Ocean County Sports Medicine Week 4 Baseball Players of the Week

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Each week during the 2022 high school baseball season, Shore Sports Network will recognize the top performers in each Shore Conference division and give fans a chance to pick the overall winner of the Shore Sports Network Baseball Player of the Week. The nominees include a Player of the Week from each of the six Shore Conference divisions, plus two wild cards who are worthy of consideration as well.

Check out this week's group of nominees and vote for the one you think stands out in the poll at the bottom of the post. Voting ends Thursday at 10 p.m., with the winner receiving a Player of the Week shirt courtesy of Ocean County Sports Medicine.

Class A North Player of the Week

Alex D’Ambrosio, Marlboro

Marlboro is headed to the Monmouth County Tournament semifinals next week on the strength of a seven-game win streak that the Mustangs carried into Tuesday’s action. The lineup has been locked in from Nos. 1 through 9 and last week, D’Ambrosio was responsible for some of the team’s biggest swings, as well as a key inning on the mound. D’Ambrosio went 4-for-11 in wins over Manalapan, Colts Neck and St. John Vianney with two triples, a home run and five RBI in the three wins. He also pitched a scoreless seventh inning against SJV to pick up the save.

Class A North Honorable Mention: Evan Wood, Middletown South; Adam Benetsky, Long Branch; Christian D’Angelo, Manalapan; Cristian Bernardini, Manalapan; Mike Kansky, Marlboro; Julien Umanzor, Marlboro; Paul Santos, Marlboro; Nik Gomolka, Marlboro; Russell Halvorsen, Howell; Thomas Strauch, Howell; Braden Walsh, Howell; Ryan Frontera, Middletown North; Joe Stanzione, Middletown South; Louis D’Alessio, Middletown South; Giacomo Calamita, Freehold Twp.

Class A Central Player of the Week

Shane Garrett, Ocean

Garrett was locked in both at the plate and on the mound last week and was the star of Ocean’s biggest win of the season. The junior went 7-for-11 in four games with a double and four RBI and was the starter in the Spartans’ 8-2 win over Red Bank Catholic. Not only did Garrett allow only one earned run on four hits with seven strikeouts and one walk on the mound in that win, but he also went 3-for-4 with a double and four RBI at the plate.

Class A Central Honorable Mention: Tim Haggerty, Holmdel; Jack Zabarsky, Ocean; Dylan Passo, Red Bank Catholic; Sean Griggs, Red Bank Catholic; Chris Theobald, Monmouth; Charlie Tallman, Rumson-Fair Haven; Ben Hutchins, Raritan; Ryan Rogers, St. Rose; Jack Lomerson, St. Rose; Matt Rigby, Rumson-Fair Haven; Jake Jacobson, Red Bank Catholic; Alex Stanyek, Red Bank Catholic; Shane Andrus, Red Bank Catholic; Rob Scarola, Raritan; Stephen McCabe, Raritan

Class A South Player of the Week

Brady Leach, Brick Memorial

Leach put together a huge week at the plate and on the mound for Brick Memorial, which kept its head above water in the race for the Class A South championship. Leach went 5-for-16 with two doubles and two home runs, homering in back-to-back games against Toms River East and Central. In a crucial win over Central, Leach homered on the second pitch of the game and drove in four runs total to lead the Mustangs. The junior right-hander also pitched a three-hitter with 12 strikeouts in a win over Hamilton West.

Class A South Honorable Mention: Anthony Martino, Brick Memorial; Joey Nolan, Brick Memorial; Jack Flood, Brick Memorial; Nick Hoheb, Brick; Zach Crotchfelt, Jackson Memorial; Charlie Meglio, Jackson Memorial; Chris Cartnick, Jackson Memorial; Jake Verdon, Toms River East; Dom Masino, Central; Ray Mulhern, Southern; Stephen Stafford, Southern; Gavin Migliori, Toms River South; Jake Wilber, Toms River South; Ryan Baker, Toms River North

Class B North Player of the Week

Nick Lovarco, Wall

Coming off an impressive junior season, Lovarco’s senior campaign did not start the way he had hoped at the plate. Over the last week, though, the senior centerfielder is making up for it. After entering the week hitting .156 with one extra-base hit (a home run), Lovarco is 8-for-13 with three doubles, two triples, four walks, eight runs scored, four RBI and four stolen bases – all in Wall’s last week of games. Lovarco’s hot streak is making a difference for the Crimson Knights, who have played their way into the Monmouth County Tournament semifinals.

Class B North Honorable Mention: Sal Cassano, Matawan; Jackson Hyman, Red Bank; Tyler Persico, Neptune; Brady Oswick, St. John Vianney; Kyle Pollack, St. John Vianney; Matteo Pasculli, St. John Vianney; Brett Patten, Manasquan; Cole Kozlowski, Manasquan; Josh Terry, Manasquan; Mike Presbrey, Manasquan; Andrew Fischer, Wall; Jake Howlett, Wall; Jerry Winchester, Wall; Nick Terefenko, Freehold Boro; Dave Cohen, Colts Neck; Casey Gardiner, Colts Neck

Class B Central Player of the Week

Nate Clayton, Point Beach

The Point Beach sophomore had a breakout week, going 5-for-10 with a double, a grand slam and six RBI in another high-scoring week for the Garnet Gulls.

Class B Central Honorable Mention: Andrew Banick, Point Beach; Bryan Matuschat, Point Beach; D.J. Thomson, Keyport; George Mitchell, Keyport; Jack DiPaolo, Keyport; Danny Antonucci, Keansburg; Gavin Sansone, Mater Dei; Matt Keelen, Keansburg; Anthony Tandredi, Mater Dei; Kole Devaney, Mater Dei; A.J. Gracia, Ranney

Class B South Player of the Week

Gavin Degnan, Donovan Catholic

Degnan is in the running for the Shore Conference home run lead and all his damage with the longball has come in two separate weeks. This past week, Degnan logged his second three-homer week, hitting two in a key division win over Pinelands and slugging another in a loss to Shawnee. In four games last week, Degnan hit 7-for-16 (.438) with a double and seven RBI to go with the three homers.

Class B South Honorable Mention: Jared Schworn, Barnegat; Rafael Dominguez, Barnegat; Justin Bye, Barnegat; Matt Mason, Donovan Catholic; Mike Damato, Manchester; Nick Johnson, Manchester; Matt McClung, Lacey; Zack Barrett, Lacey; Michael Kisseberth, Jackson Liberty; Cristian Garced, Jackson Liberty; Rian O’Rourke, Pinelands; Tommy Laspina, Point Boro; Brian Simoes, Point Boro

Wild Cards

Russell Halvorsen, Howell

Another week, another huge performance by a Howell hitter. Halvorsen not only put up big numbers this week - .591 with four doubles, three home runs, 13 runs and seven RBI – but he came through in the clutch multiple times. The junior went 4-for-4 with two home runs in an 8-7 win over Middletown North in the Monmouth County Tournament round of 16 and the second of the two was a walk-off homer in the bottom of the eighth. Halvorsen also doubled and hit a game-tying single the next day in a 12-11 loss to Wall.

Evan Wood, Middletown South

Wood had a huge overall week at the plate, going 7-for-17 (.412) with two doubles, two home runs, right runs scored and five RBI as Middletown South finished off an eventful 3-2 week. Wood had, perhaps, the biggest hit of the week for the Eagles, whacking a game-tying RBI single into centerfield to tie Manasquan, 3-3, in the bottom of the sixth inning of the Monmouth County Tournament quarterfinal on Sunday. Middletown South went on to win, 5-3, with Wood closing out the win on the mound.