Roses in bloom, Austin to Dallas

St. Rose always gets grief for beating up on the little guys in Shore Conference Class B Central, but it blanked Randolph today, 6-0. Junior Anthony Ranaudo struck out 12 and walked one in a complete-game win. Now that's impressive.

Though Monmouth U. wide out Miles Austin went undrafted Hawks coach Kevin Callahan called me this evening to tell me Austin will sign a three-year deal with Dallas and will receive a signing bonus. According to Press pro football writer Steve Edelson, Bill Parcells personally called Austin sealing the deal for Dallas which was one of 15-20 teams seeking to sign him as a free agent. Edelson said Parcells told Austin he was looking for a "hard working guy' and Austin told him, "That's me.' Steve will have more In the Press Monday.
Of course I hope Alston makes the team but, as Philadelphia Eagles fan, this was not what I needed to hear.


Also, Edleson reports, Miami U. defensive end Thomas Carroll from Lakewood has agreed to sign with the Giants.

Monday I am heading over to Monmouth U to talk to the women's lacrosse team which will be hosting the Northeast Conference Tournament beginning Friday and, from there, over to Monmouth Regional for the Class B North showdown between the Golden Falcons and Freehold. Should be a good one.

Almost for the Eagles

Sophomore Jack Provine of Middletown South had a two-run single in a three-run sixth inning that tied the score but St. Joseph's Montvale scored a run in the seventh to nip the Eagles, 5-4, in the Shore Challenge Saturday night. Eric Dunn and Sean Barber(double, single) had two hits each for South.

A zillion games, Quote of the Day

Since there were like two zillion baseball games today and we couldnt' squeeze all the details in Sunday's paper here are highlights of the games that didn't make it, though all the line scores did (we hope!) of the games that were called in:

St. John Vianney (9-5, 7-3) whipped Holmdel (5-9, 4-5) by 17-7 as Shaun McTague had a big day with two doubles and three RBI.


CBA 8, MARLBORO 7:Dave Laufer's two-run home run in the fourth inning staked the No. 4 Colts (12-1, 11-1) to an 8-0 lead enabling them to withstand a six-run flurry by the Mustangs (5-8, 5-7) in the bottom of the fourth inning of the Class A North game. Vin Avella had a two-run single in the first inning and pitched three innings of one-run ball in relief to save the decision for Dan Diaz.




Garrett Thiel went 2-for-2 with three runs scored and two RBI as Middletown South downed Howell, 15-5. Jack Provine had two hits and three RBI. South's first three wins this season were first varsity pitching wins Brian Dudzinski, Pat Magnotta, and Nigel Combs.


St. Rose (12-0) needed four sixth-inning runs to down Keyport, 8-4. Jayson Hernandez' three-run double broke the game open. Sunday St. Rose plays Randolph in the Shore Challenge which should provide a a more accurate read on the Roses.



MARLBORO 8, LONG BRANCH 3: Tom Salerno went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a double and Nick Tutrone struck out four over four innings to help spark the Mustangs (6-8) past the Green Wave (1-13) in the opening round of the MCT and into the first round vs. Wall.

Andrew Small tripled home a run for Long Branch.


MIDDLETOWN NORTH 5, MANALAPAN 3:Kevin Mager stole three bases, scored a run and drove in a run for the Lions (7-7, 5-7) in a Class A North win over the Braves (3-10, 3-9).
Al Rodriguez struck out three in two scorless innings of relief for North.

Mike Kircher and Nick Turano each had three hits for Manalapan.


St. John Vianney (9-5, 7-3) whipped Holmdel (5-9, 4-5) by 17-7 as Shaun McTague had a big day with two doubles and three RBI.




Quote of the Day - from Monmouth Regional coach Ted Jarmusz - ""We are in the semifinals of the Class B North Tournament."" Even Art Gordon might have a tough time topping that one.

In Class B North its:

1. Wall 7-1 B North
2. Monmouth 8-2 B North
3. Freehold 7-2 B North

Monday - Monmouth hosts Freehold with Bobby Wyrwa (4-1) set to go against Jason Nardi (4-1) of the Colonials. In their first meeting Nardi won, 2-1. Wall plays Red Bank; Tuesday - Long Branch at Freehold; Wednesday - Monmouth at Wall; Thursday - Wall at Freehold. DOWN TO THE WIRE!

More first round OCT

Billy Winters went 3-for-4 with four RBI in Brick's 11-1 win over Manchester.

Some Ocean County Tournament first round results

Billy Hauer, a junior right-hander, won his first varsity game for Southern when the Rams defeated New Egypt, 3-2. Devon Cocuzza drove in what proved to be the winning run and got the save.

Chris Meyler hit a two-run home run and doubled and scored to lead Lacey to a 6-4 win over Lakewood. Mike Millan tripled twice, drove in a run and scored one for Lacey.


Junior Brian Frank got his varsity win as Toms River East defeated Pinelands, 11-2.

Also, Point Boro over TR North, 6-5.

And.....Steve Giordano hit a two-run home run for Rumson and Mike McDonough a garnd slam in a seven-run seventh as the Bulldogs defeated North Brunswick, 15-5, in a non-conference game. N. Brunswick is coached by Ryan Lillis, a former CBA player who was a third baseman at Rutgers. N. Brunswick, 0-19 last year, was 7-7 after Saturday.

Manalapan forfeits 2

Scott Liptzin, athletic director at Manalapan High School, told me today the school's baseball team is forfeiting games to Marlboro and Ocean Township due to a violation of NJSIAA pitching rules. Manalapan had defeated the Mustangs this week 12-3 and Ocean 3-2.

The rules include prohibiting a pitcher from hurling more than 10 innings over a four day period or more than five innings without two days rest. Liptzin declined to identify the pitcher.

""There was nothing done with malicious intent,'' said Liptzin. ""It was a very unfortunate circumstance.""

The pitcher, by the way was not B. J. Martin despite rumors to the contrary. Manalapan found the violation as it reviewed it recent box scores and notified the Shore Conference and the schools of the infraction.

I feel bad for first-year coach Brian Boyce who is a straight shooter and for the Braves who were on a nice little run.
Give credit to Manalapan for, in effect, turning itelf in as otherwise the violations may never have been discovered.

With today's loss to Middletown North, Manalapan suddenly is 3-10, 3-9 in Class A North.

Former Point Boro RB to Monmouth U?

I spoke Thursday night with Brian Friedman, who rushed for 1,900 yards and scored 27 touchdowns for Point Pleasant Boro in 2004 and red-shirted at Rutgers last year as a walk-on. He said he hopes to be at Monmouth U. by September.
He told me has has received his release Greg Schiano. ""I plan on transferring to Monmouth next semester,'' said Freidman.
""I'm going to try and go there and earn a scholarship for the second semester which begins in the spring,'' he told me.
""It all depends on my grades and what happens financially but my plan is to be there (Monmouth) next semester.""
Under NCAA rules governing transfers Friedman would be eligible to play immediately since he is transferring "down" from Division I to I-AA. He said he will have four years of playing eligibility.
At Point Boro Friedman led Point Boro to an 11-1 record in 2004 and the finals of the NJSIAA South Jersey II playoffs where it lost to West Deptford.
This is not etched in stone by any means but, in my opinion, Friedman would be the brusing big back Monmouth does not have at the moment.
MU's offense definitely struggled in the spring games. The offensive line had some injuries that sure didn't help, and the veteran defense played very well.
Marcus Shell, a speedy defensive back, a transfer, was impressive.
If I was a Monmouth fan though I, at this moment in time, would be concerned about the ability this year to put points on the board.
Of course spring games are like pre-season games, different combinations, etc. etc., so it's hard to get a true read.
But I didn't see any athlete truly shine on offense (maybe I was spoiled by Miles Austin!). Maybe it means something. Maybe it doesn't. There is some young offensive talented scholarship freshmen arriving in September.
We'll see if they impact (which is difficult for freshman) or if spring struggles were more of a mirage than anything else.

Break up the Griffins! Kinmon's gem. MU football!

Yes, that's the same Monsignor Donovan team which lost its first 10 games and has now won three in a row after Thursday's 10-0, one-hit win over Central. Eric Molinuex struck out four while Brandon Youshock, one of the few senior regulars, hit a three-run home run and later a 2-run shot to end the game in the sixth inning. Donovan, buried by injuries early in the year, is now healthy and this week marked the return of No. pitcher Chris Keiper.

St. John Vianney found its hitting shoes again Thursday defeating Matawan 9-3 as Matt Georgiana hit a three-run bomb and Julian Sonnenfeld a solo blast.

CBA rgained control of the A North race, 9-3 over Middletown North as Vin Avella hit a two-run home run and Dave Laufer went the route with four strikeouts.

In case you didn't hear owell junior Craig Kinmon no-hit Freehold Township Thursday, 2-1, shoving the Pats 1.5 games off the CBA's first place.
Hard to believe that Township lineup didn't get a hit but Kinmon (2-3), who has pitched well for the most part this season (except for being shelled by Ocean in his prior start), walked none and Howell played error less ball. With the win Howell (5-7) stayed in the running for an NJSIAA Tournament berth.

Manalapan, which has been sliding lately, is a threat any time St. John's bound B. J. Martin takes the mound. Just ask Ocean which Martin defeated Thursday, 3-2. In a move often used to comply with the NJSIAA 10-inning per week pitching rule, Martin worked the first five innings, skipped the sixth, and returned in the seventh. I guess we can say he gets the win and the save.



It appears there will be a few changes in this week's Press top 10 which comes out Saturday. There will be some shifting around near the top and look for two teams to jump back into the Top 10 and two others to exit.


Regarding Monmouth University football..will have some news later Friday on a former All-Shore running back who plans to transfer into the Hawks' program. Thanks to Scott Stump for the tip.

Wild finishes shaping up in B North and A Central

In B North let's take a look at who has who left and thanks to coach Ted Jarmusz at Monmouth Regional for the breakdown:

Colts Neck league games remaining (4) - two vs. Wall along with Neptune and Long Branch.

Freehold games remaining (4) - including Monmouth and Wall, and also Red Bank and Long Branch.

Monmouth league games remaining (2) - Freehold Monday and Wall Wednesday.

Wall games remaining (6): including two with Colts Neck, Monmouth, and Freehold

In Class A Central four teams RBC , SJ Vianney, Manasquan and, yes, Holmdel, are within one game of the lead. RBC and SJV have three league defeats, the others have four.

The big Class A South showdown between Toms River East and TR South is a few weeks off.

It's far from over (in Class B North)

Sorry for the delay in posting....

Class B North race is very much still up for grabs between Wall, Monmouth, Colts Neck, and Freehold as of this writing. Wall still has two games with Colts Neck looming and must play Monmouth Regional a second time.

