The Brookdale Community College softball team is having one of those special seasons.
The Jersey Blues are the nation’s top-ranked Division III team, sporting a 46-3 record.
In a doubleheader on April 19, the season became even more memorable. When the Jersey Blues swept against Cumberland County College, 16-1 and 15-0, they earned head coach Bo Scannapieco his 899th and 900th career wins at the Lincroft college.
Now in his 27th year as the Brookdale skipper, Scannapieco has built up a résumé that is second to none and has already put the Jackson native in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Hall of Fame. He has guided the Jersey Blues to three national championships (2002, 2005, 2010) and four national runner ups, as well as 15 Region XIX titles. The NJCAA career leader in victories among Division III softball coaches, he sported a 900-249-3 (.781 win percentage) record after the doubleheader sweep.
Scannapieco was recognized by the National FastPitch Coaches Association (NFCA) in 2009 when he registered his 700th victory. It took him less than four years to go from 700 to 900.
Brookdale, which is 22-0 in Region play, is home to Monroe College on April 24 for a twinbill that starts at 3:30 p.m. These are Brookdale’s last scheduled home games for the regular season. The regular season closes on April 25 with a doubleheader at Mercer County Community College.
The Region XIX tournament begins on April 27. The Jersey Blues have wrapped up the top seed for the tournament, which sends the winner to the NJCAA National Championship, and have a first-round bye.
Middlesex County College is hosting this year’s tournament in Edison. Final Four play will begin on May 4, and the tournament will run through May 6.
The national championship is May 16- 18 in Rochester, Minn.