MORRISTOWN, NJ — Another year, another hyper-competitive bracket in the Morris County Baseball Tournament. As usual, we will be treated to watching four of the best teams in the state go at it for an opportunity to play for a county title in the 56th iteration of the event. Game one will be hosted at Brian E. Fleury Field at 11 am on Saturday and will feature a third meeting this season between the Randolph Rams (16-5), and the four-time defending champion Delbarton Green Wave (18-2). They split the season series so far, and the Rams will look to spoil Delbarton’s chance at a fifth-straight trip to the finals in the rubber match. Immediately afterward, the defending Group Three champion Morris Knolls Golden Eagles (19-2), will try to spoil another Cinderella run from the upstart Chatham Cougars (6-9). With tons of excitement on the horizon, let’s take a closer look at what these four teams will have in store for us.

Watch the Randolph/Delbarton game here: https://www.youtube.com/live/RsxojrvGX-w?si=tPW6DoNpEBVz4mVq

Watch the Chatham/Morris Knolls game here: https://www.youtube.com/live/UCPbFi7M35g?si=QAGyMT4QDZxN_rjJ

Randolph

Head coach Mark Rizzi has the Rams playing their best baseball under his watch since he took the helm at the start of the 2021 season. The 18-year former manager at Rutgers-Newark saw his Rams win 11 of their first 12, taking down brand names such as Seton Hall Prep and Delbarton along the way. Though Randolph has cooled down slightly, going five and four in their last nine, they’re still a major force to be reckoned with, especially with every arm in their pitching staff available.

Offense

The Rams’ 182 runs scored is the top mark in the NJAC, and that’s not by accident. Their lineup features four batters with at least a .370 batting average and four with at least 19 RBI. Led by junior shortstop AJ Terry (UNC), who’s .468 average, 29 hits, and 24 runs scored all lead the team, Randolph have one of the best one-through-nine lineups in the county, with virtually no soft spots and a litany of batters that can grind out long at-bats against even the best pitchers.

The keystone of the lineup is senior Connor Stokoe (Drew), who’s three home runs, 24 RBI and .688 slugging should strike fear in the hearts of the opposition. He’s supported by three-year varsity veteran Rocco Albano (.370 AVG, 21 RBI) and Ethan Gorman (two home runs, 22 RBI) to form a power-hitting triumvirate in the middle of the order.

All-in-all, the Rams have one of the most well-rounded offenses in the bracket, and even with Delbarton’s stable of arms, should be able to put runs up on the board in bunches.

Pitching

Even the best public schools only need around two really solid starters and a fairly deep bullpen to get through a successful season. Rizzi’s staff boasts three frontline starters and an impressive collection of back-end arms capable of shortening games. Based on their past two meetings, I’d expect Randolph to give the ball to the six-foot-four senior Tommy Martin (Maine) to start this one. Not only has Martin proven to be the team’s most reliable arm (39.1 IP, 1.42 ERA, 47 K/8 BB), but the Green Wave have already seen senior James Kleiven once (Miami, 3.79 ERA) and Albano twice (24.1 IP, 2.30 ERA).

This also affords Rizzi to use those arms in tight spots, as Albano’s control and Kleiven’s velocity are outstanding weapons to use in the ‘pen. Additionally, senior Steve Nodoro (13 IP, 2.69 ERA) and junior Max Brown (11.1 IP, 3.71 ERA), could be called upon due to their experience coming in late in games.

With a staff ERA of 2.55 and a strikeout-to-walk ratio exceeding 2:1, we could see a special performance from the Rams on Saturday morning.

Delbarton

The program that has recently sent two players to MLB in Anthony Volpe (Yankees), and Jack Leiter (Rangers), has continued to dominate the high school stage, coming into these semifinals winners of four straight county championships and five of the last six. Head coach Bruce Shatel is used to high expectations and does an incredible job in guiding his student-athletes to rise to them time and time again. Though they’ve split with Randolph this season, they’ve already seen two of their top arms and won the most recent affair in a 2-1 nail-biter. Now back to the scene of that contest, they’ll look to reach their fifth-straight MCT final.

