Baseball – Week 1 Player and Pitcher of the Week

Shore Sports Network Player of the Week

Mike Jelliff, Shore

Mike Jelliff's first at-bat in the sixth inning against Rumson-Fair Haven on April 3 produced a result that would have made for a memorable opening day for any high school baseball player. His next at-bat in Shore's 14-run inning cemented one of the more memorable feats at any level of baseball.

Jelliff socked two grand slams during that 14-run sixth inning, the highlighted to a fast start for the senior second baseman. Last week, Jelliff also went 6-for-9 in Shore's three games.

The final hour of voting was kind to Jelliff, who rallied past Manalapan's Steven Bullen to finish atop the poll.

Pitcher of the Week

Matt Mincieli, Long Branch

Long Branch has only three non-division wins to show for a competitive start to the season and Mincieli's got two of them. The junior right-hander got a chance to start twice last week and took advantage by winning both outings. He allowed three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out eight in a 5-3 win over Rumson-Fair Haven on April 10 and was even better on Saturday against Matawan. In that game, Mincieli pitched six scoreless innings while allowing four hits and two walks with nine strikeouts - which came against a Huskies team that now leads the A Central race, along with Raritan.

All told, Mincieli allowed three runs on seven hits in 13 innings with 17 strikeouts and three walks during his week and the SSN readers rewarded him with the first overall Pitcher of the Week honor. Mincieli held off Freehold Township senior Mike Pirrotta to earn the distinction.