By Matthew Rocco
Some of the Shore Conference’s top softball players are looking to carry the Jersey Shore to its third Carpenter Cup title this week.
The 12th annual Carpenter Cup, a double-elimination tournament hosted by the Philadelphia Phillies, started June 20 at the Phillies MLB Urban Youth Academy Softball Fields located in FDR Park. Eight of the competition’s 16 teams were scheduled to play double- and triple-headers on the first day. The other eight clubs were set to take the fields June 21. The action on June 22 began at 9 a.m., and the remaining four teams will play at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. June 23. A third game, if necessary, will be played at 1 p.m. to decide the champion.
The Jersey Shore is one of just three teams to win the Carpenter Cup twice. The Jersey Shore last won the championship in 2010 and claimed its first title in 2007. Burlington County won the 2015 Carpenter Cup.
Red Bank Catholic (RBC) High School, Manchester Township High School, Howell High School, Keyport High School, Pinelands Regional High School and Brick Memorial High School are represented by the Jersey Shore All-Stars this year.
The roster’s junior class consists of Haylie Barnes (Howell), Alexis Bennett (MAST/Keyport), Nicole Burke (Pinelands), Hailey Dries (Manchester), Allie Immerso (Brick Memorial), Tori Lucarelli (Brick Memorial), Emily Lynch (Manchester) and Dana McCulloch (RBC).
The Jersey Shore sophomores are Gabby Ciancio (RBC), Colby Coppola (RBC), Jessie Rising (Pinelands), Brianna Suralik (Pinelands) and Mackenzie Vogler (Howell).
Jersey Shore’s head coach is Tony Flego, the head softball coach at RBC.
The Carpenter Cup is a college showcase for juniors and sophomores. According to the Phillies’ website, the Carpenter Cup was established to give the best high school players in the tri-state area an opportunity to play in front of college recruiters. The Phillies want the tournament to be a “catalyst for many players to receive scholarships or admission to some of the country’s finest universities.”
The Carpenter Cup features players from 17 different New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware leagues, including the Shore Conference.
On the baseball side, the Jersey Shore lost a rematch of the 2015 final against the defending champion, the Suburban One League National/Bicentennial team. The 6-0 loss ended Jersey Shore’s Carpenter Cup run. Unlike the softball version, Carpenter Cup baseball is a win-or-go-home tournament.