How many Gerans are there playing Shore Conference baseball? I count one at TR North, one at RBC, one at Matawan. Any more? And there are the two LaCavas, at Freehold Twp. and Toms River North. No relations that I am aware of (which doesn't mean there aren't!).

Ocean at CBA, postponed from Saturday, has been moved to this Friday at 345 p.m.

Looks like there will be no conflicts between the Shore Challenge and the Ocean County Tournament making for tons of baseball games this Saturday.

It's been a long season for Middletown South but the Eagles enjoyed their first two home run game of the year Tuesday night in the Monmouth County Tournament vs. Shore. They advance to play Freehold Township.

Speaking of Township - in his last two games Patriots ace Brett Brach has allowed five hits and struck out 21 in 5-0 and 2-1 wins over CBA and Marlboro.

OCT postponed til next week!

Late evening word from our sister paper, the Ocean County Observer and Steve Falk, the Ocean County Tournament has now been postponed until next Saturday. However, that may run into problems of other previously scheduled games so exactly what happens next week or weekend remains to be seen. But the OCThas been rained out for this weekend.


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Rain Out Theater, Big week for the Cougars!

As I sit here and watch the rain pelt down outside the Press building I see the Yankees are still playing. Did they build a dome over Yankee Stadium during the night?

Ok...everything in high school baseball was washed out today far as we can tell. The Ocean County Tournament will try again tomorrow (Sunday) at their originally schedule times and locales though the forecast is gloomy to say the least. By the way..how did Toms River South and East end up in the same bracket? What's up with that? .


Some other postponements and new dates... Manalapan at Marlboro will be Monday at 345 pm., Middletown South will host Shore 7 p.m. Monday in a Monmouth County Tournament game.

A big week looms for 9-1 Colts Neck. If there was a Top 11 poll they probably would have been number 11. Monday they play Monmouth, which handed the Cougars their lone setback, 5-0. Wednesday the opponent is Freehold and Friday they play Wall as they meet the latter two for the first time. So if Colts Neck is going to be a prime player in Class B North this is the Cougars week to growl!


By the way.. the last team to defeat CBA in Class A North prior to Freehold Township's win Thursday was Marlboro, 6-0, on April 28, 2004, behind senior left-hander Jack Donatelli. Don't know if Donatelli has done anything in athletics since then but that year he beat CBA, Ocean, and Manalapan, for his three varsity wins.


Our good buddy Steve Falk at the Ocean County Observer points out that two games that did not make today's Press were Lakewood's 3-2 win over Lacey and Point Boro's 8-2 conquest of Donovan Friday which propels the Panthers back into first place in Class B South. Lakewood beat Lacey ace Todd Roth, 3-2.

Regarding baseball stats: a number of coaches did not send in any stats this week as some probably did not get the word. Coaches wishing to have their leaders published should contact bartmac37@verizon.net for further instructions. Coaches, please do not e-mail me your stats as this only muddles the process and I am the King of Muddling. The Press is not responsible for coaches who choose not to participate.

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Porricelli outpourings

Hello everyone...

On most games I cover I almost always have left over quotes that, due to space limitations, never make the paper. Sooooo..a blog is as good as any means of getting these quotes to the fans.


In Freehold Township's win over CBA Thursday here are some of senior shorstop Tom Porricelli's obervations:

Porricelli on Brett Brach - "Just knowing coming in that Brett was throwing for us was great, just knowing he was on the mound. We knew from the beginning if he throws well we'd have a great chance of winning this game.

On avenging the opening game lost to CBA: ""Winning today is 10 times better than winning the first game of the season.''

On the Class A North race (CBA has finished first or shared the top spot every year since 2000) : ""This puts us in a great spot, the driver's seat, basically, to win the conference.''


On batting ninth in the lineup: ""They (coaches) figure if I get on I can take second base and Damian (lead-off batter Damian Csakai) can drive me in. It's almost like an automatic run. Plus, I don't know if I'm any good at lead-off anyway. I like batting ninth. It's fun down there.''

(Porricelli tripled twice Thursday's game, drove in two runs, and scored twice, one on a Csakai hit).

Meanwhile fans..this race is far from over. CBA is still the favorite until dethroned and still may have more quality arms than anyone else in the division.



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A day at the ball park, and who's No. 1???

Well..better late (and it's late!..maybe early depending on how you look at it) than never.


Spent an enjoyable sunny Thursday afternoon at the two-year old Freehold Township baseball complex where Brett Brach blanked No. 1 CBA, 5-0.
It's a beautiful facility..though as I told AD Jeremy Braverman, could use a shuttle service (a tram perhaps?) from the parking lot to the ball fields. That is some hike! Kidding aside it's a great place for baseball.

Brach was dominant against a good hitting lineup. Appears the race will be between Township and CBA with Ocean looking to get into the act. It could Saturday when it plays CBA. Ocean's only two defeats are to Free. Twp. and CBA.

It'll come down to pitching, doesn't it always? Free. Twp. has a legit No. 1 in Brach and a solid No. 2 in Sean Stewart.

Dave Laufer started for CBA today, throws very hard but was a little wild. CBA has to hope Jordan Warncke's arm is OK...CBA does have some pitching depth though in Vin Avella and a few others.

So who's No. 1 this week.? ..Does Free Twp. shoot past everyone to the top...what about TR East which is on fire?? Does CBA hold No. 1 on the basis of splitting with Twp. and winning the first meeting, 12-1.?

New rankings are out Saturday.


Out of nowhere St. John Vianney has roared into a Class A Central tie with RBC with the teams squaring off Tuesday. Lancers, with Kevin Ruffler and Chris Lewnes are lashing base hits and Nick Scarillo the long ball, look like a team to be reckoned with. But do they have the pitching? They beat Freehold Township earlier this week though they weren't facing Brach or Stewart.

The Class A South race has settled into the expected TR East-TR South battle..and the two teams don't meet again until late May.




The Shore Challenge begins next weekend.
The field includes defending NJSIAA champions St. Rose (Non-Public B), Hlillsborough (Group IV), and Rutherford (Group II).
The first week's schedule: Saturday at the Shore Christian Academy - 1 p.m. St. Peter's vs. red Bank Catholic, 4 p.m. Pope John 23rd vs. Howell. At Midldetown South - 7 p.m. Point Boro vs. Linden, 7 p.m Middletown South vs. St. Joseph's Montvale.
Saturday at Raritan High School - 10 a.m. Mater Dei vs. Burlington Township, 1 p.m. Shore Regional vs. Passaic Tech, 4 p.m. Raritan vs. Hillsborough.
April 30th at the Shore Christian Academy - 1 p.m. Ocean vs. Bergen Catholic, 4 p.m. St. Rose vs. Randolph.
April 30th at Raritan - 1 p.m. Monsignor Donovan vs. Roselle Catholic, 4 p.m. Raritan vs. Governor Livingston.
Action continues the following two weekends with games being played at the Wall Municipal Complex, First Energy Park, and Toms River East.

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A day at the ball park, and who's No. 1???

Well..better late (and it's late!..maybe early depending on how you look at it) than never.


Spent an enjoyable sunny Thursday afternoon at the two-year old Freehold Township baseball complex where Brett Brach blanked No. 1 CBA, 5-0.
It's a beautiful facility..though as I told AD Jeremy Braverman, could use a shuttle service (a tram perhaps?) from the parking lot to the ball fields. That is some hike! Kidding aside it's a great place for baseball.

Brach was dominant against a good hitting lineup. Appears the race will be between Township and CBA with Ocean looking to get into the act. It could Saturday when it plays CBA. Ocean's only two defeats are to Free. Twp. and CBA.

It'll come down to pitching, doesn't it always? Free. Twp. has a legit No. 1 in Brach and a solid No. 2 in Sean Stewart.

Dave Laufer started for CBA today, throws very hard but was a little wild. CBA has to hope Jordan Warncke's arm is OK...CBA does have some pitching depth though in Vin Avella and a few others.

So who's No. 1 this week.? ..Does Free Twp. shoot past everyone to the top...what about TR East which is on fire?? Does CBA hold No. 1 on the basis of splitting with Twp. and winning the first meeting, 12-1.?

New rankings are out Saturday.


Out of nowhere St. John Vianney has roared into a Class A Central tie with RBC with the teams squaring off Tuesday. Lancers, with Kevin Ruffler and Chris Lewnes are lashing base hits and Nick Scarillo the long ball, look like a team to be reckoned with. But do they have the pitching? They beat Freehold Township earlier this week though they weren't facing Brach or Stewart.

The Class A South race has settled into the expected TR East-TR South battle..and the two teams don't meet again until late May.




The Shore Challenge begins next weekend.
The field includes defending NJSIAA champions St. Rose (Non-Public B), Hlillsborough (Group IV), and Rutherford (Group II).
The first week's schedule: Saturday at the Shore Christian Academy - 1 p.m. St. Peter's vs. red Bank Catholic, 4 p.m. Pope John 23rd vs. Howell. At Midldetown South - 7 p.m. Point Boro vs. Linden, 7 p.m Middletown South vs. St. Joseph's Montvale.
Saturday at Raritan High School - 10 a.m. Mater Dei vs. Burlington Township, 1 p.m. Shore Regional vs. Passaic Tech, 4 p.m. Raritan vs. Hillsborough.
April 30th at the Shore Christian Academy - 1 p.m. Ocean vs. Bergen Catholic, 4 p.m. St. Rose vs. Randolph.
April 30th at Raritan - 1 p.m. Monsignor Donovan vs. Roselle Catholic, 4 p.m. Raritan vs. Governor Livingston.
Action continues the following two weekends with games being played at the Wall Municipal Complex, First Energy Park, and Toms River East.

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Brach ends CBA streak, TR East rolls

Freehold Township ace Brett Brach ended the 27-game Class A North winning streak of CBA Thursday afternoon, 5-0. Brach allowed three hits and struck out nine and Tom Poricelli hit two triples and drove n three runs.



Also Thursday Toms River East avenged its opening night loss to Brick, 14-0, as Casey Gaynor homered and drove in five runs.


More later tonight....

Today's Spotlight, Shore Challenge schedule

In today's spotlight: Freehold Township hosts CBA at the high school at 3:45 p.m., Brett Brach vs. Dave Laufer. CBA's 27-game Shore Conference Class A North winning streak is on the line.
At Brick the Dragons will attempt to pull out of their tailspin but will be facing Toms River East ace Casey Gaynor and a Raiders' team that has reeled off six wins in a row since falling to Brick opening night.



Shore Challenge
The annual Shore challenge begins next weekend with over 30 schools participating including local and out of area teams. The field includes defending NJSIAA champions St. Rose (Non-Public B), Hlillsborough (Group IV), and Rutherford (Group II).
The first week's schedule: Saturday at the Shore Christian Academy - 1 p.m. St. Peter's vs. red Bank Catholic, 4 p.m. Pope John 23rd vs. Howell. At Midldetown South - 7 p.m. Point Boro vs. Linden, 7 p.m Middletown South vs. St. Joseph's Montvale.
Saturday at Raritan High School - 10 a.m. Mater Dei vs. Burlington Township, 1 p.m. Shore Regional vs. Passaic Tech, 4 p.m. Raritan vs. Hillsborough.
April 30th at the Shore Christian Academy - 1 p.m. Ocean vs. Bergen Catholic, 4 p.m. St. Rose vs. Randolph.
April 30th at Raritan - 1 p.m. Monsignor Donovan vs. Roselle Catholic, 4 p.m. Rarian vs. Governor Livingston.
Action continues the following two weekends with games being played at the Wall Municipal Complex, First Energy Park, and Toms River East.


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More Partee news (please see prior blog, thanks)

Partee, who will turn 36 in May, is the 19th head coach in the history of Colorado College men's basketball. The Tigers, currently a Division III independent program, have not had a winning record since 1996-97. They will make their debut as a member of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference in 2007-08.

Partee lettered four years at Monmouth (1988-92) and was an assistant with current head coach Dave Calloway when Monmouth earned its first Division I automatic bid to the NCAA tournament winning the 1996 Northeast Conference Tournament championship.



Part of the above is from the Colorado College website.

CBA rolls a 7; Former Monmouth U hoopster news

Yes, CBA did blast seven home runs in Tuesday's 13-2 win at Howell. Mike (Babe Ruth) Galeotafiore did bomb 3. The wind was blowing out to left at 75 miles an hour. Just kidding. Those are individual and school records according to coach Marty Kenney. This sets the stage for Thursday's first place showdown at Freehold Township. Looks like Dave Laufer for CBA and Brett Brach for Township. Brach got the last two outs Tuesday vs. Manalapan.

In action Tuesday whose details won't make the write ups Wednesday..in night games Wall over Stuyvesant NY in Florida, 13-0. Chris Hughes on a five-inning one-hitter. Middletown North topped South, 5-2. Also, Holmdel downed Matawan 4-2 behind Joe Brescia's route-going effort. It was Ocean 12-0 over Marlboro as senior left-hander Matt Segall pitched a five-inning one-hitter, striking out four, walking one, and only allowing an infield single in the second inning. Senior center fielder Mike Rochford had a double, triple and two RBI for Ocean.


Here comes St. John Vianney!. With its 10-0 win over Raritan Tuesday and RBC's loss to Rumson the Lancers have tightened the Class A Central race.



This has not been a good week for No. 2 Brick and No. 4 RBC as both have been tumbling. Meanwhile perennial Class A South winners TR East and TR South appear to be taking command. TR East again looking good in its quest for a sixth straight division title with Brick trying to stand in its way Thursday.



In college basketball
Former Monmouth U player and assistant coach Andy Partee, who helped guide Brown University to three runner-up finishes in the Ivy League during the early 2000s, has been named head coach of the men's basketball team at Division III Colorado College in Colorado Springs.

Partee brings more than 14 years of coaching and recruiting experience to the Tigers. He has served as an assistant on the men'ss staff at Brown since June 1998, coordinating national recruiting efforts in addition to his on-court duties. He earlier spent four seasons (1994-98) as an assistant coach at Monmouth as well as two campaigns (1992-94) in the Division II ranks, at the University of Northern Colorado. Partee, who will turn 36 in May, is the 19th head coach in the history of Colora

The ERA is 0.52. Can MU Hawks keep it up?

Monmouth's blue-chip pitching staff, with a ridiculous Northeast Conference ERA of 0.52 must still face FDU, Sacred Heart, CCSU, Quinnipiac, and Wagner in three-game series. Below we list the latest league team batting averages from the NEC web site:




Monmouth............ .383
Quinnipiac.......... .349
Central Conn. St.... .275
Wagner.............. .268
Long Island......... .259
Sacred Heart........ .257
Mount St. Mary's... .249
Fairleigh Dickinson .233
St. Francis (NY).....215

Looks like Quinnipiac and CCSU will be the toughest outs. MU plays FDU this weekend..

This former Colt a slugging Bronc

Had a chat with former CBA standout and current Rider slugger Gene Crimoli today for a story on Gene we're doing for Saturday's Community Section in the Press. The Rider senior first baseman is batting well over .300 and has set some career marks for the Broncs. He said after college he's hoping to continue his career.
""I've talked to a few (big league) scouts,'' said Crimoli. ""I'm hoping to get drafted. If that doesn't work out I'm also looking to go overseas to play in Italy, probably. You just want to hold onto it (playing baseball) for as long as you can. It's still fun for me.''

Colts seek arms, Reilly homers again for St. Rose

CBA coach Marty Kenney still wasn't sure Monday who would start for the No. 1 Colts (7-0) Thursday in the Class A North showdown with Freehold Township (5-2). He said if Jordan Warncke's arm is still too sore than Dave Laufer will get the nod. CBA has to play Manalapan Tuesday.

