The N.J. Hitmen out of St. Joe’s Church in Keyport won their USABL 11U Elite Division championship this fall thanks to an amazing playoff run.
The Hitmen started the season slowly and finished the regular season with a 2-6-1 mark.
The playoffs were another season, and that is when the Hitmen started playing winning baseball.
They began the playoffs with a 6-4 win over the Manalapan Warriors. Then came the Manasquan Tide — the team with the best record during the regular season. The Hitmen, led by Nick Trapani’s completegame, 12-strikeout performance, defeated the Tide with a convincing 11-4 victory. After beating the regular season champions, the Hitmen met Langan Baseball. The teams split their two regular season meetings.
The finals saw both teams play great baseball, with the Hitmen winning, 2-1, after pushing the winning run across the plate in the sixth inning.
The strong pitching of Trapani, as well as timely hitting and base running by Matt Silva in the top of the sixth, was the difference.
The players on the St. Joe’s Hitmen are Loui Curcio, Ben Porricelli, Sean Turner, John Cardile, Aarron Kurtzman, Matt Silva, Joseph Tutrone, Tom Volpicella, Sam Duffy, Mike Jannucci, Sean Donaghue and Nick Trapani.
The coaches are Sal Trapani, Anthony Tutrone and Nick Silva.