Baseball – Vote: Players of the Week, Week 6

Each week for the remainder of the baseball season, Shore Sports Network will select both players and pitchers of the week from each of the six Shore Conference divisions and open up the voting to the readers in order to pick an overall Player of the Week. In addition to the six pitchers and players from each division, there will be two wild cards in each category who will be placed on the ballot. Vote early, vote often, and vote until Wednesday at 10 p.m., when the voting will close and the winners will be posted.

Class A North

Player of the Week

Andrew Beam, Freehold Twp.

Freehold Township entered the Shore Conference Tournament with a record under .500, but now finds itself in the SCT quarterfinals after beating Middletown South and No. 2 seed Monmouth. Beam carried the offense in the first-round win over Middletown South, going 3-for-4 with four RBI on two two-run singles. He also went 1-for-1 with an RBI and a pair of runs scored in Saturday’s 9-1 win over Monmouth in the SCT round of 16.

Pitcher of the Week

Nick Hohenstein, CBA

Hohenstein turned in two strong starts during the week, first in a 1-0 loss to Middletown North on Monday and again in a 5-1 win over Freehold Boro on Saturday. That now makes Hohenstein 3-0 against Freehold Boro this season, the latest a complete-game effort. Over the two starts, Hohenstein allowed one earned run on 12 hits and one walk with 13 strikeouts in 13 innings. The Colts junior also enjoyed a big week at the plate, going 4-for-11 with two home runs, a triple and eight RBI in four games – all CBA wins.

Player of the Week Honorable Mention: Andrea Dalatri, CBA; Matt Fitzsimmons, CBA; Nick Straub, Colts Neck; Chris Cassandra, Freehold Boro; Giovanni Ciaccio, Manalapan; Reece Horneck, Colts Neck; Will Trochiano, Marlboro

Class A Central

Player of the Week

John Juco, Red Bank

The Bucs qualified for the SCT with a win over Union on Monday and Juco delivered a two-run double in the 4-2 victory. That was the start of a 3-for-5 week for the senior infielder, which included two doubles, three runs scored and three hit-by-pitches in a 9-7 loss to St. Rose in the SCT first round.

Pitcher of the Week

Mason O’Mara, Red Bank

While Juco delivered the big hit against Union, O’Mara took care of the pitching side to help the Bucs secure an SCT berth. The senior right-hander allowed two unearned runs on just two hits and struck out a career-high 12 while walking three to earn the win.

Player of the Week Honorable Mention: Sal Monticciolo, Holmdel; Chris Ammirati, Holmdel; Tyler Bruno, Raritan; Mike Trapani, Matawan; Chris Caragliano, St. John Vianney; Jake Tennant, Raritan; Dan Vanmeerbeke, Raritan; Ryan DeMille, St. John Vianney

Class A South

Player of the Week

Mike Nyisztor, Toms River North

The Mariners shortstop spent his week on a tear at the plate, going 9-for-16 with four doubles, five runs scored and five RBI in five games. Of those five games, four were tournament games and Nyisztor was 8-for-13 in those. He went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored in an Ocean County Tournament win over Toms River South and was 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI in the OCT final against Southern. Nyisztor also drove in three during a 2-for-3 game against Point Beach in the SCT opener and went 2-for-3 with a double in Saturday’s SCT win over Middletown North.

Pitcher of the Week

John Giordano, Toms River North

Making just his second varsity start, Giordano pitched a no-hitter in a 15-0 win in five innings over Point Beach in the opening round of the Shore Conference Tournament last Wednesday. He struck out 10 and allowed just one baserunner on a fourth-inning walk, which came after Giordano struck out eight of the first 10 batters he faced.

Player of the Week Honorable Mention: Matt Fitzpatrick, Toms River South; Jared Bellissimo, Toms River North; Joe Manso, Brick Memorial; Ryan Galati, Central; Tyler Aires, Central; C.J. Banka, Brick Memorial; Brendan Mullins, Toms River North

Class B North

Player of the Week

Phil DeMarco, Ocean

The Spartans won a pair of tune-up games while preparing for the state tournament, the first of which was a 3-0 victory over Brick Memorial in which DeMarco fired a one-hitter with nine strikeouts. Later in the week, the senior left-hander cracked a home run in an 11-0 win over Mater Dei Prep.

Pitcher of the Week

Chris Price, Middletown North

Price began his week by besting CBA’s Nick Hohenstein in Middletown North’s 1-0 win over the Colts. He pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings in that one while allowing two hits and no walks with four strikeouts to improve to 5-0. Price then suffered his first loss on Saturday, but kept Middletown North in the game against Toms River North in the SCT round of 16. Price allowed two earned runs on eight hits and a walk over six innings against the newly-crowned Ocean County Tournament champions.

