Tag: HS Baseball

November 22, 2025November 23, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Middlesex baseball senior James Matula succumbs to injuries after car crash; outpouring of support in fundraiser for family

Less than a week after suffering serious injuries in a car crash in North Jersey on the way home from a family trip, Middlesex High School senior James Matula – a member of the Blue Jays’ 2025 state championship baseball team – has passed away. He was 17 years old.

The news came out Sunday as his teammates, friends, family, and many from the Middlesex community and beyond attended a somber prayer mass Saturday evening at Our Lady of Mount Virgin church on Harris Avenue in the borough.

Teammates Chris Kozak – a pitcher who played centerfield next to Matula, who was often in left field – and Marcus Lavornia, also seniors who would have graduated with Matula this June, were among the first to post tributes Saturday night on Instagram. You can click on the images below to be brought directly to their Instagram posts.

While an official account of the accident has not been publicly made available, after the crash, Matula was flown to a North Jersey hospital, where those close to the team say he died Saturday as a result of his injuries.

Capital Craft – a restaurant and brewpub on Route 22 in Green Brook, which borders Middlesex, and has a connection to the family – has an active GoFundMe fundraiser for the family. As of late Friday night, it had raised over $13,000 toward a goal of $25,000. That number grew to well over $38,000 as of 10 pm Saturday.

*Middlesex celebrates with the NJSIAA Group 1 championship trophy after a 3-1 win over Midland Park at the Wood-Ridge Athletic Complex on June 16, 2025. (Photo: Alec Crouthamel)*

“The Matula family has been a part of the Capital Craft family for 5 years,” writes Brielle Cooper, who started the fundraiser. “We have watched them grow into beautiful young adults and are so grateful to be a part of their lives.”

Matula played the outfield and hit .263 last season as a junior on the Group 1 champion baseball team, with six runs batted in 44 plate appearances and a couple of stolen bases.

Note: This story will be updated with information on services once it becomes available.

November 20, 2025November 22, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Middlesex teammates, classmates, community rallying behind Blue Jay baseball standout in serious car crash

The entire Middlesex community is pulling for one of their own: a member of the Group 1 state champion Blue Jays baseball team who was in a serious car crash.

Social media posts hit the Internet Wednesday praying for outfielder James Matula, who was seriously injured this week in an accident while heading back to New Jersey on a trip out of state, head coach Blaze Iannetti confirmed to Central Jersey Sports Radio Thursday morning.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Anthony Long (@anthonylong9668)

Other details are sparse, but Iannetti says Matula was airlifted to a hospital in North Jersey, where his teammates went to see him Wednesday. The coach also is planning to visit.

“The entire Blue Jay community is praying for James and the Matula Family,” Iannetti told CJSR Thursday morning. “We will continue to do everything we need to do to support our brother as he recovers.”

According to a post on Instagram from @anthonylong9668, who Ianneti says is standout pitcher Dominic Long’s father, the Middlesex baseball team was supposed to have its ring ceremony soon, marking its latest state championship, the Group 1 title the Blue Jays won in June over Midland Park.

Matula was a junior last year and hit .278 with six runs batted in last season on a team that won its GMC-record seventh state title.

We’ll continue to update this story with further information as it becomes available.

September 7, 2025September 6, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Geertsma, Roof look back at a remarkable baseball season at Governor Livingston: state champions, done to perfection

Like any recipe, there can be a lot of ingredients. When they blend together well, the resulting meal can be delicious.

And that’s a good way to describe the 2024 baseball season for Governor Livingston.

There were tense moments, some easy wins, injuries and other obstacles, but in the end, a mix of great players – starters and otherwise – along with excellent coaching saw them finish their 2024 season 28-0. The won everything they could: the Union County Conference Watchung Division pennant at 11-0, the UCC Tournament, the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 2 sectional title, and the state Group 2 championship.

With an unblemished record, they were the first public school to go run the table in 44 years, since Pennsville did it in 1981, going 25-0 and also winning Group 2. Pennsville was the first NJSIAA baseball team to ever finish with a perfect record, and Governor Livingston is the latest.

