St. Joseph’s Jimmy Mulvaney throws a pitch during the Non-Public South A semifinals against Notre Dame at Diamond Nation in Flemington on May 31, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
Playing in what may very well be the toughest division in the state, St. Joseph-Metuchen has come through the gauntlet.
They didn’t win their division, but took the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament, beating the Red Division champion, North Brunswick, when in counted: in the county final.
Now, they hope that experience pays off in the state playoffs, where they will take on the top-ranked team in New Jersey.
The second-seeded Falcons (21-9) will travel down the Shore Saturday morning to play top-seed Red Bank Catholic (23-5) for the Non-Public South A title, in a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
First pitch is set for 11 am, with pregame at 10:45, as Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe provide the play-by-play. Click here to listen.
St. Joe’s is playing in the finals for the first time since 2019, and looking for its first sectional crown since they beat Bishop Eustace in 2010, but lost to Immaculata in the statewide Non-Public Group A final. The Falcons also claim titles in 2007, falling in the state final to Seton Hall Prep, and 1989, where they lost to Don Bosco Prep in the state final.
Red Bank Catholic, meanwhile, snapped a string of six straight titles won in the section by St. Augustine, beating the Hermits 8-2 back on Wednesday. They’re also the Shore Conference Tournament Champions for a fourth straight year. Although, notably, one of their five losses this year did come to a team very familiar to St. Joseph: Old Bridge. The Knights beat them 2-1 last month in their Autism Awareness Challenge game.
George Washington commit Alex Stanyek (2-0, 0.30 ERA) is expected to get the ball for the Caseys against one of the biggest and baddest lineups in the GMC, one which has been hitting the ball exceedingly hard of late. The Falcons are coming off an 11-3 drubbing of Notre Dame in Wednesday’s semifinals.
As in that game, Jimmy Mulvaney (7-0, 1.70 ERA) will get the start for St. Joe’s. Yes, that will be starts in back-to-back games, but he’ll do it because head coach Mike Murray was wise with his pitching staff in Wednesday’s game. Murray had that luxury after his team jumped out to an 8-0 lead after three innings against the Irish, with Mulvaney throwing just 68 pitches through five innings of work. That leaves him with 82 for Saturday, per NJSIAA pitch count rules. And closer Bryan Rios should have plenty in the tank, too, after throwing just 26 pitches in the final two innings of relief back on Wednesday.
Click below for preview interviews of the Non-Public South A final with both head coaches:
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