Player of the Week Honorable Mention: T.J. Brewer, Long Branch; Paul Birzin, Monmouth; Joe Sprake, Middletown South; Ryan Ruziecki, Middletown South; Max Winters, Ocean; Aidan Supp, Red Bank Catholic; Juwan Wilkins, Red Bank Catholic; Alec Keezer, Ocean; Justin Scotto, Monmouth; Garrett French, Middletown North; Ryan Napolitano, Wall; Trey Dombroski, Wall

Class B Central

Player of the Week

Riley Maypother, St. Rose

St. Rose went 4-1 this week with a win over Pope John and Maypother was once again in the middle of the offensive attack. The junior third baseman went 8-for-14 with two doubles, four runs scored and six RBI in games against Brick Memorial, Red Bank, Pope John and Pinelands.

Pitcher of the Week

Lucas Dant, Keyport

Making just his second start of the season, Dant turned his second consecutive strong outing on Tuesday, this time allowing two runs in seven innings to pitch Keyport past Matawan in a quality non-divisional win for the Red Raiders. Dant allowed two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out one and also driving in a run at the plate for his first career RBI.

Player of the Week Honorable Mention: Ethan Gavin, Ranney; Kiran Shah, Ranney; Kevin Donnelly, Point Beach; Joe Volpe, St. Rose; Kyle Johnson, Keyport; Kevin Olausen, Mater Dei; John Crowley, St. Rose; Joe Volpe, St. Rose; Sam Sestito, St. Rose

Class B South

Player of the Week

Anthony Elefante, Lacey

Elefante started his week with a solid pitching performance in a 13-2 statement win over Monmouth Regional, in which he pitched a six-inning complete game and went 2-for-3 with an RBI at the plate. He then doubled in a 4-3 loss to Toms River South on Wednesday and finished up the week by going 1-for-2 with a three-run home run in the Lions’ 11-1 win over Southern Saturday in the Shore Conference Tournament round of 16.

Pitcher of the Week

Joey Ventresca, Pinelands

Considering the opponent and the final score of the game, Ventresca’s one-hit shutout against ninth-seeded Manasquan on Wednesday in the SCT opening round might have been the tournament’s best pitching performance. Ventresca struck out nine and walked two in seven innings to carry the No. 24 Wildcats to a 1-0 win over the Warriors and Old Dominion commit Connor Muly, who was sharp on the mound in defeat.

Player of the Week Honorble Mention: Julian Zingler, Lakewood; Don Zellman, Lacey; David Melfi, Jackson Liberty; Tommy Madge, Pinelands; Lukas Torres, Barnegat; Tom Paul, Point Boro; Justin Thompson, Lacey; Noah Dean, Pinelands; Matt Pickus, Jackson Liberty; Justin Diefenbach, Barnegat

Wild Cards

Player of the Week

Matt Fitzpatrick, Toms River South

The Toms River South first baseman swung a hot bat this week, going 8-for-12 overall and 5-for-6 in the Indians’ two tournament games. Fitzpatrick was 2-for-3 with a double in a 5-2 loss to Toms River North in the OCT semifinals and went 3-for-3 with a double and four RBI in an 11-8 win over Jackson Liberty in the SCT round of 16.

David Melfi, Jackson Liberty

The sophomore backstop continued his breakout season at the plate during a 2-2 week for the Lions. In total, Melfi was 9-for-15 with four doubles, a triple and seven RBI in the fourth games, which included a win over Toms River North in the regular season and a win over Class A Central champion Raritan. Against Toms River North, Melfi was 3-for-4 with two doubles and a triple and in an 11-8 loss to Toms River South in the SCT round of 16, he went 2-for-3 with three RBI – including a game-tying two-run single in the sixth inning.

Pitcher of the Week

Sam Sestito, St. Rose

Although St. Rose bowed out of the Shore Conference Tournament on Saturday, the Purple Roses picked up a solid win one day earlier against Pope John thanks to a strong outing from Sestito. The junior right-hander went the distance, allowing two runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out two.

Matt Pickus, Jackson Liberty

The junior right-hander turned in another strong start for the Lions, this time shutting down Class A Central champion Raritan in the SCT opening round. Pickus allowed one unearned run on four hits and a walk while striking out five in Jackson Liberty’s 5-1 win over the Rockets.