Lynam batted .405 with seven doubles, one home run, 30 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. An Auburn commit, Lynam, who plays third base, has one of the best pure swings in South Jersey.
Cole Marchetti, Northern Burlington, Jr. A Rutgers commit, Marchetti batted .400 with 19 RBIs. A third baseman-pitcher, he had a 1.81 ERA in 19 1/3 innings.
Cole McKenna, West Deptford, Sr. A slick-fielding shortstop. McKenna hit .429 with two home runs, eight steals and 19 RBIs. He is an Old Dominion commit.
Jairo Mendoza, Collinswood, So. A shortstop, Mendoza was a first-team all-Colonial Conference choice batting .439 and recording 36 hits. He will also be a member of the rotation.
Jack Mustaro, Gloucester Catholic, Sr. A first baseman-pitcher, Mustaro batted .352 with a home run and 23 RBIs. Gloucester Catholic’s all-time leading basketball scorer, Mustaro was 2-0 with a 0.48 ERA in 14.2 innings.
Chase Roberts, Shawnee, Sr. The slick fielding shortstop batted .288 with 12 walks. Roberts has committed to Penn State.
Aiden Ryder, Cherry Hill West, Sr. A third baseman, Ryder batted .353 with 24 RBIs. He is a Rowan commit.
Evan Taylor, Ocean City, Sr. A third baseman, Taylor hit .353 with five home runs and 23 RBIs in earning third-team, All-South Jersey honors. He is also a pitcher, who has committed to Alabama
Tyler Wiltsey, Audubon, Sr. Wiltsey earned third-team All-South Jersey honors as a shortstop, although he has seen playing time this preseason at short and in the outfield, a position he plans to play at Rutgers. Last year Wiltsey hit .391 with 34 hits and 27 RBIs.
Outfielders
Jake Barletta, Rancocas Valley, Sr. A returning first-team All-South Jersey selection, Barletta also excelled in soccer and wrestling,Barletta hit .471 and enters the season with 85 hits. He had 48 hits last season with 18 RBIs. Barletta is a Rowan commit.
Austin Buchanan, Delsea, Sr. Buchanan was a second-team All-South Jersey selection, after batting .430 with 11 doubles, three home runs and 33 RBIs. He is a La Salle commit.
Chase Burchfield, Pennsville, Sr. A second-team All-South Jersey selection, Burchfield hit .476 with three home runs and 39 RBIs. He has 85 career hits.
Chase Camac, Mainland, Sr. Camac batted .350 with 23 RBIs. Camac is a Quinnipiac commit.
Miles DeVincentis, Collingswood, Sr. A third-team All-South Jersey selection as a utility player, the outfielder-pitcher batted .377 and had a 2.21 ERA in 44 1/3 innings. He is a Rowan commit.
Grant Fournier, Cherry Hill West, Sr. A first-team All-South Jersey selection, Fournier is a centerfielder who is a prototypical table setter at the top of the lineup. He batted .444 with seven doubles, two home runs and 28 RBIs. Fournier has committed to Delaware.
Chase Kroberger, Moorestown, Sr. The Alabama commit was a first-team All-South Jersey selection who batted .415 with 29 runs and 21 RBIs.
Mason Myers, Paul VI, Jr. A fleet centerfielder, Myers hit .315 with nine doubles, four triples, two home runs and 21 RBIs. He has committed to Coastal Carolina.
Charlie Neal, Camden Catholic, Sr. Neal hit .413 with nine doubles, one home run, 18 RBIs, 20 runs and a team-high .635 slugging percentage. Also a pitcher, he struck out nine in 11 1/3 innings.
Henry Pancoast, Gloucester Catholic Jr. Last season Pancoast hit .282 with six doubles, one home run and 16 RBIs, while stealing six bases.
James Rowe, Haddonfield, Jr. Rowe batted .471 with a 1.216 OPS and nine doubles and two triples last season.
Luke Wood, Pennsville, Sr. Wood hit .410 with four doubles and 18 runs scored. He has 87 career hits. On the mound, he was 3-0 with a 1.65 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 17 innings.
Pitchers
Nate Bott, Kingsway, Jr. Last season the righthander went 5-3 and a 1.53 ERA in 45 2/3 innings. He also had a save. Bott has committed to Delaware.
Frank Cairone, Delsea, Sr. A second-team All-South Jersey selection, this Coastal Carolina commit struck out 100 in 64 innings. A lefthander, Cairone recorded a 2.62 ERA.
Tyler Dell, Clearview, Sr. A righthander, Dell posted a 2.97 ERA and struck out 46 in 33 innings last year. He is a Montclair State commit.
Tim Dougherty, Shawnee, Jr. A lefthander, Dougherty had a 1.73 ERA last season and 57 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings. He is a West Virginia commit.
Brett Gable, Cherokee, Sr. In 42 1/3 innings, Gable went 3-2 with a 2.31 ERA with 58 strikeouts. He is a Harvard commit. As a freshman the lefthander was the winning pitcher during a 2-1 victory over Kingsway in the SJ Group 4 final.
Nick Kalogiros, Audubon, Sr. A third-team All-South Jersey choice as a utility player, the righthander was a highly effective pitcher, with a 6-1 record and 0.30 ERA in 46 innings. He is a Rutgers-Camden commit.
Travis Large, Ocean City, Sr. A Monmouth commit, the righthander had 53 strikeouts and a 2.53 ERA in 38 2/3 innings.
Jake Lodgek, Mainland, Sr. A Miami commit, this righthander was dominant in 22 2/3 innings last season. He struck out 40 and had a 1.54 ERA.
Luca Mannino, Northern Burlington, Sr. A first-team all-Burlco Liberty selection, Mannino had a 2.14 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 52 ½ innings. A Rowan commit, Mannino also batted .347.
Eamon McDermott, Bishop Eustace, Sr. McDermott pitched just 13 innings last year but had a 3.23 ERA and averaged two strikeouts per inning. He is a Georgetown commit.
Henry Radbill, Cherokee, Sr. This lefthander, who is a Rutgers commit, was a third-team all-South Jersey choice after going 5-0 with a 1.82 ERA, while striking out 60 in 42 1/3 innings for the Olympic American Division champs.
Luke Pokrovsky, Schalick Sr. A second-team all-South Jersey selection as an infielder, Pokrovsky hit .500 with six home runs and 27 RBIs. He was also dominant on the mound with 122 strikeouts in 57 innings and a 1.09 ERA. He is a Penn commit.
Jackson Smallets, Gloucester Catholic, Sr. Limited to just 10 innings last season, Smallets pitched well in the Carpenter Cup and for Brooklawn American Legion’s state title team in the summer. The righthander is a Coastal Carolina commit.
Logan Shumard, Rancocas Valley, Sr. Last season Shumard had a 1.58 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 44 innings. He is a Montclair State commit.
Mario Toro, Vineland, Jr. The righthander had a staff-best 2.37 ERA in 38 1/3 innings, with 35 strikeouts.
Alex Valay, GCIT, Jr. The 6-foot-3 lefthander struck out 25 in 15.1 innings. He has committed to Rhode Island.
Andrew Valay, GCIT, Jr. The 6-foot-5 righthander already has 95 career strikeouts. He had 47 strikeouts in 38 2/3 innings last year. Valay is a Notre Dame commit.
Marc Narducci is a freelance writer for the Courier-Post. He can be reached at cpvarsity@gmail.com
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: South Jersey's high school players to watch for 2025 season