In action from games Monday where write ups did not make Tuesday's paper for lack of space....Keyport's Eric Devlin went 3-for-3 and scored three runs in its 17-3 win over Henry Hudson...A. J. Rusbarsky of Colts Neck had a two-run single in a five-run second inning and Mickey Shaw had three hits in the Class B North game as the Cougars (7-1) extended their school-best start by downing Long Branch, 8-1. Andrew Small and Devin Cousins each had two hits for Long Branch....Freehold raked 15 singles, three by Marc Hubbert, in a 12-5 win over Manalapan which has dropped four in a row....St. Rose senior James Reilly belted a grand slam in the first inning, his second HR in two games, to give the Purple Roses the lead as they cruised to their 20th Class B Central victory in a row and 13th straight win dating back to last year, 6-0.|

Also - ed Bank winning pitcher Tim Johnson lifted a seventh inning sacrifice fly that scored Chris Ridgeway with the winning run enabling the Bucs to edge Neptune, 4-3. Trailing 3-1 Red Bank scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings on a Ridgeway infield hit and a Bill Kulovitz RBI single. Neptune has lost some tough games this year and has been very competitive. ...and in sunny Florida Wall's Ed Galante slugged a two-run double in the third inning and Sean Peterson a two-run triple in the fifth to lead the Knights past St. Joseph's (4-4) in Fort Pierce, Fla., 7-0. Senior right-hander Chad Tirpack pitched five innings and Peterson finished up the five-hit shutout. Shore teams are now 14-0 vs. non-conference opposition on the Florida excursion with Wall having one game left tonight.

Miles Austin scouting report

Thought some of you might be interested in this - from Scott Wright's NFL Draft Count
Down


Wide Receiver Senior Monmouth Miles Austin
Height: 6-2 1/8 Weight: 215 40-Time: 4.47
Official Bio
Strengths:Has great size...Knows how to use his big frame...Tough and strong...Has good hands...Displays excellent balls skills...Great leaper...Is not afraid to work the middle of the field...Hard worker with top intangibles...Was dominant at his level. Weaknesses:Did not play against elite competition...Is not very quick and doesn't play as fast as he times...Is not much of a deep threat...Is not a great blocker...Doesn't run great routes...Has some trouble off the line...Project who still needs some work. Notes:Monmouth’s career leader in every receiving category, with 150 receptions, 2,867 yards and 33 touchdowns...Has ideal measurables and might make for a good possession receiver...On the rise and one of the top sleepers in this entire draft.

Monmouth held a spring intra-squad scrimmage Saturday. I was not able to attend but coach Kevin Callahan told me the offense did not score in the 75-play event, that several catchable balls were dropped. The final scrimmage game will be 3:30 p.m. this coming Sunday at Kessler Field. I hope to be on hand for that one.


It remains to be seen whether red-shirt senior safety Nick Castellano (Jackson) is granted one more year of eligibility by the NCAA. Callahan said it's "50-50."

It hasn't been announced officially yet but it appears there will be a post-season championship game between the Northeast Conference and Pioneer League football champions. I have it from an excellent source that the NEC won a coin-flip and will host the first game in the year deal.

Ran into Joe Migliore Sr. the other day. Son, Joe, was a recent former leading rusher for the Hawks after setting career rushing records at Jackson. Son Jim, he says, should be a return man this fall for D III power Rowan.

Brick streak ends, a big day for LaCavas

At least for a day Brick came crashing back to earth Saturday as Toms River North put a 15-2 halt to its 5-0 start. Brick coach Jason Groschel said 3-0 F.J. Lucchetti was eligible to go seven innings but opted for Mike Murano as Groschel said Lucchetti had ""a little tightness.'' He said Lucchetti will start Tuesday against Toms River South. Sophomore Chad Geran upped his record to 3-0 for TR North. Murano is in line to face Casey Gaynor and Toms River East Thursday. Gaynor, by the way, whiffed 17 in TR East's last game in Florida Friday night, a 3-0 win.

If your name is Mike LaCava you probably hit a three-run home run Saturday. The Mike LaCava of TR North hit one as did the Mike LaCava of Freehold Township. Are they related? They don't appear to be.

I covered the Freehold Township-Freehold game this morning where the Patriots lashed 13 hits including senior Rodger Wilmot's first career home run, a grand slam, and LaCava's shot in a 15-4 Township win. In the first inning Freehold slugger Ryan Cuneo bombed an opposite field drive to left that was run down at the fence by Township's Chase Majewski. In the third, with one, on Cuneo hit a towering drive to center that seemed destined to glance off a cloud. But Township's Damian Csakai (who has committed to Wagner) made a leaping catch against the fence. His next time up Cuneo hit a little blooper to center. Naturally it dropped in for an RBI single.

CBA coach Marty Kenny said he pullled starter Jason Warncke (3-0) today after a short stint against Manalapan with some arm soreness. He said Warncke should be ready to face Township on Thursday. However, No. 2 pitcher Kyle Slate (2-0) will be out a few weeks with a knee injury. CBA got solid relief from Vin Avella and Dave Laufer in a 4-3 win. That's 26 in a row for CBA in Class A North.

Senior Todd Roth of Lacey has signed with the University of Pennsylvania his father told me this afternoon. Roth is expected to get the start Monday against undefeated Point Pleasant Boro.

Florida report: Toms River East and TR South both won their Flordia finales Friday night as Shore Conference teams ended 15-0 for the week vs. non-conference opponents.