Offense

Much like their adversaries, the Green Wave features a high-powered offense with plenty of balance and zero breaks for opposing pitchers. Three batters are hitting north of .400, and they score 8.6 runs per game; numbers to love as a fan of the team and to dazzle those who aren’t. Senior Jack Harley (Virginia Tech) has been particularly excellent, using six multi-hit games to bolster a .474 average while knocking in a team-high 25 RBI.

Junior Aiden Dill (Seton Hall), has been an on-base machine out of the two-spot dialing up a .513 on-base percentage that would make even Barry Bonds do a double-take.

Rounding out the .400+ club are sophomore Sal Garcia (Duke, .448 AVG, .621 SLG, 24 RBI) and senior Louis Fredrich (Hamilton, .439 AVG, .634 SLG, 14 BB).

This team can beat you in so many ways. Even if some guys go cold, the lineup is just so deep that the law of averages would dictate that someone will be hot when you face them. If the pitchers falter early, we could be in store for a barnburner.

Pitching

Even for an elite private school program, it’s impressive just how well Shatel’s pitching staff reloads year after year. The Delbarton staff currently boasts a 1.93 ERA, 8.9 K/7, and three arms with at least 25 innings logged this season. Dill appears to be the likely starter in this one, having not faced Randolph since May 21, 2022. Though higher than in his first two seasons, the future Pirate’s 2.42 ERA is certainly nothing to sneeze at especially when paired with an 8.9 K/7 mark.

If the Green Wave decides to go for a repeat look, they have plenty of options, highlighted by sophomore AJ Saccento (Duke, 26.1 IP, 1.59 ERA, 45 K), and senior Christian Zebrowski (Middlebury, 25.1 IP, 0.55 ERA, 33 K). Saccento suffered the loss against Randolph back in April, but hasn’t allowed and earned run since, and Zebrowski nailed down their most recent matchup with two scoreless frames. Junior Ryan Holman (14.2 IP, 0.48 ERA, 20 K), could also be in the running to throw the first pitch on Saturday.

We mentioned four outstanding arms above and didn’t even give you the full picture of how deep this pitching staff truly is. If coach Shatel really wanted to, he could use seven different arms with each one causing fits for the Randolph lineup. There are no bad options here, just a plethora of good ones.

Chatham

This team is wild. Not only did they make the semifinals last year as the 13 seed with an 8-12 record, but they’ve done it again, this time as the 12 with a win/loss mark of 6-9. Nobody can light a spark under his team when it really matters quite like head coach Todd Leathers, who has guided his Cougars to three semifinal births in the last four seasons. Last season, they lost a close game against Delbarton 3-0, shutting down an elite offense, and barely missing out on some scoring chances. Don’t let the losing record fool you, this team has some studs, and could very well upset one of the best teams in the state.

Offense

It’s been feast or famine for Chatham’s lineup this season with an equal number (three) of games with nine or more runs scored as shutouts. Still, on any given day, this team can really find a groove, especially with some of the heavy hitters they feature. The crown jewel of their batting order is senior Trent Jenks (Hofstra), who would be the best hitter on many top teams in New Jersey. Jenks leads the team with three home runs, 14 RBI, and a .688 slugging, and isn’t afraid to get bruised to get aboard, posting an alarming 12 hit-by pitches.

Junior Wes Maksimow (.357 AVG, 6 XBH, 10 RBI), and seniors Justin Regno (.433 AVG, .533 SLG, 8 RBI), and Charlie Shushansky (.367 AVG, .433 SLG, 8 SB), give some beef to this lineup. What this team lacks in overall run production, they make up for in consistency from their stars, and if these four get a good read on the Morris Knolls staff, it could be a long game for the Golden Eagles.

Pitching

It’s no secret that Chatham’s pitching staff isn’t having a banner season. A few tough losses ballooned their team ERA to 5.65, and the Cougars’ WHIP stands at 1.86, meaning they allow nearly two baserunners per inning. Still, every quarry has its bright spots, and despite those prior numbers, Chatham has managed to be on the right side of a pair of shutouts this season, and features a true ace on their staff. Wes Maksimow has really come into his own as a pitcher in 2024, posting a pristine 1.95 ERA while striking out 41 in 28.2 innings. His most recent outing was his best yet, twirling a five-hit, complete game shutout on May 3rd, upsetting the tournament five seed Mt. Olive.

Complimenting Maksimow is Trent Jenks (4.20 ERA, 18.1 IP, 21 K), whose gusty 5.1 innings of three-run ball helped the Cougars past number four Mendham to make it to this game. Aside from the top two arms are a collective of young pieces who are still finding their footing in varsity baseball, and have a bright future ahead of them.

The magic number for the Chatham staff is three. They’ve yet to lose a game this season in which they’ve allowed three or fewer runs, and doing so against the juggernaut that is Morris Knolls could be considered a victory in its own right.

Morris Knolls

The darling of the NJAC, the Golden Eagles have gone from last year’s feel-good story to one of the elite teams in the Garden State. At 19-2, head coach Eric Mindrebo’s team is already just two wins away from matching last year’s Group Three championship win total, and if they make a run like they did last year, they have a serious shot at reaching 30 victories. But first, they need to take care of business against Chatham, who despite being just 17 miles away and of similar school size has faced them just three times since 2011, with Knolls taking two of them, including the most recent matchup in 2015 6-5. The finals evaded the boys from Denville and Rockaway last season, and they’ll come into Saturday hungry to punch their ticket to Montville.

Offense

There are good lineups, and then there’s an embarrassment of riches, the latter of which best describes coach Mindrebo’s batting order. Typically leading off is senior Luke Dickerson (Virginia), who currently sits second in the state with 11 home runs, and just belted his 132nd hit to break Morris Knolls’ school record. His numbers get more ridiculous from there, featuring a .457 average, a 1.029 slugging, a .558 on-base percentage, 19 stolen bases, and 27 RBI. Even if the team just had him putting up big numbers, they’d still be a lethal offense. But wait, there’s more…

Junior Dylan Fitzsimmons (St. John’s), has been putting up Dickersonian numbers of his own, with a .462 average, .831 slugging, six homers, and 23 RBI. Senior Brodie Freker is part of the fireworks display as well, launching five homers on the season, contributing to his 27 RBI. It doesn’t stop there either, as seniors Joe O’Toole (Pace) and James Khan (St. Thomas Aquinas) boast .397 and .353 averages respectively. And even after a slow start, senior Mike Simone (Manhattan), has boosted his average to .345 while batting in 18.

Of the four teams playing, this is the lineup that’s most likely to keep pitchers up at night. Everyone hits. The ball has the potential to leave the yard. And this team leaves people wondering if they’re awake or asleep for this nightmare of a group.

Pitching

Morris Knolls hasn’t gotten this far on hitting alone. With a staff ERA of 2.30, Knolls have just one arm with an ERA above 3.99. Only one pitcher is completely ruled out for Saturday, as senior Colin Ferschman (1.56 ERA, 27 IP, 24 K) logged 73 pitches yesterday against Sparta and is required to rest for three days. That leaves Khan (2.62 ERA, 21.1 IP, 25 K), or O’Toole (3.99 ERA, 26.1 IP, 22 K) as likely starters.

Daniel Calantropio has been the perfect bullpen weapon and has yet to allow an earned run in his 17.1 frames in 2024. If the game gets tight, he can go as many as four innings if needed going by his game logs. Fitzsimmons is also a member of the 0.00 ERA club, and has been spectacular in his 9.2 innings. Sophomores Dale Kaletcher (3.00 ERA, 18.2 IP, 19 K), and Tony Kuehne (2.80 ERA, 15 IP, 15 K) could also find their way into the ball game given their effectiveness.

Similarly to Green Wave, the Golden Eagles really don’t have any bad options when it comes to arms, and each of them has a chance to push the clock to midnight on Chatham’s Cinderella run.

That’s it for the preview! Be sure to watch both games with the links above and su