Baseball – VOTE: Adrenaline Week 7 Player and Pitcher of the Week
Each week during the 2021, Shore Sports Network will recognize eight players and eight pitchers who stood out during the past week from Monday to Sunday - a division player and pitcher of the week from each of the six Shore Conference divisions and two wild cards in each category.
Read about this weeks honorees and vote in the two polls at the bottom of the post once per hour until they close on Wednesday at 10 p.m. The single player with the most votes between the two polls will receive a $25 gift card to Burger 25 in Toms River.
Adrenaline Week 7 Players of the Week
Class A North Player of the Week
Danny Frontera, Middletown North
Middletown North’s season is over, for all intents and purposes, and Frontera ended his career with a bang. The Seton Hall commit won his final start on the mound, but it was his bat that did the most noteworthy work in that 11-8 win over Ocean in the opening round of the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III playoffs. Frontera went 4-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI, including a moonshot that was the second of back-to-back home runs by him and his younger brother, Ryan. The final score is misleading when it comes to Frontera’s final pitching line that day, with included four earned runs on a pair of two-run home runs with Middletown North already up big. Fronter also struck out 10 and walked two in his six-inning outing.
Class A North Honorable Mention: Mark Capell, Marlboro; Jack Frankovic, CBA; Frank Talarico, Marlboro; Ryan Frontera, Middletown North; Vin Impresa, Howell; Daniel Furlong, Howell; Max Graime, Manalapan; Tyler Sharkey, Middletown North; Harrison Campi, CBA; Tyler Abbot, Long Branch; Matt Pontari, Middletown South; Griffin Murphy, Freehold Twp.
Class A Central Player of the Week
Dillon Downs, Ocean
Last week was a rough one for Ocean, which lost a regular-season game vs. Wall before dropping tournament games to both Middletown North (state tournament) and Colts Neck (Monmouth County). Downs, however, had himself another big week. Facing three No. 1 pitchers, Downs went a combined 4-for-7 with two home runs, a walk and six RBI. His first home run with an opposite-field shot off Frontera part of a 3-for-4 day against Middletown North and he hit a three-run shot the next day against Colts Neck left-hander and Delaware commit Anthony Gubitosi.
Class A Central Honorable Mention: Ben Hutchins, Raritan; Christian Zito, Monmouth; Andrew Woodward, Holmdel; Alex Dekis, Raritan; Joe Esposito, Monmouth; Dan DeFlores, Red Bank Catholic; George Krenkel, Ocean; Chris Gonzalez, Raritan; Tom Turnbach, St. Rose
Class A South Player of the Week
Evan Agrapides, Central
Agrapides started the year hot and hasn’t let up, with last week’s performance quite possibly his best yet given the circumstances. Central went 3-0 in its three tournament games – two NJSIAA South Jersey Group III and one Ocean County Tournament – and Agrapides helped lead the way by going 4-for-8 with two home runs, a double, three walks and four RBI. The second of his two home runs was a tiebreaking solo home run in the bottom of the fifth of Saturday’s 7-3 win over Hammonton in the South Group II quarterfinals.
Class A South Honorable Mention: Ty Beck, Jackson Memorial; R.J. Reinhold, Brick; Chris Cartnick, Jackson Memorial; Anthony Musso, Central; Trevor Coltenback, Central; J.R. Osmond, Jackson Memorial; Cristian Soto, Central
Class B North Player of the Week
Brad Salamone, Colts Neck
Salamone has been a steady hitter for Colts Neck all season long, but during a big week of tournament play last week, the junior has been on another level. In three tournament wins for Colts Neck – one in the Monmouth County Tournament and two in Central Jersey Group III – Salamone went a combined 7-for-9 with a home run and six RBI. He drove in three while going 3-for-4 in a first-round win over Lawrence on Wednesday and the next day, he homered and drove in two in an MCT win over Ocean.
Class B North Honorable Mention: Tyler Spencer, Colts Neck; Jay Bant, Wall; Dylan Galamb, St. John Vianney; Joe Cilea, Colts Neck; Jacob Ramirez, St. John Vianney; Christian Cosenza, Wall; Andrew Glauber, Red Bank; Sean O’Mara, Red Bank
Class B Central Player of the Week
Andrew Banick, Point Beach
When a team scored 38 runs in two state tournament games, there are a lot of options to choose from when it comes to the best offensive player during that stretch. Banick, however, made the choice relatively easy, going 5-for-6 with four doubles and five RBI while also throwing two solid innings on the mound. The pitching was the tiebreaker between Banick and catcher Dave Terra-Nova, who also went 5-for-6 with a double and a home run during the two wins over Keyport and Riverside.
Class B Central Honorable Mention: Dave Terra-Nova, Point Beach; Alec Glen, Point Beach; Phil Trebour, Point Beach; Charlie Chropuvka, Ranney; Brett Wheringer, Ranney; Hunter Alia, Point Beach
Class B South Player of the Week
Mike Todaro, Lacey
There were some noteworthy performances among Class B South players last week, but it only took one swing for Todaro to insert his name into the Player of the Week conversation. In an NJSIAA South Jersey Group III first-round win over Toms River South, Todaro went 2-for-4 with the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Lions a walk-off win in advancing to the next round.
Class B South Honorable Mention: Mike Damato, Manchester; Jared Schworn, Barnegat; Nick Danbrowney, Barnegat; Brandon Sogness, Manchester; Keith Fallon, Manchester; Connor Cilento, Point Boro; Joe Maier, Donovan Catholic; Ryan Butchko, Donovan Catholic
Wild Cards
Frank Talarico, Marlboro
Marlboro had three other guys swing hot bats this week in Mark Capell, Nick Wright and Antonio Vitale, but Talarico was the top Mustangs masher in their two state tournament wins over Monroe and Manalapan. The senior outfielder hit go-ahead triple in a seven-run seventh inning that propelled Marlboro to an 11-4 win at Monroe, then went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI in Saturday’s win over Manalapan to complete a five-hit, four-RBI week.
Jay Bant, Wall
The lone holdover from the 2019 Group III championship starting lineup, Bant raised his game during one of the biggest weeks of the season. The senior third baseman went 3-for-6 with a home run, double and six RBI in Wall’s two NJSIAA Tournament games and also went 3-for-4 in a regular-season win over Ocean. Bant belted a home run and drove in four in a win over Nottingham and in Wall’s 6-5 loss to Allentown, he went 1-for-3 with a two-run double that got the Crimson Knights back in the game at 6-3.
Adrenaline Week 7 Pitchers of the Week
Class A North Pitcher of the Week
Matt Villapiano, Freehold Twp.
The senior left-hander continues to top himself with each start and his latest effort doesn’t leave much room for improvement. Villapiano allowed a single to lead off the top of the first inning on Wednesday against East Brunswick and allowed just one baserunner the rest of the way – a third-inning hit-by-pitch. Villapiano struck out 10 and walked none in the one-hit shutout win over the Bears, which sent the Patriots to the sectional semifinals.
Class A North Honorable Mention: Ben Schild, Middletown South; Jack Frankovic, CBA; Tyler Abbot, Long Branch; Colin Reilly, CBA
Class A Central Pitcher of the Week
John Goodes, Rumson-Fair Haven
Goodes has been an unsung hero for Rumson all year and now, it’s time to sing his praises. The sophomore right-hander has mostly been a reliever for the Bulldogs, but last week, he got tabbed for a start against Bordentown in the opening round of the Central Group II Tournament. All Goodes did was throw four perfect innings with seven strikeouts before being lifted from the game so he could remain eligible for Saturday’s quarterfinal game. Goodes indeed came on in relief again on Saturday, recording the final two outs of a 6-0 win over Robbinsville.
