 You will have to forgive a long-time
New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) follower if he is a bit
confused this baseball season. They have changed half the schools
names since I was a student in the 1980s, adding first names,
switching from colleges to University, adding NJ to the name, or
changing names due to a large donation. But this ...
Who is that young kid in the William
Paterson dugout? Lautherhahn? No that is the pitching coach. Where
is Jeff Albies? He retired? Mike Lauterhahn, Bobby’s son? Can’t
be. Well I guess 33 seasons is a good run at a school, enjoy Coach
Albies. Well at least he still has his dad to be the pitching coach,
and he was a former player there, so there is some continuity.
I guess you are going to tell me that
Rick Dell is no longer at The College of New Jersey (he took the job
when they were still Trenton State.) What, he resigned to take a job
with Major League Baseball, working in the Far East. Long-time
assistant Dean Glus took over.
Okay, one coach with 33 years at his
school, another with 27 at his, I guess that is enough change for any
conference to deal with. But wait, Ken Heaton at New Jersey City
University (formerly Jersey City State College), 17 years, Keith
Williams (eight seasons) at Rutgers-Camden have left as well.
Well, there is at least a few faces I
can recognize, as Norm Schoenig, a veteran of 21 seasons (and a
national championship) returns to lead the Montclair State Red Hawks,
who have only changed nicknames and become a university in the past
20 season.
Then there is Neil Ioviero, who returns
for his 11th season at Kean University as the defending Division III
national champions.
Well, at least one thing has not
changed since the mid-1980s – the NJAC is still the place where the
best teams in Division III baseball reside. How good is the NJAC?
Consider that they have had finalists each of the last two seasons,
(Montclair State in 2006 was a runner-up), yet neither year did those
teams win the conference title.
Enough silliness. Let’s take a look
at top players and teams in the NJAC that reside in the Gotham area.
(Note: Richard Stockton, Rutgers Camden, and Rowan are not
considered to be in the Gotham coverage area.)
Kean – The
defending national champions, return he Cougars return four
all-conference players from its national championship squad including
senior outfielder/catcher Derek Gianakas (Edison, N.J.), senior
second baseman Maikel De La Rosa (Newark, N.J.), senior third baseman
Ryan Clark (Livingston, N.J.), and senior outfielder Dan Mattonelli
(Hamilton, N.J.).
Add to that
Bryan Burke, a transfer from Frostburg State who is being touted a
DIII All-America candidate, pitchers Brandon Aiche, Joe Bartlinksi,
and outfielder/first baseman Nick Nolan, and the Cougars have plenty
of talent to make a successful defense of their national title.
The College of
New Jersey - The two-time defending NJAC Tournament champion loses
multiple time All-America catcher Gerard Haran, 2006 All-America
first baseman Blake Bullis, but return left-hander Bob Buskett,
right-hander Mike Oliver and first baseman Bill Kropp from those
teams. But their most important player is All Gotham shortstop Jeff
Toth, who, after slugging nine home runs and stealing 26 bases in 27
attempts, in 2007, needs to lead a team that is ranked 14th in
Division III preseason, but only fourth in their conference.
Montclair State:
The Red Hawks return five all-conference players from its 2007 squad
including senior outfielder Rob Bowness, sophomore right-handed
pitcher Jesus Castano, senior first baseman Lou Politan, senior
catcher Jeff Miller, and senior right-handed pitcher Jairo Mendez.
Selected second in the coaches’ pre-season poll, and receiving four
of the ten first place votes, this is a team that knows how to win
tight games, and now has the conference’s longest tenured coach.
Ramapo College:
The Roadrunners earned a share (thanks to several rainouts) of the
ECAC tournament in 2007 (considered to be the NY area’s version of
the NIT), and four all-league performers from its ECAC
Co-Championship squad including senior outfielder Nick Sbarra, senior
outfielder Jairo Jimenez, junior catcher John Callandrello, and the
2007 NJAC Rookie of the Year in sophomore second baseman Joe
Cacchiola. Ramapo was selected as the sixth choice of the coaches,
and is one of two dark horses in 2008.
William
Paterson: A season of change in Wayne, as the dean of NJAC coaches
Jeff Albies has retired. Mike Guandango, an All-Conference selection
as a freshman returns, but it will be pitching that determines the
Pioneers fate. A year ago they hit .324 as a team, but gave up
nearly six runs a game, far too many in such a competitive
conference.
Rutgers-Newark –
The Scarlet Raiders were decimated by graduation, losing a pair of
all-NJAC selections and the heart of their batting order. Selected
ninth by the coaches, head coach Mark Rizzi is undergoing a
rebuilding season.
New Jersey City
University – New head coach Eric Alvarez inherits a team that has a
talented shortstop in Jose Fulgencio, who finished 2007 with a
19-game hit streak, and senior speedster Rob Sumner. But the Gothic
Knights, who returned to the NJAC two seasons ago, need to make up
some ground elsewhere to be competitive in the conference that is
“the Beast from the East.”
|
