Tag: Kevin Cust

by Mike Pavlichko

Ryan Auten’s two-hit gem gives No. 1 Immaculata 6-0 win over No. 2 Ridge, two-game sweep of Red Devils

Wake Forest-bound Ryan Auten threw his second complete game of the year, and No. 1 Immaculata picked up a 3-0 home win over No. 2 Ridge Wednesday at Diamond Nation in Flemington, sweeping the season series, and all but securing the top-seed in the Somerset County Tournament.

Auten was throwing fire, as he always does, right from the first pitch of the ball game. 

He struck out the side in the first, and wound up fanning 13 overall across seven innings of work.  It was his first complete game since he won a 3-0 contest here in Flemington against Hillsborough in the opening series of the season.

The Spartans improved to 9-2 on the season, their lone losses coming out of conference, to Winter Park on a Spring Break trip to Florida, and to Delsea in Gloucester County this past weekend.

Like it did in Monday’s 3-0 win, Immaculata got on the board early, and added insurance from there.

Justin Labrador led off with a grounder to second that was bobbled, and scored an error. Luca Catanzerite followed with a walk, and Owen Schilling then knocked a base-hit to left field. Labrador came in to score, and with the throw coming to the plate, both runners tried to take an extra base. Catanzerite ended up at third, but Schilling was thrown out at second for the first out of the inning. Nehemiah Diaz made it 2-0 with a single of his own, plating Catanzerite.

The Spartans would add another run in the fourth, on a sac fly by Jackson Lewis – scoring Conor Quinn, who had walked – making it 3-0.

And then, they got three more insurance runs in the sixth. Reliever Carson Scott had replaced starter Dimitri Romer to start the bottom of the fifth, tossing a scoreless inning, but after walking Quinn to lead it off, and giving up a single to Andrew Wheeler, head coach Tom Blackwell pulled him for Andy Yuan. He reached on a 4-6 fielder’s choice that erased Wheeler, but allowed Quinn to score from third, making it 4-0.

After a Justin Labrador line out to second for the second out of the inning, Catanzerite got aboard on a pitch that glanced slightly off his helmet, then Schilling grounded a ball to short that was booted, driving in Lewis. With Diaz at the plate, Schilling tried to steal second, but the throw got past the second baseman Lucas Grob, skittered into center field, and Catanzerite scored to make it 6-0 Immaculata.

All the while, Auten was dealing. He allowed a single to Romer in the second with one out, but stranded him after getting a fly out to center field and a strikeout. Jake Dolan singled to left with one out in the third in the third, but he was stranded when the next to batters fanned.

And that was the sum total of Ridge’s offensive output at the plate, running into back-to-back ace pitchers for Immaculata: Auten on Wednesday, Cole Raymond the day before.

Ridge drops to 11-3 with the loss, all three losses coming in Delaware Division play (3-3): two to the Spartans and one to Hunterdon Central. The Immaculata defeats are their only losses against Somerset County squads. Dimitri Romer took the loss to fall to 2-1.

Auten got the win to improve to 3-0 for the Spartans, who are 6-0 in Skyland Delaware play, with one more to go before the seeding meeting on Tuesday, May 5th, which was moved to one day earlier due to a scheduling conflict.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel with Immaculata pitcher Ryan Auten and head coach Kevin Cust, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Alec Crouthamel

No. 1 Immaculata hosts No. 2 Ridge looking for a sweep and bigger lead in SCT top seed race

Central Jersey Sports Radio’s top dogs in baseball have already battled once, and they’ll do so again on Wednesday afternoon.

The latest matchup is the second half of a home-and-home two-game set between No. 1 Immaculata and No. 2 Ridge, a day after the Spartans took the first game 3-0. Pitchers Cole Raymond and Bryson Auten combined for a two-hit shutout, and the offense came from two RBIs — including a home run — from senior catcher Owen Schilling, and a single from sophomore outfielder Brian Cilento.

If all goes to plan for Immaculata, it hopes to be more of the same in the second leg on Wednesday.