Class A Central Honorable Mention: Dylan Wanagiel, Red Bank Catholic; Aiden Denton, Monmouth; Jake Umans, Holmdel; Charlie Jones, Rumson-Fair Haven
Class A South Pitcher of the Week
Ty Beck, Jackson Memorial
With Matt Potok unable to pitch on Saturday, Beck go the ball for the Jaguars against a Kingsway team that beat Jackson Memorial during the regular season. Beck came through, pitching a five-hit complete game with five strikeouts and only two hits allowed as the Jaguars rolled through the Dragons, 11-1. Beck also recorded the final four outs – all on strikeouts – of the first-round win over Brick Memorial on Wednesday and went 5-for-9 with two doubles and two RBI in three wins during the week.
Class A South Honorable Mention: Brandon Valles, Toms River North; Zach Crotchfelt, Jackson Memorial; Ethan Gonzales, Brick; Connor Shea, Central
Class B North Pitcher of the Week
Thomas Wright, St. John Vianney
Both Wright and fellow senior Ryan Sekman were on their respective games last week for a St. John Vianney team that almost pulled the upset of the year. After Sekman gave the Lancers six strong innings last Tuesday in the South Jersey Non-Public A opening round at CBA, Wright came on to save the 3-2 win with a perfect seventh inning that included a pair of strikeouts. Wright then got the start on Saturday at top-seeded and undefeated Bishop Eustace and took a shutout into the seventh inning before the Crusaders – the No. 1 team in the state – rallied for two runs in their final at-bat to walk off with the win.
Class B North Honorable Mention: Ryan Sekman, St. John Vianney; Tyler Spencer, Colts Neck; Matt Johnson, Wall; Cullen Condon, Manasquan; Tim Egan, Matawan
Class B Central Pitcher of the Week
Jack Renaud, Ranney
Both Marcello Mastroianni and Renaud were lights-out in their portion of Ranney’s South Jersey Non-Public A quarterfinal win at Rutgers Prep. Renaud gets the nod for completely shutting down the Argonauts over 2 2/3 innings, during which Renaud struck out a half-dozen batters for six of his eight outs recorded in notching the save.
Class B Central Honorable Mention: Marcello Mastroianni, Ranney; Matt Van Brunt, Point Beach; James Larsen, Point Beach
Class B South Pitcher of the Week
Joe Sclama, Manchester
Both Mike Damato and Sclama pitched big games on the road for 12th-seeded Manchester last week in the South Jersey Group II Playoffs. Sclama’s performance came against a Barnegat team that beat Manchester twice during the regular season and that was without Bengals ace Nick Danbrowney pitching a single inning. Danbrowney got the ball for Barnegat on Saturday and Sclama got the better of him, tossing a complete-game, five-hitter on 83 pitches with five strikeouts and no walks in an 8-2 Manchester win.
Class B South Honorable Mention: Mike Damato, Manchester; Matt Colucci, Donovan Catholic; Carl Barth, Jackson Liberty
Wild Cards
Jack Frankovic, CBA
Two days after his team suffered a heartbreaking loss in the NJSIAA Tournament, Frankovic picked the Colts up with one of the best individual performances of the season by any Shore Conference player. Frankovic with the go-head RBI triple in the top of the sixth inning of a scoreless game, took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and completed a two-hit shutout to propel CBA to a 4-0 win over Middletown North in the Monmouth County Tournament round of 16. Frankovic struck out four, walked two and gave up a pair of seventh-inning singles after flirting with the no-no.
Tyler Spencer, Colts Neck
Spencer was hittable in a low-pressure relief scenario in Colts Neck’s 7-4, first-round win over Lawrence in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV Playoffs but was back on his game as a starter Saturday against Middletown North. Spencer allowed one run on six hits and no walks while striking out eight to improve to 6-0 while facing a Lions team that exploded for 11 runs in a round-one win over Ocean. Spencer also had a big week at the plate, going 4-for-13 with three doubles and six RBI in four Colts Neck wins.
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