OK. Who gets up at 8 am on a Saturday morning? And why is it me? Yawn. Well, am scooting off to Freehold for the Freehold-Freehold Township baseball game. This under played rivalry never gets the attention it warrants so today it will. It's a non-division game. Both Freehold (Class B North) and Freehold Township (A North) are in the thick of the division title hints. Senior John Marx gets the call today for Freehold. Township pitcher TBA. Township has a big division game Thursday when it hosts No. 1 CBA.




Brick begins its run through the Toms River gauntlet today hosting Toms River North with senior Mike Murano on the mound. Our thanks to former Brick coach Pat Foley who told us Brick has not won an A South title since 1982 when it shared the crown with Toms River South. Toms River East (one-game back of Brick) is trying to become the first A South team to win or share six division titles in a row. The teams clash Thursday in Brick. TR South visits Brick Tuesday. What a week!

Good morning!!!

Florida report: Toms River East and TR South both won their Flordia finales Friday night as Shore Conference teams ended 15-0 for the week vs. non-conference opponents.


OK. Who gets up at 8 am on a Saturday morning? And why is it me? Yawn. Well, am scooting off to Freehold for the Freehold-Freehold Township baseball game. This under played rivalry never gets the attention it warrants so today it will. It's a non-division game. Both Freehold (Class B North) and Freehold Township (A North) are in the thick of the division title hints. Senior John Marx gets the call today for Freehold. Township pitcher TBA. Township has a big division game Thursday when it hosts No. 1 CBA.




Brick begins its run through the Toms River gauntlet today hosting Toms River North with senior Mike Murano on the mound. Our thanks to former Brick coach Pat Foley who told us Brick has not won an A South title since 1982 when it shared the crown with Toms River South. Toms River East (one-game back of Brick) is trying to become the first A South team to win or share six division titles in a row. The teams clash Thursday in Brick. TR South visits Brick Tuesday. What a week!

The second time around

If fans were waiting for the rematch between Brick ace F. J. Lucchetti and Toms River East next Thursday when the Raiders host the Green Dragons they may have to wait a little longer. It appears Lucchetti (3-0) will pitch Tuesday against Toms River South and senior right-hander Mike Murano will get the call Saturday vs. Toms River North and then Thursday against TR East. Lucchetti and Brick, as you may recall (and we know TR East fans do), stunned TR East opening night, 12-0.
Not to be overlooked Thursday is the CBA-Freehold Township rematch on the Patriots' field. That first meeting was that 12-1 CBA romp which I doubt will be repeated this time. Will CBA have unbeaten senior Jordan Warncke ready again and will Freehold Township go with Sean Stewart, the big right-hander who was roughed up the first time, or fellow senior Brett Brach? Stewart pitched today, handling Middletown North, so it could be his turn again.
These Shore Conference teams playing in Florida this week probably will not want to come home. Not after they beat up on out of state competition by about a zillion to nothing or so it seems. Through Thursday night Shore teams were 13-0 vs. their opposition. Some of the clubs we hear were not exactly of Yankees (or should we say Mets) caliber. But it's like when you pummel the Washington Nationals, they still count as wins. Wall plays two games in Florida next week. The Knights have a lot to live up to!
e-mail tonygsports@aol.com

Miles and the Jets

A Miles Austin update. The Monmouth University wide out visited Tampa Bay Monday and the Jets Thursday. He spoke with GMs, Coaches, and offensive coordinators. This from his agent and his Dad.

It'll be James McNulty for Manasquan and Glenn Davis for Raritan Thursday 3:45 p.m. in Hazlet when the teams meet today in a key Class A Central game. Manasquan and Red Bank Catholic now have one division loss each and defending champion Raritan is (3-2, 3-2) is back in the mix after stopping No. 2 RBC Wednesday, 6-4.
Wall (3-1 B North) climbed into a first place Class B North tie with Wall (3-1) after the Knights rallied to nip Red Bank Wednesday, 2-1.
All right Brick fans...beginning Saturday it's Toms River Week for the Green Dragons (5-0) who visit TR North Saturday and host TR South and TR East Tuesday and Thursday. By next weekend we'll have a better idea if the Green Dragons are going to have a good year or a truly outstanding season.


In college basketball news it appears to be a near certainty that Monmouth University assistant coach Geoff Billet will be hired at Seton Hall.

The stage is set for Wednesday's Freehold-Monmouth key Class B North game in Colonial Country. It looks like Jason Nardi (1-1) for Freehold vs. Monmouth ace Bobby Wyrwa (1-0). A win by Freehold (3-2, 3-2) over Monmouth (4-2, 4-1) tightens things considerably and leaves Wall (2-1, 2-1) alone at the top. The Wall game Tuesday vs. Neptune was postponed.

The Brick rampage (5-0, 4-0) rolls on as it shells Southern Tuesday, 13-5. F. J. Lucchetti the splendid Dragon junior left-hander, wins again to go 3-0. Mike Murano, a big three-run home run helped break the game open. Brick, however, has yet to face any of the Toms River Schools. No one seems to know when the last time Brick started 5-0. It wasn't any time from 1996 on.
Freehold Township's 6-5 win over Ocean Tuesday appears to propel the Patriots into the role of leading challenger to CBA in A North. CBA made it 24 division wins in a row Tuesday with its conquest of Marlboro.

In college basketball news Geoff Billet, Monmouth U. assistant coach, interviewed Tuesday for an assistant's job at Seton Hall. It's not a done deal but he is believed to have a good shot at landing a job.

