New Jersey State Tournament Preview

Written by Kyle Stackpole with contributions from John Malone

The New Jersey state tournament begins on Thursday in Wallington. 

Coming into the tournament, the field seems to be wide open. Wayne National and Nutley East were 3-0 in their sectional tournaments but did not completely run away with their section titles. On the other hand, both Toms River East American and East Greenwich came through the losers’ bracket of their respective sections.

Section 1: Wayne National (District 2)
Recent History (2000-Current): District titles- 3, Section titles- 0

Wayne National went 3-0 during the Section 1 tournament, outscoring their opponents 28-11. Dominic Cancellieri was magnificent in the tournament, going 5-for-9 with three home runs. He is also the ace pitcher of the staff, tossing 4 2/3 innings of one run ball while striking out 10 in the championship game. On the offensive end, Wayne National can score. John Boscarino, Jarod Strus, Jack Feit and Ari Field all have home run potential every time they step to the plate. Pitching will determine how far this team can go.

Section 2: Nutley East (District 8)
Recent History (2000-Current): District titles- 1, Section titles- 0

Nutley East also went 3-0 during the Sectional Tournament and outscored their opponents 23-10. NELL is a well-rounded ball club without a true star. Seemingly everyone has come up in a big spot. A.J. Lotito, Aidan Okamoto-Wolf, and Danny Caraballo have all come through in the last few weeks and Peter Lopez has got it done on the mound.

Section 3: Toms River East American (District 18)

After winning the Little League World Series title in 1998 and losing in the United States championship game in 1999, Toms River East American has not advanced to the state tournament.  After falling 12-8 to South Wall in the opener, TREA kept fighting. They put up 32 runs in their next two elimination games to reach the Section 3 final against Nottingham. After trailing 13-3 in the fourth inning, Toms River East American came all the way back to win the game 15-13, forcing the two teams to play again. In that game, TREA was finally kept in the ballpark, but came away with a hard-fought 5-4 victory. After scoring 79 runs in six games, Toms River East American is a serious threat to win the state crown.  The first six hitters in the lineup all have legit home run power. Watch out if Nick Silvia gets hot at the top of the order.

Section 4: East Greenwich (District 15)

This is the first ever state tournament appearance for East Greenwich. After making it to the winner’s bracket final, East Greenwich fell to Haddonfield 13-6. From there, it was an uphill battle. After defeating Ocean City 12-2 in an elimination game, East Greenwich set up a rematch against Haddonfield in the sectional final. Two wins later, East Greenwich stole the crown and will be entering unchartered waters starting Wednesday in Wallington. East Greenwich has put up a ton of runs throughout the tournament so far. Shawn Dougherty was one of the big bats during the Section 4 final. He finished 4-for-5 with two home runs.

John Malone’s Prediction: Without knowing Nutley East and East Greenwich this is impossible, but history tells us that either Wayne National or Toms River East American is the favorite because they come from tougher sections. With that being said, TREA’s offense is really deep and has the potential to outhit anyone, but if Wayne National can maximize its pitching prowess then I give them the edge.

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