Play Ball This Saturday at Shore Regional K-8 Baseball Clinic

The 1-4 p.m. clinic held on April 13 still has open spots available for interested players.

Subway Series: Eatontown Lions Beat Out Elks for Little League Championship

For the second year in a row, Eatontown's two teams in the District 19 Little League Junior League Division battled it out for the season's championship.

For the second year in a row, Eatontown's two boys baseball teams in the District 19 Little League Junior League Division met for the championship game on Saturday at 80 Acres Park. The Lions won 4-2, upsetting the Elks, who were last year's winners. A double play by catcher Ross Spadavecchia, who tagged out a sliding runner at home and threw to third where Skylar Marvin tagged out another sliding runner, was one of the best baseball plays Elks coach Tom Blaney says he has ever seen. However, their bats could not keep up. The Lions credited their win to a suicide squeeze pulled off by Paul Sandback in the bottom of the second, which gave them a quick two-run lead, and to consistent pitching by starter John Bonczyk. The team ended its …

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McGee Making Instant Impact for Monmouth University Baseball

Former Toms River South standout Andrew McGee has starred as a freshman relief pitcher

Too often, pitchers adjusting from high school to the Division I collegiate level change their approach out of fear of the higher caliber of hitter they will be facing. Whether it’s nibbling around the edges where they used to attack, or throwing more breaking balls on the outer half rather than busting hitters inside, that lack of confidence at the next level can lead to a bumpy ride as a freshman. That is what has separated former Toms River South star Andrew McGee from many others before him as a freshman pitcher at Monmouth University. “As a young pitcher, we always thought he could pitch inside,’’ said Monmouth coach Dean Ehehalt, an 18-year veteran who is the Northeast Conference’s all-time winningest coach. “That gives him an …

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Monmouth University Baseball: Starting to See the Light

Former Christian Brothers Academy star Pat Light continues to develop into a potential Major League Baseball draft pick on the mound for Monmouth University.

Monmouth University sophomore right-hander Pat Light knows it may not necessarily be reflected by the stat sheet, but he is making progress in his second season with the Hawks after a brilliant high school career at Christian Brothers Academy. He currently is 1-4 with a 4.24 earned run average in six starts for the Hawks, who are 13-12 overall and tied for first place in the Northeast Conference at 8-4. The bumpy start follows a freshman year in which he was greeted rudely by the college ranks, finishing 2-6 with a 6.12 ERA in 10 starts. However, a peek beyond the numbers shows a 6-foot-5 righty who has pumped up his fastball to the point where it touches 96 miles per hour and sits around 92-93 m.p.h. He has struck out 27 in 34 innings and…

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Making Strides: Long Branch Baseball Preview

On the heels of a 4-win season, Long Branch is looking to a group of newcomers to help the core group of five seniors get over the hump and contend in Class B North.

With a core of five seniors returning, Long Branch’s baseball team should certainly improve on its four wins of a season ago. How much it improves, however, depends on a young crop of pitchers behind returning ace Paul Tracey and the performance of an up-and-coming group of position players. “The bottom line is that we’re going to go as our young guys go,’’ said Long Branch head coach V.J. Muscillo. “They will determine how successful we will be because my core guys are going to do their job.’’ That group of five returning starters includes Tracey, a senior lefty who also plays in the outfield, senior third baseman John Jones, senior outfielders Jarred Fernandez and Isaac Ramirez, and senior second baseman Matt Amato. They give Long Branch…

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