Jeff Falzarano – Central Jersey Sports Radio

It hasn’t been the best season Bernards baseball has ever had – fairly up-and-down – but the Mountaineers are a win away from doing something they haven’t in quite some time: make an appearance in a sectional final.

Head coach Jeff Falzarano is in his 22nd season with the Mounties, and just by looking at the 13-2 record, you might not guess that they’d be in the North 2, Group 2 semifinals – let alone hosting the game as a ten-seed – but that’s just what they’ll be doing when they host 11-seed Mendham at 4:00 Monday afternoon.

The hitting has been so-so, just .223 on the year, but you don’t get to a sectional semi without some timely hitting. They’ve had that in two wins so far, opening up with a 3-2 win at seven-seed Caldwell in eight innings, getting the winning run in the top of the eighth, then pulling a 3-2 upset of second-seed Madison – also on the road – erasing a 3-0 deficit in the top of the seventh and holding on for the victory.

And their ace, Casey Hoeckele, who’s 7-2 with a 0.92 ERA, hasn’t even thrown yet in the states. He’ll go Monday against Mendham, a team Bernards typically will try and play in a non-conference game in the regular season, though this year they only managed a pres-season scrimmage.

Hoeckele has had some dominating performances – like 12 Ks in a complete game 3-0 shutout of Lenape Valley, and another 12 in a shutout of Morris Catholic, plus eleven in a 3-1 win over Parsippany. In five of his nine starts, he hasn’t allowed a single run, earned or unearned.

Another performance like that, and Bernards will be a win away from the sixth sectional title in program history.

Click below to hear Bernards head coach Jeff Falzarano talk about the Mountaineers’ season and their North 2, Group 2 semifinal Monday against Mendham:

April showers bring May flowers, and also rescheduled baseball games.

Originally scheduled for last week, Rutgers Prep (4-1) and Bernards (2-3) will finally get together for their first meeting this year, with a lot on the line.

To begin with, the Argonauts and Voorhees are both 3-0 in division, and Prep will want to keep pace, while the Mountaineers are right behind them and trying to move up in the Valley, with a 2-2 division mark.

Then there’s the small matter of the Somerset County Tournament seeding meeting, which is coming up quickly, scheduled for Monday night.

While Rutgers Prep is looking to build on a 14-8 season a year ago, Bernards is looking to get on the right track, still trying to find itself offensively.

You can hear the game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio Saturday morning, with first pitch set for 11:00, and pregame scheduled for 10:45, as Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas call all the action. Click here to listen live.

Click below to hear previews of Saturday’s game: