Baseball – Week 5 Jersey Mike’s Team of the Week: Red Bank Catholic

Red Bank Catholic entered the season with a team heavy on potential, but light on experience. What experience the Caseys did return, however, has risen to the occasion and the result has been yet another championship season - one that still has a chance to get better as the younger RBC starters gain experience.

Over the past week, returning starters like senior pitchers Austin Nappi and Blaise Panzini delivered big starts in the final two games of the Monmouth County Tournament and returning junior David Glancy continued a hot streak that started with a three-homer game on April 26. The result was a second straight MCT championship for RBC and, in turn, the Week Five Jersey Mike's Team of the Week Award.

Nappi pitched Red Bank Catholic to a 6-3 win over Christian Brothers Academy on Saturday, with junior Ryan O'Hara and sophomore catcher Chris Sparber - both first-year starters - supplying the power. O'Hara launched two solo homers in the game and Sparber hit the go-ahead solo home run in the top of the fifth. Nappi, meanwhile, threw 100 pitches over seven innings to earn one of the biggest wins of his accomplished varsity career. CBA entered the Saturday on a 13-game winning streak.

In Monday's championship game against St. Rose, it was Glancy and senior Nick Merlo who led the offense, with Glancy going 2-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI and Merlo going 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI in a 5-1 win at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood.

In the championship game, Panzini came out on fire, striking out nine of the first 14 hitters he faced. The senior right-hander allowed one run in five innings while striking out nine and walking two.

Red Bank Catholic's eight-day stretch actually started with a second loss to Wall ace Trey Dombroski, but the Caseys bounced back with two more Class B North wins over Middletown South and Manasquan before ending CBA's winning streak and finishing off the Monmouth County title on Monday.

RBC is now 5-1 in games outside of B North divisional place, similar to last year, when the Caseys went 14-2 outside of B North and won their first 14 such games before losing to St. Augustin in the NJSIAA South Jersey Non-Public A semifinal and to Toms River North in the Shore Conference Tournament final.

2018 Team of the Week Winners

Week 1: Central

Week 2: Marlboro

Week 3: Matawan

Week 4: Raritan