BY WAYNE WITKOWSKI
Staff Writer
Playoff fever is heating up at the Brick American Little League complex, not only for its divisional playoff games that get underway this week but for the District 18 tournament, where 25 games will be played on 11 days there.
It starts next Sunday, June 26, in the Little League tournament with a triple-header that starts 10 a.m. with Brick National playing Toms River and continues at noon when Jackson plays Lakewood, and closes at 2 p.m., when host Brick American takes on Manchester.
“We’re ready,” said league president Tom Nerney. “Last year, we spent $40,000 to re-cut and resurface the four fields.”
Sites have not been announced for many of the other levels, but Brick American hopes it will be the host for some games in the Senior League that starts Monday, June 27; the Junior League and 11-year-olds that start June 30; and the 10-year-olds that begin July 2.
There will be some managerial changes. Jon Denley, who has coached the Little League and the 11-year-old All-Star teams in the past, is taking the year off from those duties to spend more time with his family. Denley coached the Little League district champions two years ago, one of three district championship teams in the program that summer.
Bob Nelson, whose White Sox team is in the league playoffs, will coach the Little League All-Stars. His team is in third place behind the Rangers and first-place Angels coached by Kevin Case. Playoffs began Monday night among the second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-place teams, with the Angels getting a bye.
Bill Hotz, who coaches the second place Orioles, has the unenviable task of leading his team’s bid for an unprecedented fourth straight district title.
“It will be tough now because everyone knows us from our winning three straight titles,” said Nerney.
Hotz said the All-Star team will be selected by the end of the week.
“I’m confident we can do pretty well in the district with the kids I saw we had playing out there this year,” said Hotz, who succeeds Joe Baatz, the architect of the three prior championships. “I think we have a good group of kids with real good pitching, the defense is solid and the hitting is good.”
Hotz said he can say the same for his own Orioles team that played the regular season champion Red Sox of manager Chris Falikiewicz in the first round of the playoffs on Monday. The Orioles were 1-2 and split their two games with the Red Sox, handing that team its only loss of the regular season.
He said he can turn to plenty of pitchers in Sean Breeden, Joe Mannon, Mark Cerrachio, Sam Sciamarelli and Mike Douglas. Cerrachio also plays shortstop and Mannon is at second base when they’re not pitching. Matt Kremp is a good third baseman and Evan Mancini is versatile at first base or the outfield and also pitches. There also are outfielders R.J. Piaggioli, Cody Heilbraun and Taylor Vogel.
Hotz said he expects his team, as well as the Red Sox, to have their share of representatives when the All-Star selections are finalized.