Coming off emotional Opening Day, Middlesex looks to return the favor, sweep Spotswood

To so the Middlesex baseball program – or even the entire town – had a difficult, trying, emotional off-season would be a hideous understatement, and words probably can’t even do it justice.

The death of teammate James Matula in November in a car crash in upstate New York shocked the community, the school, and the baseball program to its core.

Not that you ever put it behind you, but it was surely good to get back on the baseball field in the preseason, but many of those emotions came rushing back Tuesday as the fourth-ranked Blue Jays opened their 2026 season without No. 1, James Matula.

His family was there for an Opening Day ceremony to once again pay tribute to the young man who would have been a senior on a loaded Middlesex team looking to defend its Central Jersey and state Group One championships.

They got through it all, getting on the board early, in a 6-1 home win over Spotswood. Thursday afternoon, they will visit the Chargers for a 3 pm game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with an eye on sweeping the season series, and turning the tables on a Spotswood team that was the only club to beat the Blue Jays twice last season.

You can hear the game live, with pregame at 2:45 and Mike Pavlichko on the call. Click here to listen.

Middlesex loses some key seniors, to be sure, mainly Dom Parenti and Owen Reynolds, but the vast majority of the lineup is back, including top returning hitter Dominc Long (.346, 16 RBI), who also will take the mound Thursday. Long, as a sophomore last season, led the team in innings pitched, and was 12-0 with a 1.37 ERA and 72 strikeouts.

He’s part of a 1-2 punch with Chris Kozak, who last season as a junior was 6-4, but with a 0.90 earned run average.

Click below to hear Middlesex head coach Blaze Iannetti talk about the season and Thursday’s game against Spotswood with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko: