Group 1 Finals Preview: Middlesex seeks 7th state title when Blue Jays take on Midland Park

One more game, one more win.

Coaches tell their players all the time to focus on one game at a time, and never to look ahead.

Well, for Middlesex and Midland Park, there is no next game. This is it: the NJSIAA Group 1 championship game, last of the year, for all the marbles, Saturday down in Hamilton.

The Blue Jays are are most decorated state tournament team in the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area, having won six state titles – three of them since 2017 – and will be looking for one more Saturday afternoon.

Central Jersey Sports Radio will broadcast that game with pregame at 12:40 pm and first pitch set for 1:00.

Scroll through this story for news, notes, stats, interview, links to past coverage and championship history:

GROUP 1 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:

Middlesex Blue Jays

22-5 overall
8-4, GMC White Division (4th place behind St. Thomas Aquinas, Colonia and Spotswood)
Jim Muldowney GMC Championship Tournament semifinalist
Central Jersey Group 1 champions

Midland Park Panthers

21-8-1 overall
6-3-1, NJIC Patriot Division (2nd place behind Cresskill)
Bergen County Invitational Tournament finalist
North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 champions

Date and Time: Satrurday, June 13, 2025 – 1 pm
Location: Bob DeMeo Field, Veterans Park – Hamilton, NJ
Coverage: Live broadcast on Central Jersey Sports Radio (Click here to listen!)
Announcers: Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel

Head Coaches:
Middlesex: Blaze Iannetti, 1st season (22-5)
Midland Park: Frank Clark, 6th season (97-58-3)

Pitching Probables:
Middlesex: Dominic Long (11-0, 1.31 ERA) (3-0, 0.48 ERA in states)
Midland Park: Connor Detrick (8-3, 1.35 ERA) (2-0, 0.00 ERA in states)

Home Team: Middlesex will be the home team, which is determined by the team with the higher power point value, per NJSIAA rule. The Blue Jays finished with 26.486 power points, while Midland Park was at 20.853 power points.

Previews:

*Middlesex Baseball celebrates a Central Jersey Group 1 championship against Point Pleasant Beach on June 5th, 2025 (Photo: Alec Crouthamel)*

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Middlesex (#1 seed, Central Group 1):
First Round: def. (16) Keyport, 10-0 (5 inn.)
Quarterfinals: def. (9) South Hunterdon, 8-1
Semifinals: def. (4) Shore, 10-0 (6 inn.)
Finals: def. (2) Point Peasant Beach, 7-1 (RECAP)
Group 1 Semifinals: def. Schalick (South 1 champ, #2 seed), 4-3 (8 inn.) (RECAP)

Midland Park (#2 seed, North 1, Group 1):
First Round: def. (15) Butler, 3-0
Quarterfinals: def. (10) Mountain Lakes, 5-0
Semifinals: def. (6) Indian Hills, 5-4
Finals: def. (4) Wallkill Valley, 1-0
Group 1 Semifinals: def. Brearley (North 2, Group 2 champ, #4 seed)

PLAYOFF STAT LEADERS:

Middlesex:
Batting Average – Dalton Michael (.667, 2-for-3), Owen Reynolds (.545, 6-for-11), Dom Parenti (.462, 6-13), Marcus Lavornia (.429, 6-for-14)
RBIs: Dom Parenti, Dylan Ianiero (7)
HR: Dom Parenti (1)
Stolen Bases: Dom Parenti (6), Dominic Long, James Matula (2)
Strikeouts (Pitching): Chris Kozak (18), Dominic Long (16)
ERA: Dalton Michael (0.00, 2 IP), Dominic Long (0.48 ERA, 14 2/3 IP), Chris Kozak (1.29, 16 1/3 IP) (Middlesex has only used three pitchers in the state tournament)

Midland Park:
Batting Average: Ryan Fleming (.438, 7-for-16), Ryan Natolli (.333, 3-for-9), Braiden Russell (.313, 5-for-16), Conor Shortway (.308, 4-for-13)
RBIs: Braiden Russell, Chase Shortway, Ryan Natolli (3)
HR: None
Stolen Bases: Ryan Fleming (5), Braiden Russell (3), Conor Shortway (2)
Strikeouts (Pitching): Braiden Russell (22), Connore Detrick (11)
ERA: Connor Detrick (0.00, 16 2/3 IP), Braiden Russell (1.53, 18 1/3 IP) (Midland Park has used only two pitchers in the state tournament)

*Middlesex sophomore Dominic Long pitches against Point Pleasant Beach in the Central Jersey Group 1 final at Mountainview Park in Middlesex on June 5, 2025. (Photo: Alec Crouthamel)*

THE LOWDOWN:

Middlesex has hit better than Midland Park all year, and scored more runs, so we think this one comes down to pitching. Between the two teams, in ten state tournament games played, each has used only two starters and while each team has used its other starter in relief, only one other pitcher has seen any time besides those starters: Middlesex reliever Dalton Michael threw two innings in a 10-0 five-run-rule win over Keyport in the opening round of Central Jersey Group 1.

While Middlesex has state titles in 2021, 2018 and 2017, and won a sectional title in 2019 as well – all under previous head coach Justin Nastasi – no one on this team has been this far in the states, but first-year head coach Blaze Iannetti has. An assistant since 2016 under Nastasi, and as an alum who joined the program as an assistant right out of Mitchell College in Connecticut for the 2016 season, he knows what it’s like in this moment.

Then again, Middlesex has had two deep tournament runs this year. They knocked off Colonia in the first round and beat South Plainfield in the quarterfinals of the Jim Muldowney GMC Championship Tournament before losing, 3-0, in the semifinals to runner-up Edison. So they know a little something about one-and-done games. And their loss in the county final could be one to grow on as well.

The Blue Jays have success for a lot of reasons – great players and great coaching among them – but none of it happens without a strong feeder program, and the Middlesex Little League is just that. And many of these players – including the seniors as eighth-graders – probably were outside the fence watching when Middlesex won its 2021 title, which included walk-offs in their last four games: by ten-run rule in the sectional semis against Florence, 1-0 in the CJ1 title game over Point Pleasant Beach, on a grand-slam by Bobby Ulmer, Jr., in the group semis against Woodstown, and in 13 innings over New Providence in the Group 1 final, on the same field where they’ll play (if the weather holds) Saturday.

Midland Park, meanwhile, is having unprecedented success: this year’s North 1, Group 1 title was its first sectional crown in school history in year seven under Frank Clark, who came close twice before, when he was head coach at Waldwick. They went to the Group 1 final in 2011, losing 8-6 to Audubon, then again in 2016, losing 3-2 to Pennsville.

NEWS AND NOTES:

Championship History…

Middlesex has won more state titles than any other GMC team, and any Skyland Conference team, too. They’ve won six state Group 1 titles, the first coming in 1990. They won again in 2007 and 2013, and under Justin Nastasi took state titles in 2017, 2018 and 2021, Their six state championships are fourth in NJSIAA history, tied with Emerson. Pensville, Steinert and Audubon each have seven; Don Bosco, Seton Hall Prep, and Bishop Eustace each have eight. And then it’s a long way to go to Gloucester Catholic, the St. Anthony of high school baseball in the state, which beat Pope John Wednesday in the Non-Public Group B final, and now has an eye-popping 22 state championships.

Midland Park’s North 1, Group 1 title was its first sectional title in school history.

Bunch of Goose Eggs…

In ten state tournament games, these teams have combined for five shutouts, and the two pitchers expected to go in this one have combined to allow just one earned run in 31 2/3 innings thrown.

Dominic Long of Middlesex has allowed just seven hits and two runs, one earned, while striking out 16 and walking five, while Connor Detrick of Midland Park has gone 16 2/3 in the playoffs, allowing just five hits, five walks, striking out eleven, and giving up nary a run.

The Panthers had three shutouts in sectional play, then blanked Brearley 4-0 in the group semis, while Middlesex had a pair of 10-0 wins, over Keyport (in 5 innings) in the Central 1 first round, and Shore in the sectional semifinals (in six innings), respectively.

In the playoffs, Middlesex is outscoring opponents 39-5, while Midland Park’s games have been closer; they’re outscoring teams in the playoffs 18-4.

Common Opponents: None

Recent Meetings…

These two teams haven’t met since at least before 2008, the most recent year for which results are readily available online.

Group 1 Championship History…

Middlesex has six state championships, their first coming in 1990, and their most recent in 2021, when they beat New Providence in 13 innings on a walk-off single. Only one other CJSR-area team has won a state title in Group 1, that being Hoffman (now known as South Amboy) out of the GMC in 1984. No Somerset County team has ever won Group 1.