You can hear that game live – with no paywall or subscription needed – on Central Jersey Sports Radio with pregame at 3:45 pm and first pitch at four with Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel on the call. Click here to listen.

The Spartans have played some solid baseball all year long, and are 7-1 against New Jersey teams, with the lone loss coming against Delsea on Saturday.

Immaculata’s pitching and defense have helped push the team to its strong start, and with star senior Ryan Auten on the mound Wednesday, could continue to be a strength.

Auten, committed to Wake Forest, has been brilliant in all three starts this year. He sports a 1.62 ERA and 35 strikeouts — an average of almost 12 per game — and has progressed even after last season, according to head coach Kevin Cust. At times, he wasn’t as sure in his execution, while still working a 2.80 ERA, but that has flipped for the better in the opening month of his senior season.

On the offensive side, the Spartans’ mix of experience and young talent have shown themselves across the year, and the coaching staff has continued to emphasize a strong approach of throwing strikes and hitting strikes.

It worked on Tuesday, as Immaculata drew six walks and seven hits. Now with its ace on the mound, the Spartans aim for a sweep of a fellow state-ranked team, and one it’s battling for Somerset County Tournament seeding at that.

With a win, Immaculata could only strengthen its hold on the prospective top seed in the tournament, while a Red Devils victory makes the conversation a bit more intriguing.

As the defending champions, the Spartans look to get back to the mountaintop, and a win against a fellow contender could go a long way in clearing the path to do so.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel talk with Immaculata head coach Kevin Cust about the Spartans’ season, and their huge series with Ridge:

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 2 Immaculata downs No. 8 Hillsborough in pitchers duel, 3-0 behind combined one-hitter from Raymond, younger Auten

Ryan Auten is the senior pitcher heading to Wake Forest, but it was his freshman brother, Bryson, who got the win Tuesday on Opening Day for Immaculata.

Cole Raymond made his first start, after coming out of the bullpen last season, and went 3 1/3 innings without allowing a hit or a run, and just three baserunners. But Bryson Auten got out of a two-on, one-out jam in the fourth out of the ‘pen, then finished things off for a 3-0 win for No. 2 Immaculata at No. 8 Hillsborough on Opening Day, in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Bryson got the win – as the game was scoreless when he entered – thtrowing 3 2/3 innings, allowing just one hit, striking out six.

Early-season baseball in the Northeast is hardly pretty, but with a game-time temprature of 81 degrees, and a solid breeze that turned into a gusty wind from time-time-time, it was more like early May baseball, and the play reflected it, with both starting pitchers having good control.

Raymond struck out five and walked two, while Hillsborough starter Shane Borer – who barely threw more than six innings all year last year – went 5 2/3 innings, allowing just two earned rund on four hits, walking one and striking out five.

And the defense was solid, too, even though Immaculata was charged with two tough errors, neither of which came back to bite them.

Scoreless into the fifth, Immaculata got a run in each of the last three innings. In the fifth, No. 7 hitter Connor Quinn reached on a one-out double down thwe left field line. Owen Rivernbark walked, and Quinn moved to third on a 5-4 fielder’s choice, then came home on a wild pitch to leadoff hitter Luca Catanzarite.

In the sixth, Immaculata picked up another run on an RBI single up the middle by Brian Cilento, who drove in Nehemiah Diaz from third. He’d reached on a single, and stole second and third during Cilento’s at bat to earn him an easy trot home.

Then, in the seventh, the Spartans got one more for insurance. Quinn singled to lead off the inning, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and later stole third. After Rivenbark walked, Gino Spigarelli grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to bring in Quinn with his second run scored of the game.

Hillsborough threatened in the fourth, getting runners on second and third, but ‘Lata brought in Bryson Auten to get out of the jam, and he did just that in his first high school pitching appearance, getting Samuel Malone to fly out to right, and Matt Battoglia to strike out looking to end the inning.

They had another chance in the fifth, with Anthony Guerrero reaching on a one-out walk, and evenutally advancing to third on a couple of wild pitches by Auten, but the freshman wound up striking out the side to escape unscathed.

Hillsborough (0-1) faces Montgomery Wednesday before visiting Immaculata (1-0) – which is off Wednesday – to finish the two-game set out at Dimaond Nation.

Click below to hear postgame reaction from Alec Crouthamel with Immaculata head coach Kevin Cust, pitcheer Bryson Auten and first baseman Conor Quinn, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Alec Crouthamel

Immaculata baseball opens Somerset County title defense with short trip to Hillsborough

It’s a tale of two units for Immaculata’s baseball team, with the 2026 season about to get underway.

The batters are young, the pitchers are old.

The defending Somerset County Tournament champions bring back a veteran pitching staff, while the lineup features some youth, with five of the nine projected starters sophomores or younger.

But don’t let the inexperience fool you. The Spartans have talent all over the roster and are ready to put it on full display to open the year. And it all gets started on Tuesday with a 15-minute drive down Route 206.

No. 2 Immaculata travels to No. 8 Hillsborough at 4 pm to get the 2026 season going, in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel have the call, with pregame set for 3:45 pm; click here to listen.

Southpaws Ryan Auten and Cole Raymond lead a pitching rotation that does return plenty of production. Raymond enters the rotation for the first time after serving as a high-leverage reliever in 2025, and will get the ball on Opening Day. Auten — signed to pitch at Wake Forest next year — looks to continue to build on a terrific junior campaign as one of the area’s top pitchers.

Those two will be relied on for much of the starting work to begin, as senior righty Jackson Trego — who led the Spartans in innings pitched last year — eases his way back into the rotation after dealing with a shoulder injury. Once he makes his return, the pitching will be full speed ahead for Immaculata.

As for the bats, 14th-year head coach Kevin Cust described many of his young hitters as exciting, talented baseball players with plenty of potential.

The senior trio of Jackson Lewis, Connor Quinn, and Owen Schilling brings the lion’s share of experience, but there’s a lot of eyebrow-raising underclassmen as well.

Freshman Bryson Auten — younger brother of Ryan — is described as “a beast” and has some solid pitching chops in addition to a powerful hit tool. Second baseman Luca Catanzarite built up plenty of experience as a freshman last year, and now takes the role of the speedy and ultra-aggressive leadoff bat. Sophomore Brian Cilento put up over 800 yards on the gridiron as the Spartans’ starting running back, and now will take his talents to the diamond as a high-caliber athlete, and a “great addition” to the roster, as Cust put it.

And there’s plenty more talent up and down the lineup past just the ones listed. Immaculata looms as a Somerset County contender once again thanks to a veteran pitching staff that has played in plenty of big games, and a young lineup just waiting to realize its full potential after a strong offseason and preseason.

Both teams will kick things off on the final day of March.

Click below to hear Immaculata baseball coach Kevin Cust talk about the Spartans’ upcoming season and their opening day matchup against Hillsborough with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel:

by Mike Pavlichko

Immaculata’s 15th SCT championship came after four seasons of hard work by Cust and his program to bring home another trophy

Kevin Cust, the Immaculata baseball team’s head coach, has won Somerset County titles as both a player for the Spartans and as their head coach, but this one had to be extra special.

‘Lata won the county in 2018 and 2019, then COVID hit, and baseball went away for a season. The next few years were a bit of up and down. They went just 8-13 in 2021, the first year back, but went to the Non-Public South B semifinals in the state playoffs, with no SCT that year due to the short season.

The next year, 2022, was a 14-13 campaign, but brought a North B sectional championship, a miraculous come-from-behind win over Gill St. Bernard’s, though they would fall to upstart Ranney in the Group B final, 10-1, down in Hamilton.

In 2023, they went 9-15, and last year made it to the semifinals and lost to Ridge at TD Bank Park, finishing a stronger 17-9. And Cust felt good about this season, especially with the addition of a stud pitcher who transferred in from Del Val, Ryan Auten.

From the get go, Immaculata was winning close games. They shared the Skyland Conference Delaware Division title with Ridge, both going 7-3 in the division, but the Red Devils got the top seed.

Wednesday night, at TD Bank Park, Immaculata decided it on the field, winning its record 15th SCT trophy with a 3-0 win behind a solid start from Jackson Trego, with help from a key Ridge error that led to three unearned runs, and got to the final on a 1-0 no-hit win over Franklin Monday in the semis thrown by Ryan Auten.

So really, this was a culmination of all those years of hard work, for a group of seniors like Jayson Labrador, Colin Kassai, Aiden English and Jayden Capindica, and also younger players, like Auten and Jackson Trego, juniors who got wins in the semis and finals, respectively. Plus many other players who played key roles throughout the year, no matter how large or small.

Here’s what Immaculata head coach Kevin Cust had to say about the Spartans’ championship after the game, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

Ryan Auten complete game no-hitter sends Immaculata to SCT finals for first time since 2019 with 1-0 win over Franklin

For the first time since before COVID – and back-to-back championships in 2018 and 2019 – Immaculata is going back to the Somerset County Tournament semifinals.

And a big reason why is Ryan Auten, a much-ballyhooed transfer in from Delaware Valley, who threw a complete-game no-hitter, striking out 13 in a 1-0 victory for the second-seeded Spartans over upset-minded 11-seed Franklin, as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

The Warriors (10-8) actually got eight baserunners against ‘Lata, but a few were errors, a couple fielders choices, and a couple of walks. But they could get nothing across.

Immaculata (13-7) got its only run in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Luca Catanzarite singled, then Jayden Capindica hit a ball of starting pitcher Dylan Shah’s glove, that was picked cleanly in front of second base by the shortstop, Mike Schiermayer. Capindica beat the throw, but it was in the dirt and got up the line, allowing Catanzarite to score.

But that was all they’d get, thanks to good Franklin defense. After a pop up out, Owen Schilling reached on a fielder’s choice to third, where Stanley Madera made a great throw to the plate, and backup catcher Jacob Gordon applied the tag to Capindica for the second out.

Auten struck out 13 in the no-hitter, and improved to 5-1. Dylan Shah took the loss to fall to 1-4.

Immaculata will face top-seed Ridge – the team they shared the Skyland Conference Delaware Division title with – in Wednesday night’s 6 pm final at TD Bank Park, which you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. The Red Devils beat fourth-seed Rutgers Prep 11-0 in five innings in Monday’s second semifinal.

Click below for postgame reaction with Immaculata head coach Kevin Cust and pitcher Ryan Auten, presented by Sportsple at Metuchen.

by Mike Pavlichko

Immaculata wins slugfest 15-6 at Hillsborough as Capindica, Kassai go deep for Spartans, who claim share of Skyland Delaware Division title

There weren’t too many crooked numbers on the board early in Thursday’s Skyland Conference Delaware Division game between Hillsborough and No. 2 Immaculata, but there certainly were a few late.

The Spartans broke open a game they led 4-2 after four with an eight-run sixth, and improved to 8-4 overall, 7-3 in the division, with a 15-6 road victory in Hillsborough that gave them a share of the Delaware Division title, coupled with Ridge’s 11-1 loss at Hunterdon Central.

Immaculata got on the board in the second on a sac fly by Jackson Lewis, but Hillsborough took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning on a ground rule double by Elijah Dawes and a groundout by Jason Williams.

The Spartans tied it with a run in the third on a solo homer by Jayden Capindica, his first of the season, then added two more in the fourth on back-to-back RBI singles by Connor Quinn and Lewis to take a 4-2 lead.

The Raiders cut the lead to one in the fifth, when T.J. Westlake came home from third on a wild pitch.

But in the top of the sixth, Immaculata sent 12 to the plate and got eight runs.  The body blows included a two-RBI double by Schilling, and a two-run homer by Collin Kassai, his second of the season.

Hillsborough, trailing 12-3, got three back in the bottom of the sixth, but Immaculata answered to make it 15-6 heading to the home seventh, where the Raiders got two on, but failed to score.

Hillsborough falls to 6-8, 3-7 in the division. 

Shane Borer got the loss for Hillsborough in relief of starter Krish Patel, falling to 0-1, while Immaculata starter Jackson Trego got the win, to improve to 2-1.

Click below to hear postgame reaction from Immaculata’s Jackson Tregon, Collin Kassai and head coach Kevin Cust, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 1 Bridgewater-Raritan, coming off best season ever, gets right back to work with trip to rising No. 4 Immaculata on Opening Day Tuesday

By every single metric, the 2024 season was one for the record books at Bridgewater-Raritan.

They won the Skyland Conference Delaware Division and the Somerset County Tournament. They won the North 2, Group 4 sectional title in the state tournament, then went all the way, taking the state’s Group 4 championship.

The encore begins Tuesday.

That’s when the top-ranked Panthers will travel to Flemington to take on No. 4 Immaculata in a big battle on Opening Day that you can hear right here on Central Jersey Sports Radio. First pitch is set for 4 pm at Diamond Nation with pregame at 3:45 as Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel call all the action. Click here to listen.

Jayson Labrador of Immaculata hits against Ridge in the semifinals of the Somerset County Tournament on May 20, 2024. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

If Bridgewater-Raritan is the team that’s arrived, Immaculata is coming right up behind, and this season, the two are in the same division. One of the toughest in the state, the Skyland Delaware also includes Ridge, Hunterdon Central, Hillsborough and North Hunterdon.

The Panthers said goodbye to a number of seniors in 2024, including Matt Fattore, Devin Goldberg, Joe Spirra, Frankie Verano, Mike Lentini and Cory Rible, the latter of whom was Bridgewater’s closer last year. They won every game in which he pitched.

There are some veterans back, too, including infielder and pitcher Jack Lanum, first-baseman Matt Cichocki, and catcher JR Rosado among the seniors, and junior Kellan Komline, who’ll get the Opening Day nod. While he may not blow hitters away, he was 5-0 last year in nine appearances with a 0.66 ERA in 42 2/3 innings pitched.

Komline and Lanum combined for 12 wins last year, with a collective ERA under one, in over 80 innings pitched, and one or the other led the team in virtually every statistical pitching category.

Immaculata lost some big boppers, too, including Troy Rabosky and Josh Thompson, who each hit over .400 last year, with Rabosky connecting for four homers and knocking in 28 runs. But they have plenty of ammunition back, including Jayson Labrador – who hit .344 last season and drove in 12 runs – and a host of others like Colin Kassai (.338, 22 RBIs) and Owen Schilling (.304, 15 RBI).

There’s plenty of pitching back, too – though ace Nick Bozzo graduated – but the rotation has been boosted by the addition of Ryan Auten, who transfers in from Delaware Valley. The left-handed Wake Forest commit threw 37 innings as a sophomore and was 3-2 last year with a 2.46 ERA, striking out 65 while walking just 18. He’ll get the ball on Opening Day against the Panthers.

Click below to hear previews with both head coaches of Tuesday’s Opening Day matchup between No. 1 Bridgewater-Raritan and No. 4 Immaculata:

Bridgewater-Raritan head coach Max Newill
Immaculata head coach Kevin Cust

by Mike Pavlichko

Ridge seeks fourth straight trip to SCT finals, while Immaculata looks for first bid since ’19

It won’t be the same matchup in the Somerset County Tournament title game as the last two years, but the Ridge baseball team is looking for a fourth straight berth in the finals when the third-seeded Red Devils play second-seed Immaculata Monday in the semifinal round at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater.

Funny their opponent should be Immaculata, since they were the last team to make at least four finals in a row. The Spartans made five straight SCT finals from 2004 to 2008, winning four of them, capping a stretch where they won ten county crowns in a 12-year span from 1997 to 2008.

Monday’s semifinal will be part of a doubleheader you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio – presented by Zoned Sports Academy of Bridgewater – with Ridge-‘Lata followed by top-seed Bridgewater-Raritan taking on fourth-seed Watchung Hills at 4 pm. Mike Pavlichko, Don Savino and Vin Ebeneau will be on the call; click here to listen.

