Baseball – 2023 Shore Sports Network All-Shore Third Team

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Shore Sports Network All-Shore teams are selected by Baseball Editor Matt Manley based on statistics, first-hand accounts, coaches input and team success. Check out the coaches' all-division selections here.

Read: All-Shore First Team | Second Team

Shore Sports Network 2023 All-Shore Third Team

Catcher

Cristian Soto, Jr., Central

Video Credit: John Kroeger | Twitter: @jkroegerjt

Although it was a disappointing season for Central, and Soto finished with a modest 15 RBI hitting in the middle of the order, the junior backstop continued to hit quality pitching and did what he could with a young lineup and pitching staff. Even after offseason shoulder surgery, Soto remains one of the Shore’s best defenders and at the plate, he came through with extra-base hits against some of the best pitchers on Central’s schedule: Jackson Memorial’s Anthony Mehmet (home run), Southern’s Roger Dreher (RBI double) and Vineland’s Xavier Cortez (two-run triple).

Joe Nolan, Sr., Catcher, Brick Memorial

Among the reasons for Brick Memorial rallying for a share of the Class A North championship was having a catcher who was a standout on both sides of the ball and reached base 53 percent of the time. Nolan was second among catchers in on-base percentage, fifth in batting average and was also one of eight backstops to hit at least three home runs. Having Nolan on base so often was especially advantageous for Brick Memorial, which took advantage by deploying courtesy runner extraordinaire Billy Caruso, who broke a single-season school record with 25 stolen bases and scored 23 runs.

First Base

Frank Scrivanic, Sr., Red Bank Catholic

For the last three seasons, Scrivanic has been a middle-of-the-order stalwart for the top team in the Shore Conference during that span of time and the best part about Scrivanic has been his ability to hit good pitching – particularly left-handers – and his propensity to show up in big games. In RBC’s run to the NJSIAA Non-Public A final, Scrivani went 7-for-9 with two doubles in four state-tournament games, including a 3-for-3 game with a double in the 4-1 championship loss to Don Bosco and left-hander Mike Staiano.

Infield

Reece Moroney, Sr., Shortstop, Rumson-Fair Haven

Video Credit: NFHS Network

In three years as a starter for one of the Shore’s most successful teams during that stretch, Moroney played four different positions (second base, shortstop, third base and centerfield) and in his final year, he played a sharp shortstop for a squad that made a strong case as the conference’s best defensive team. Moroney again delivered with the bat as well, finishing the season as one of six Shore Conference shortstops to hit three homers – one of which came off Manasquan standout Cullen Condon in a 3-2 Monmouth County Tournament win for the Bulldogs. Moroney is headed to the University of Rhode Island to continue his career.

Mike McCormack, So., Third Base/First Base, St. John Vianney

McCormack was a bright spot during a six-win season for St. John Vianney, with the sophomore one of just 14 qualified hitters (50 plate appearances) to post a slugging percentage of .700 or better. The Lancers slugger turned in one of the best single-game performances of any Shore Conference players this season, going 4-for-4 with two doubles, a home run and nine RBI in a win over Neptune. McCormack finished in the Shore top 10 in homers (eighth) and RBI (seventh) and was the only Shore underclassman to drive in at least 30 runs.

Connor Cilento, Sr., Shortstop, Point Pleasant Boro

As a freshman in 2020, Cilento was in line to contribute – likely as a starter in some capacity – on Point Boro’s loaded, defending Group II runner-up, but missed out on that chance when the season was canceled due to COVID. The Panthers then became a much younger team the following year and while they have been rebuilding, Cilento has been thriving. He shattered the school record with 63 career steals and during his senior campaign, he finished top 25 at the Shore in batting average while leading the Panthers to their first winning record since 2019.

Outfield

Dan Fedorco, Sr., Rightfield, Raritan

Fedorco was a slugging machine for Raritan and he was a driving force when the Rockets finished the season 11-2 over their final 13 games. The senior outfielder led the Shore Conference in triples and five of his six three-baggers came during that furious finish in May and June. Wall saw more than it cared to see of Fedorco, who in two wins over the Crimson Knights, went 5-for-7 with two triples, two homers and five RBI.

Nicco Maribo, Jr., Centerfield, Brick Memorial

Maribo was the offensive sparkplug for a Brick Memorial team that won a share of its first division championship since 1995, finishing top 10 at the Shore in hits (tied for sixth) and doubles (tied for fifth) and 13th in both runs scored and stolen bases. Maribo showed up during tournament time as well, going 10-for-20 with two doubles, a triple and seven runs in Brick Memorial’s six tournament games between the Ocean County, Shore Conference and NJSIAA Central Group III Tournaments.

Bryson Kirby, Jr., Centerfield/RHP, Point Pleasant Boro

Kirby is a standout athlete whose athleticism translates to power in more ways than one. At the plate, the Monmouth University commit and centerfielder hit three homes runs and all three came against All-Shore pitchers: Marlboro’s Alex D’Ambrosio, Donovan Catholic’s Shaun O’Keefe and Point Beach’s Kyle Kolans. On the mound, Kirby finished second in the conference with 13.52 strikeouts-per-seven innings and posted four double-digit strikeout performances.

Designated Hitter

Zach Hampton, So., Third Base/RHP, Middletown North

After filling in a starting spot and hitting over .400 as a freshman on a state-championship team in 2022, Hampton followed up his freshman campaign with a similar season, but in a much more prominent role for Middletown North. The sophomore was one of 40 players to hit .400 this season and among that group, he was one of only three (Southern’s Brady Lesiak and Marlboro’s Alex D’Ambrosio) to also pitch at least 40 innings.

Utility

Ben Schild, Sr., Rightfield/RHP, Middletown South

With two All-Shore First Team selections over the past two seasons, Schild set the bar as high as it could be for a senior ballplayer. An arm injury kept Schild off the mound for four weeks in the middle of the season and he finished with just 21 2/3 innings after throwing 56 2/3 as a sophomore and 49 1/3 as a junior. They were still overpowering innings, with Schild posting a Shore-leading strikeout rate of 13.57 per seven innings and a 0.65 ERA that ranked third among pitchers with 20 innings or more of work in 2023. All the while, Schild – a UConn signee – remained a major threat at the plate, with standout games against defending Group IV champion Howell (two homers), a one-loss Cranford team (2-for-3 with a homer) and Somerville in the Group III opening round (2-for-3 with a double and two RBI).

A.J. Pierson, Sr., RHP/First Base, Toms River South

Coming off a junior season in which he spent time as Toms River South’s catcher, Pierson moved out from behind the plate to put more focus into leading the pitching staff and it worked out for he and the Indians. Pierson eased into the season with three straight relief appearances, including saves in wins over Brick Memorial and Toms River North before taking off as a starter. He finished ninth in the conference in WHIP and in his first three starts, he pitched three consecutive complete games with two runs allowed or fewer. Pierson beat Manasquan in his regular-season finale before allowing one run in a six-inning no-decision at Cherry Hill West in the South Group III first round.

Pitchers

Declan Leary, Jr., RHP, Red Bank Catholic

Arm fatigue ended Leary’s season earlier than he and his Red Bank Catholic team hoped, but Leary toughed out the earlier part of the season and went on to finish seventh in the conference among Shore pitchers with at least 30 innings during his junior year. Leary earned a win in six of the seven appearances he made and in the other, he closed out a win over Gloucester Catholic. Leary’s first win – and season-high in strikeouts (7) – came in a win over No. 3 Rumson-Fair Haven and he secured two tournament wins over rival CBA, including a three-hitter in the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals.

Anthony Mehmet, Sr., LHP, Jackson Memorial

Although Jackson Memorial lost a lot of talent and production from its 2022 pitching staff to graduation, it still had a workhorse leading the way in 2023 thanks to Mehmet. The senior southpaw finished tied for fourth in the Shore Conference in innings, fourth in ERA among Shore pitchers with at least 30 innings and was one of 14 pitchers in the conference with six or more wins. Mehmet was the starter in Jackson Memorial’s A South wins over Brick Memorial, Southern and Central, earning complete-game victories over Brick Memorial and Central while going eight innings vs. Southern in a game Jackson Memorial eventually won in 11 innings. On the flipside, one of his losses was a 2-1 loss at Rumson-Fair Haven in which he struck out a season-high nine in 5 2/3 innings vs. the No. 3 team in the SSN Top 10.

Steve Svenson, Jr., RHP, Red Bank Catholic

Svenson’s ERA took a hit thanks to two blown saves against the other two teams ranked in the Shore top three (Ranney and Rumson), but Svenson proved to be highly effective as a starter. In a starting role, Svenson went 5-2 with an ERA of 1.68 and since taking the loss vs. Ranney in the Monmouth County Tournament final, he posted a 2.58 ERA in 21 2/3 innings. Svenson took the ball for RBC’s NJSIAA South Non-Public A semifinal win over St. Augustine and pitched a three-hitter with a career-high 11 strikeouts to end the Hermits’ run of six straight sectional championships.

Jack O’Shea, Sr., LHP, Manasquan

Due to its deep, talented pitching staff, Manasquan starting pitchers only pitched past the fifth inning seven times in 2023, so O’Shea doing so just twice all year is par for the course given the make-up of the staff. In doing so, O’Shea led the Warriors in innings and was among the top 25 at the Shore in ERA (24th), WHIP (15th) and strikeouts (16th). In his last appearance, O’Shea went longer than any of his teammates did all year, allowing one runs in 7 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts in taking a no-decision in Manasquan’s extra-inning, season-ending loss at Delran in the Central Group II quarterfinals.

Kyle Kolans, Sr., RHP/Third Base, Point Pleasant Beach

After helping Point Beach make history last season, when the Garnet Gulls won their first ever NJSAA sectional championship, Kolans led his team to more hardware as a senior in 2023. The right-hander led the Shore Conference with nine wins, including posting a 3-0 record during Point Beach’s run to the championship. Kolans allowed one run in five innings vs. Middlesex in the sectional final, but his best performance of the season was a six-strikeout complete-game in a regular-season win over Middletown North that clinched the No. 1 seed in the Central Group I sectional and ultimately cleared the way for the Garnet Gulls to finish the season in the Shore Sports Network Top 10 for the first time ever.

First Four Off

With two fifth-year seniors making this year’s All-Shore Team, we want to recognize the high school student-athletes who would have been next in line for one of the 50 All-Shore spots were it not for the adoption of the bridge-year rule allowing 2021 and 2022 graduates to play an extra-year of high-school sports in the spring following their graduating year. Below are the first two hitters and first two pitchers who were in line to make this year’s All-Shore third team had those spots been open.

Like last year, only one of the four is a senior and there is good news for the other three: of the three non-seniors to be recognized last year as one of the “last four out,” all three (Manalapan’s Cristian Bernardini, Matawan’s Brandon Falco and Moroney) made this year’s All-Shore team and one (Bernardini) made the First Team.

Hitters

Jack Riva, Jr., Leftfield, Rumson-Fair Haven

Joe Maier, Jr., Shortstop, Donovan Catholic

Pitchers

Phil Kramer, Jr., LHP, Raritan

Joe Ruth, Sr., LHP, Red Bank

*COMING THURSDAY: All-Shore Final Vote*

The four players who just missed the Third Team cut will be among the players included on the All-Shore Final Vote ballot. The annual fan vote is a chance for baseball fans and school supporters around the Shore Conference to select the last six members of the 2023 All-Shore Team. Check back on Thursday to find out the candidates and to start voting!