By Mike White
Staff Writer
JACKSON — Scott Levine spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the Goetz Middle School baseball team before being promoted to head coach this spring.
His first campaign as skipper turned out to be a good one as Goetz posted an overall mark of 11-6 and finished second in the Blue Division of the Ocean County Intermediate School Athletic League.
"It was a good year," Levine said. "We had a number of talented kids on the team who did a good job of leading the way. Our guys played hard throughout the year and picked themselves up on the days when we didn’t play well. I’m happy that we had more good days than bad ones."
Levine inherited the job from Ken Sims, who was hired to coach the Jackson High School varsity squad. Sims left Levine a solid core of players.
Eighth-grader Mark Schiavone was selected as the team’s most valuable player. Schiavone led the squad in both averages and RBIs. He finished with a gaudy .512 average and drove in a total of 16 runs.
In addition, he was one of the team’s top hurlers. He finished with a team-leading 50 strikeouts.
"He is quite a ball player," Levine said. "He can do everything well. He is only going to continue to get better and better as he gets older. The high school team is getting a very good prospect in the years to come. He has unlimited potential."
Seventh-grader Donald Murphy batted .497 and stole a team-high 10 bases. One of the highlights of the season was Murphy’s steal of home plate in an extra-inning victory over Point Borough, Levine said.
"We had two outs and the bases loaded when he did it," Levine said. "The pitcher never looked back and he (Murphy) took off for the plate. The pitcher threw a curve ball and Murphy managed to slide under the tag."
Kyle Rose received the Don Connor Award, given to the player who demonstrates excellence on the field and in the classroom. Teammate Mike Reta was awarded the sportsmanship trophy.
In addition, Rose, Reta and Schiavone were all named to the all-league team.
Sixth-grader Brendon Stilwell made an impact this season and is one of the players Levine is looking for to lead the team next year.
Stilwell batted .378 and had 11 RBIs. He stole six bases and proved to be a flexible defender.
"He has a very good bat," Levine said. "We are expecting very good things from the next two years. He is the kind of kid who can play any position."
Doug Barry and P.J. Adams were cited for fine defensive play all season, Levine said.
Other team members who should make an impact next season include Ryan Guarino, Corey Johnson, Craig Turner, Joe Abarno and Eddie Jennings.
"I’m looking forward to working the group that is returning," Levine said.
"We have a solid nucleus coming back to build on. If we add a couple of players to the mix we already have, we’re looking to have another good year."