The stage is set for Wednesday's Freehold-Monmouth key Class B North game in Colonial Country. It looks like Jason Nardi (1-1) for Freehold vs. Monmouth ace Bobby Wyrwa (1-0). A win by Freehold (3-2, 3-2) over Monmouth (4-2, 4-1) tightens things considerably and leaves Wall (2-1, 2-1) alone at the top. The Wall game Tuesday vs. Neptune was postponed.

The Brick rampage (5-0, 4-0) rolls on as it shells Southern Tuesday, 13-5. F. J. Lucchetti the splendid Dragon junior left-hander, wins again to go 3-0. Mike Murano, a big three-run home run helped break the game open. Brick, however, has yet to face any of the Toms River Schools. No one seems to know when the last time Brick started 5-0. It wasn't any time from 1996 on.
Freehold Township's 6-5 win over Ocean Tuesday appears to propel the Patriots into the role of leading challenger to CBA in A North. CBA made it 24 division wins in a row Tuesday with its conquest of Marlboro.


In college basketball news Geoff Billet, Monmouth U. assistant coach, interviewed Tuesday for an assistant's position at Seton Hall. He is believed to have a good shot at landing a job.

A big game Tuesday in Class A North as Freehold Township (2-1, 2-1) visits Ocean (3-1, 3-1). Since CBA (3-0, 3-0) probably won't lose more than two or three games (and that's stretching it) in Class A North where the Colts are riding a 23-game division winning, neither Ocean or Freehold Twp. can afford to fall another game back in the race for the top spot in A North. Yes, one of them could win the consolation prize, the "public school championship."

First coaching wins Monday for Jon Scala (Middletown North) and Bill Newman (St. John Vianney). Barnegat now 3-2 . Granted their wins are over the likes of struggling Central, Pinelands, and Donovan, but it's still a quality achievement for a team whose oldest players are can't even dream of driving. Manasquan's next win will be 100 for coach Art Gordon. Hey, he might even smile after that one. Maybe.

Shore teams (TRN, TRE, TRS, Brick Memorial, and Colts Neck) all won their first games in Florida Monday. Could be a sunny week for local teams in the Sunshine State.

I thought Ryan Kalish's comments were right on target today about how a non-public ""championship" for RBC baseball would mean nothing if the Caseys fail to win the A Central Division.
My feeling has always been that these "public", "non-public,' "parochial" championships in the Shore Conference are ridiculous. To me if you finish second, whether it's baseball or badminton, you're still second. If you finish first you're a champion and if you don't, you're not.

I know how some of the public schools weep over the ""unfair advantage" the parochials enjoy in their ability to draw from wide-ranging areas. I like the attitude of of George Sourlis, Rumson girls basketball coach, whose aim is to beat the parochials and not complain if they don't.

Yes, CBA is bidding for a seventh consecutive Class A North first place finish this year. But it's not written in stone that Ocean or Freehold Township can't finish on top in 2006 either. If CBA finishes second I doubt if they'll crow over a non-public" title. If Ocean, Freehold Township, or someone else takes second behind the Colts I doubt if, in their hearts, the players will take much satisfaction in runner up status.

First place is what it is...first place. So is second.

Took a ride out to Manalapan this morning for the Ocean-Manalapan high school baseball game. Just as I pulled into the parking lot the downpour began in earnest. But, hey, it was a nice little trip. All action today was postponed. The Ocean-Manalapan game will be played at the recreation field down the road from Manalapan High School Monday at 3 p.m.

Is Brick for real? The Green Dragons look to be the real deal behind the pitching of F.J. Lucchetti and Billy Winters. Southern, off to a 2-0 start for the first time since Year One, has a solid group of seniors. But Toms River East, despite the pounding it took from Brick opening night, is still the team to beat.

Get out the umbrella or lots of sand. Doesn't look too promising for high school baseball Friday or Saturday. Look for a bit of a shapeup in our Top 10 poll Saturday. There's a new number one............hmmmmmmmmmmmm...who could it be?


Monmouth men's soccer coach Rob McCourt looks serious in his bid to win a second consecutive Northeast Conference championship in 2006....Count 'em...FIVE transfers he's brought in and their credentials are lofty.....

Random thoughts...if Bobby Gonzalez (Manhattan) gets the Seton Hall men's hoops job as is widely believed ..will he continue the annual series with MU?. There was a verbal agreement for next year with Louis Orr but no signed contract. Why wouldn't he? MU hasn't really caused Seton Hall to break a sweat for the most part though this year could be different. and will Gonzalez look to pry Geoff Billet away from MU as was reported Thursday
by the NY Daily News?



Any time now I expect the football deal between the Northeast Conference and the Pioneer League for a bowl game between the two regular season champions to be forth coming.

Re: Monmouth football. Forgot to include LB Mike Castelleno (Freehold Township) among list of fifth-year seniors for 2005. This is the most veteran group the football team has ever had. Will make for a lot of new faces in 2007. That's where the first group of scholarship recruits which committed this Feb. may make their first mark. Don't think that many will impact this though certainly the standout wide out, Brian Callahan from North Jersey has a great shot.


First full day of high school baseball Saturday saw #1 TR East, #3 Free. Twp., #7 Freehold all lose, though Freehold Township and Freehold fell to other ranked teams, (#2 CBA and #9 Wall) respectively. Look for Raiders and Freehold Township to bounce back though Brick, which defeated TR East, 12-0, is likely for real with FJ Luchetti and a solid mound staff as is Brick Memorial led by the pitching of Brian Streilein.