Governor Livingston baseball team celebrating after winning the NJSIAA Group 2 state championship, posing with a trophy and a banner on the field. — *The Governor Livingston baseball team after beating West Morris, 6-1, to win the NJSIAA Group 2 championship at the Wood-Ridge Athletic Complex on June 16, 2025. (Submitted photo)*

Almost half of their wins – 13, to be exact – were via shutout, and they held 18 teams to two runs or less.

Three pitchers with at least 20 innings thrown had an ERA under 2.00.

And their UCC Tournament run? They won the title without allowing a single run.

On Saturday, September 6, junior shortstop Zach Geertsma and head coach Chris Roof stopped by the Central Jersey Sports Radio broadcast booth to talk to Mike Pavlichko at halftime of the Highlanders’ game against New Providence.

Click below to listen to the interview!

August 19, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

NJSIAA adds another tweak to power points, affecting all sports in 2025-26, except football

More changes are coming to the state’s power point system, under a change recently announced by the NJSIAA.

According to an email sent to athletic directors and coaches across New Jersey that was obtained by Central Jersey Sports Radio, the NJSIAA made the changes based on two “areas of concern” it says emerged after seeking feedback from member schools: how out-of-state opponents factor into calculations, and whether all games should be averaged, or if instead a only the best results should count.

Based on the feedback, the NJSIAA is making changes in both areas that will immediately go into effect this school year in all sports that use power points, with the exception of football. In football, power points are just part of the New Jersey UPR formula, which also uses the Strength Index component.

For out-of-state opponents, the NJSIAA’s had been assigning a .500 win percentage to all teams, but that rule has now been eliminated. Instead, the formula will use the team’s actual record when calculating residual points, based the first “N” number of games played by the opponent, with that number potentially varying by sport.

For example, if the basketball “N” number were hypothetically set at 14, a basketball team that plays an out-of-state opponent – such as at a showcase or other more regional event – would only get residuals based on that out-of-state opponent’s first 14 games. A team that was 20-5 overall, but 12-2 through its first 14 games would be considered 12-2 for the purposes of calculating power points.

The second change would no longer calculate the average of all games for power points. Instead, it would use only the top “N” number of games. This is different from the out-of-state rule, which would count the “first” “N” number of games. Essentially, it would drop the lowest scores.

Again, choosing basketball as an example, with a hypothetical “N” number of 14, a team that has played 16 games would have its power points average only calculate its highest 14 game values. Put another way, it would drop the two lowest scores.

This might be helpful for some schools that are forced to play teams in their division our county tournament that don’t have many wins. For example, a team that has played 18 games, but five of them have come against one-, two- or three-win teams – while others might have come against 12- or 13-win teams – would have its lowest four scores dropped. In that case, only one of the games against those weaker teams would count; the lowest four would be dropped.

June 19, 2025June 18, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Middlesex seniors Dom Parenti, Owen Reynolds on Blue Jays’ seventh Group 1 title, CJSR Team of the Year honors for state champs

The Middlesex Blue Jays baseball program has won seven state titles in its history, all since 1990, and five of them have come since 2013. Only one team – Gloucester Catholic, with six – has won more in that span.

There are a lot of reasons for that. Besides skilled players, there’s great coaching, and a great community behind them.

Consider that the only two starting pitchers Middlesex used in their entire six-game state tournament run also had brothers who played on the 2021 team. That includes Chris Kozak and his older brother Aidan, as well as Dominic Long and his older brother Anthony.

Whose team was better? Well, we didn’t want to put anyone on the spot about that.

But we did talk to two of the team’s four seniors, two who played some pretty big roles, about this 2025 championship season, and how it all played out. One will play baseball in college, the other won’t, but both were instrumental in the Blue Jays’ success.

WATCH SENIOR SENDOFF MESSAGES FROM ALL FOUR MIDDLESEX SENIORS – SPONSORED BY EXACT RF BROADCAST & WIRELESS OF MIDDLESEX – ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL!