Ridge and Immaculata faced each other in the 2019 Somerset County Tournament final, the last before the COVID shutdown in 2020. Ridge lost that game 6-5 in an epic 12-inning affair. With no tournament in 2021 due to a short season, the Red Devils beat Rutgers Prep 6-0 in 2022’s title game, but lost to the Argonauts last year 1-0.

While a number of key players from last year’s team are gone, Ridge is having another fine season. The Red Devils are 18-7, not the dominant team they were last year at 25-4, but still very solid. And they’re playing some of their best baseball right now, having won six straight.

In the quarterfinals on Thursday, they topped six-seed Hillsborough 12-7 behind three home runs, as Ezra Sadowski, Ben Larner and Jake Dolan all went yard. Sadowski has been a big bopper all year long, hitting .339 with 26 runs batted in, with four home runs. All of those lead the team. Dolan – just a sophomore – is hitting .307 with 10 RBIs and two homers.

On the mound, Ridge is expected to go with Larner, who’s 7-2 with a 1.83 ERA. He’s a strikeout pitcher, fanning 32, while walking just 11. He threw 50 pitches in 3 1/3 innings against Hillsborough, getting the start in that game. That means he’ll have 100 left in the tank – ten shy of the single-game maximum – for Monday’s game.

Click below to hear Vin Ebenau talk with Ridge head coach Tom Blackwell:

On the Immaculata side, the Spartans are 14-6, and got off to a hot start this year, winning nine straight before falling 11-5 at Watchung Hills on April 23rd. That was the first of three straight defeats, with losses to Montgomery and at Phillipsburg following.

But they got back on the winning track, taking three straight against Somerville, Franklin and Rutgers Prep – all on the road, mind you – and have won five of their last eight heading into Monday, including a 3-2 walk-off against Somerville in the quarterfinals.

Kevin Cust’s team is a mix of experience and youth. The experienced players are guys like seniors Troy Rabosky – leading the team in hitting at .434 with 24 RBIs – and Josh Thompson, who’s hitting .414 with 15 runs batted in. Junior’s Jayden Capindica (.328) and Jayson Labrador (.366, 11 RBI) also are third-year varsity players back from a very young team that made the state finals two years ago.

Connor Quinn is the likely starter for the Spartans, 1-0 with a 2.04 ERA. He’s only thrown 4 2/3 innings all year in relief, but some of that was circumstance, with guys like Thompson often going the distance early. But with him and Nick Bozzo on the shelf – after after missing a few weeks with wrist issues – he’s back in form, and Cust feels confident in the sophomore, but has plenty of relief options if he needs it.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Immaculata head coach Kevin Cust:

by Mike Pavlichko

Fourth-ranked and unbeaten Immaculata getting it done as same team produces different results

Last year’s Immaculata baseball team was young. The Spartans had just one senior and won nine games.

This year’s team – many of them the same players as a year ago, just bigger, faster, stronger and better – has equalled that mark of nine wins. But they haven’t lost a game yet.

One of just three undefeated teams remaining in the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area – Spotswood (9-0-1) and South Amboy (6-0) of the GMC being the others – Immaculata puts that unblemished record on the line Tuesday afternoon when the Spartans (9-0) visit Watchung Hills (5-4-1) for a Skyland Conference Raritan Division game.

You can hear it on Central Jersey Sports Radio with pregame at 3:30 pm, and first pitch at 3:45, as Mike Pavlichko calls all the action. Click here to listen.

They key numbers to know, simplistic as it may sound, are batting average and ERA. This year’s team is hitting .348, a marked improvement over last years. .274 average. Troy Reboski is leading the team with a .538 average and 13 runs batted in, while Collin Kassai is hitting .520 and has knocked in eight runs.

At the same time, the Spartans’ team ERA is down from 4.44 to 1.84. And out of seven pitchers who’ve seen action this year, only three have surrendered a single run. Nick Bozzo, who gets the start Tuesday, is 2-0 with a 1.83 earned run average.

Click below to hear Immaculata head coach Kevin Cust talk about the 2024 Spartans and Tuesday’s trip to Watchung Hills: