2023 Baseball: Returning All-Shore and All-Division Pitchers

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For the better part of a decade now, the Shore Conference has churned out some of the state's best pitching, with Division I arms and MLB Draft targets headlining the crop of All-Shore pitchers every season. That trend continues into 2023 and to get yourself primed for opening day on April, catch up with the best pitchers from 2022 who are back with their teams this spring.

Below those players is a list of pitchers returning who were named all-division players by the Shore Conference baseball coaches.

All-Shore Teams: First | Second | Third

All-Shore Final Vote Winners

Coaches' All-Division Teams

Returning 2022 Shore Sports Network All-Shore Pitchers

First Team

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

Pitching Record: 7-0
Innings: 49.1
Strikeouts-Walks: 95-17
ERA: 0.86
AVG/OBP/SLUG: .341/.418/.388
XBH: 4 doubles
Runs: 19
RBI: 18
SB: 5
Season Recap: There have been some big names to graduate from Shore Conference schools over the past three years and, to an extent, Schild has swooped in to steal some of the spotlight from some of the state’s best talent during that time. He was set to be a impact freshman to follow before the 2020 season was canceled, but he made up for it with a brilliant sophomore campaign that would have netted him the SSN Pitcher of the Year Award were in not for Red Bank Catholic ace and current Kansas City Royals farmhand Shane Panzini. Some arm soreness early last season limited his innings count, but Schild was as dominant as ever, particularly down the stretch. The UConn commit will now look to cap his brilliant career with his best year yet, which could include another championship run for Middletown South.

Middletown South senior Ben Schild. (Photo: Richard O'Donnell)

Second Team

John Goodes, Sr., RHP, Rumson-Fair Haven

Pitching Record: 9-1
Innings: 47.2
Strikeouts-Walks: 52-15
ERA: 1.62
Season Recap: Goodes was essentially Rumson’s co-ace along with Wake Forest freshman Charlie Jones and while Jones started the majority of Rumson’s biggest games, Goodes made himself available for both relief work and starting. The Rutgers commit is an attack-minded pitcher who features multiple looks with his fastball and he will once again be part of a strong one-two punch along with classmate and Richmond commit Jackson Hinchcliffe – this time as the No. 1 starter.

Aiden Cody, Sr., RHP, St. John Vianney

Pitching Record: 6-2
Innings: 49.1
Strikeouts-Walks: 71-11
ERA: 2.84
Season Recap: In his second season at St. John Vianney, Cody showcased his flare for the big game when the Lancers needed him. The West Virginia commit turned in quality outings against both Ranney and Rumson-Fair Haven – one a no-decision that ended up an extra-inning win at Ranney and the other a game that was canceled in the fifth inning due to rain – and also fired a 14-strikeout, one-hit shutout in a 1-0 SJV win over Manasquan.

Declan Leary, Jr., RHP, Red Bank Catholic

Pitching Record: 7-3
Innings: 48.2
Strikeouts-Walks: 56-9
ERA: 1.15
Season Recap: O’Leary does not have the eye-popping fastball of most of the pitchers who crack the All-Shore First and Second Teams, but his command is among the best while operating a sneaky fastball with an effective offspeed array. Rumson could not figure O’Leary out in losses to the Caseys in both the regular-season and Shore Conference Tournament, encompassing 13 shutout innings by the RBC right-hander.

Manasquan sophomore Cullen Condon. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)

Third Team

Brady Leach, Sr., RHP/1B, Brick Memorial

Pitching Record: 5-2
Innings: 43.2
Strikeouts-Walks: 72-18
ERA: 2.56
AVG/OBP/SLUG: .381/.491/.607
XBH: 7 doubles, 4 home runs
Runs: 25
RBI: 12
SB: 2
Season Recap: Leach snagged a Third-Team spot as a pitcher, but was really one of the Shore’s top two-way threats while leading Brick Memorial. He fired three starts with double-digit strikeouts, pitched a four-hit shutout against Pinelands in the Ocean County Tournament, and spun five no-hit innings while facing Jackson Memorial ace Zach Crotchfelt.

Cullen Condon, Sr., RHP/SS, Manasquan

Pitching Record: 4-3
Innings: 49.1
Strikeouts-Walks: 71-16
ERA: 1.42
AVG/OBP/SLUG: .247/.355/.351
XBH: 3 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run
Runs: 12
RBI: 12
SB: 7
Season Recap: Condon got off to a torrid start to his sophomore season, which began with a five-inning no-hitter vs. Red Bank, followed by a two-hit shutout with 14 strikeouts vs. Wall and a four-hitter with 12 punchouts vs. Colts Neck. The Wofford commit battled through the middle of the season, then finished strong with a 10-strikeout performance vs. Spotswood in the state tournament.

Matt Johnson, Sr., RHP, Wall

Pitching Record: 9-2
Innings: 62.1
Strikeouts-Walks: 64-15
ERA: 1.91
Season Recap: After starting his junior year 0-2, Johnson rattled off nine wins in a row while establishing himself as the No. 1 starter on a Wall team that nearly made him the winning pitcher in the Central Jersey Group II championship game – a game Johnson turned over to the bullpen with a lead before the Bulldogs rallied in the seventh. This year, it will be Wall’s pitching that returns with experience, with Johnson heading up the staff.

Donovan Catholic senior Shaun O'Keefe. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)

Final Vote Winners

Shaun O’Keefe, Fifth-Year Sr., LHP, Donovan Catholic

Pitching Record: 6-2
Innings: 42.1
Strikeouts-Walks: 47-18
ERA: 1.98
Season Recap: Donovan Catholic made a run to the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals thanks to two clutch outings by its southpaw ace. O’Keefe pitched a one-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts vs. Jackson Liberty, followed by a three-hitter in a six-inning rout of CBA in the SCT round of 16.

First Four Out

Brandon Falco, Jr., RHP, Matawan

Pitching Record: 4-6
Innings: 61
Strikeouts-Walks: 70-23
ERA: 1.49
Season Recap: In his sophomore season, Falco was a horse for the Huskies. His 61 innings ranked sixth in the Shore Conference, while his ERA and strikeout total were both in the top 20.

Returning 2022 Coaches’ All-Division Pitchers

Class A North

Ben Schild, Sr., RHP, Middletown South

Class A Central

Aiden Denton, Fifth-Year Sr., RHP, Monmouth

Declan Leary, Jr., RHP, Red Bank Catholic

John Goodes, Jr., RHP, Rumson-Fair Haven

Steve Svenson, Jr., RHP, Red Bank Catholic

Matt King, Sr., RHP, Ocean

Class B North

Aiden Cody, Sr., RHP, St. John Vianney

Cullen Condon, Jr., RHP, Manasquan