MONMOUTH REGIONAL
A year after pulling off an upset in the state tournament, the Monmouth
Regional High School baseball team is keeping up with the competition with solid pitching and a lineup that has topped expectations.
Last season, the Falcons mounted a surprise run in the playoffs to win their third sectional title — NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II — in school history.
Monmouth Regional, playing alongside Red Bank Catholic High School and St. John Vianney High School in Shore Conference A Central, is a younger team this time around. That hasn’t stopped it, though, going 9-4 so far this season to sit in a firstplace tie for the division.
One of the losses came in the second round of the Monmouth County Tournament (MCT) on April 26. Monmouth Regional was on the losing end of a pitching duel with Manalapan High School, 4-1.
Paul Crivello, who replaced longtime head coach Ted Jarmusz this season, said the early loss in the MCT won’t derail the Falcons.
“They seem to excel when they get counted out,” Crivello said.
Starting the season five games above .500 and tied for first place in a tough division is a good sign for a young team, he added.
Returning senior pitcher Zach Centrella is 3-0 with a 1.56 ERA and 10 strikeouts. Dan Valerio, a senior infielder, is hitting .455 with 17 RBIs, and senior pitcher/infielder John Bonczyk has a .475 average at the plate. Junior Matt Vincenti is batting .410 with eight extra-base hits and 20 runs scored.
Monmouth Regional’s newcomers include Christian Hoplock, a sophomore outfielder who is hitting .359. Hoplock also has four innings on the mound.
Junior Christian DeFazio has logged the most innings, posting a 4.67 ERA. Junior Corey Shevlin has worked 17 innings for a 4.15 ERA. Bonczyk has struck out 24 batters in 18 innings pitched. Sophomore Garrhet Reedy and juniors Jimmy Green, Joe Berner, Marc Marcincak and Tim Reynolds have provided depth in the lineup.
Crivello said that while the team’s pitching and defense have been strengths, its lineup has improved since the start of the season. As a team, Monmouth Regional is hitting .325 and leads the division with 93 runs scored.
“We’re hitting the ball. That was one thing we were nervous we would be lacking,” he said.
With a division title on the line, Monmouth Regional has some critical A Central matchups coming up. The Falcons were scheduled to play St. John Vianney on April 30, followed by a game against Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School on May 1.
Playing in the same division as those schools has motivated the Falcons.
“Nobody wants more than to compete with those guys and show you can win,” Crivello said. “Going .500 is a realistic goal as a young team, but we want to compete in these tournaments. We would like to defend the Central Jersey Group II title.”