Dom Parenti will be playing baseball at Kean next season. He hit .352 this season with two home runs – including one against Schalick in the group semifinals last week – and 16 runs batted in. Parenti finished his high school career as a .340 hitter with 47 RBI and 43 stolen bases.

Owen Reynolds will be going to Rutgers, and may play for the club team. He hit .341 this year with 17 RBI and one home run. He hit .292 over three seasons, with 39 RBI.

Two other seniors will graduate, including infielder Nathan Thompson and pitcher Lunden Chadwell, who sat out the year with Tommy John surgery.

Click below to hear Dom Parenti and Owen Reynolds talk about Middlesex’s 2025 Group 1 championship and Central Jersey Sports Radio Team of the Year honors:

June 18, 2025June 18, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY: NJSIAA Group 1 Finals: Middlesex 3, Midland Park 2

It was worth the wait for Middlesex!

The Blue Jays finished off a 23-5 campaign by winning their seventh state title – a record among GMC and Skyland Conference schools – defeating Midland Park 3-2 in the NJSIAA Group 1 Championship Game, begun Saturday at Veterans’ Park in Hamilton, and finished Monday afternoon at the Wood-Ridge Athletic Complex up in Bergen County.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel call all the action live on Central Jersey Sports Radio on June 16, 2025.

June 15, 2025June 16, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

(QUICK) INSTANT REPLAY: NJSIAA Group 1 Finals: Midland Park 0, Middlesex coming up!

They tried!

Middlesex and Midland Park were hoping against hope to play the Group 1 title game at Veterans Park in Hamilton Saturday, but Mother Nature had other plans. Heavy rain in the middle of the first left the game postponed until 1 pm Monday.

For now, here’s our Game Open and top of the first innings, in which Midland Park got a two-out single from Braiden Russell but stranded him to leave the game scoreless heading into the bottom of the first. The game won’t be restarted, it will simply resume where it was left off with shortstop Dom Parenti about to lead off the half-inning for Middlesex.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel as it all played out live on the air from Bob DeMeo Field at Veterans Park in Hamilton on June 14, 2025.

June 13, 2025June 13, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

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.

*Middlesex celebrates its NJSIAA Group 1 state championship in 2021, with a 4-3 win over New Providence on June 19, 2021. (Photo: Dom Savino)*

1971: Gloucester City
1972: Roselle Park
1973: Palmyra
1974: Cedar Grove
1975: Glen Ridge
1976: Palisades Park
1977: Park Ridge
1978: Bordentown
1979: Chatham
1980: Secaucus
1981: Glen Ridge
1982: Emerson
1983: Glen Ridge
1984: Hoffman
1985: Florence
1986: Florence
1987: Roselle Park
1988: Glen Ridge
1989: Haddonfield
1990: Middlesex
1991: Haddonfield
1992: Emerson
1993: Glen Ridge
1994: Audubon
1995: Audubon
1996: Riverside
1997: Riverside
1998: New Providence
1999: Glen Rock
2000: Emerson
2001: Emerson
2002: Pennsville
2003: Pennsville
2004: New Milford
2005: Pennsville
2006: Pennsville
2007: Middlesex
2008: Lyndhurst
2009: Park Ridge
2010: Pitman
2011: Audubon
2012: Audubon
2013: Middlesex
2014: Shore
2015: Emerson
2016: Pennsville
2017: Middlesex
2018: Middlesex
2019: Emerson
2020: COVID – no season
2021: Middlesex
2022: Woodstown
2023: Pequannock
2024: Pompton Lakes

June 10, 2025June 10, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY: NJSIAA Group 1 Semifinal: Middlesex 4, Schalick 3 (8 inn.)

The Middlesex baseball team is back in the state finals for the second time in five years – after winning it all in 2021 – after a 4-3 win over Schalick in the state Group 1 semifinals. Pinch-hitter Dalton Michael won it with a single to left field, driving in Marcus Lavornia for the walk-off.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko call all the action, as heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio from Mountainview Park in Middlesex on June 9, 2025:

GAME COVERAGE:

Jays, in a pinch! Dalton Michael’s walkoff conjures spirit of ’21 championship team as Middlesex drops Schalick, 4-3, in extras