The Monroe Township 12U purple baseball team last week beat Millburn Short Hills 11-2 in the New Jersey State Championship game, extending their record to 24-2 this season. This makes four state championships in the last five years for this team.
The next step for the boys is the Mid- Atlantic Regional Championship, which is being held in Clifton Park, N.Y. There they will compete among 10 of the top teams from Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Delaware. If successful in Clifton Park, the next step would be the Cal Ripken World Series, held in Aberdeen, Md.
The Cal Ripken World Series is not unfamiliar to these young men.
“In 2009, at the age of 10, they won the district, state and Mid-Atlantic regional championships and advanced to the World Series in Lamar, Col., where they finished fourth in the country,” said Manager Mike Peto.
“They are a special group of kids with a terrific passion for the game,” said assistant coach James Heatter.
While it may seem like a magical season, it’s been anything but that. The Monroe team had to overcome a great deal of adversity. At the beginning of the summer, Monroe lost pitcher Eric Heatter, catcherAnthony Tagliaferro and third basemen Rob Peto to injuries. Further injuries to shortstop Joey Filiano and pitchers Aidan Lavan and Chris Perdoni make what they’ve accomplished even more impressive.
Monroe’s first taste of action this summer came in Rehoboth Beach, Del., during Memorial Day weekend, going 4- 2 and placing third among 16 teams in the 13U division, a full year older then them. Since then, the boys have run off 20 consecutive wins and four championships, winning the South Jersey CYO Father’s Day Tournament, the District 9 Championship, the Monroe Invitational and now the State Championship.
Assistant Coach Lou Granda attributes this success, despite all the adversity, to their perseverance, dedication to one another and will to win.
“While some boys have been injured, others have stepped up to replace them wherever possible,” said Granda.
Kyle Daly had never caught for the team before, but now had to become lead catcher as back-ups were now pitchers. Mike Granda moved in to the leadoff spot and became the spark plug for the team. Stephen
McCann, along with Perdoni, Peto and Lavan, had to step in to lead the pitching staff.
Matt Horn, R.J. Dreyfuss and Nikki Lombard had to become the leaders in the outfield and in the middle part of the batting order as others were out.
“All in all, I couldn’t be more proud of these kids,” Peto said.
The good news, all are now healthy and ready to head to Clifton Park to try to once again become theMid-Atlantic Regional Champions and eventual World Series participants. Monroe’s first game is July 28 against Metro N.Y. The following day, it’s a double-header against Delaware and host Clifton Park. On July 30, they end pool play against North West Pennsylvania. If successful in pool play, the playoffs are on July 31 and the championship on Aug. 1.
The Dirty Birds can be followed on their website www.dirtybirdsbaseball.com or on Facebook at Dirty Birds Baseball or on the Monroe Township Baseball Association site at www.monroebaseball.com.