Baseball – VOTE: Toyota World Week 2 Player and Pitcher of the Week

Welcome back for Week 2 of the Toyota World of Lakewood Shore Sports Network Player of the Week Feature, which recognizes the top players and pitchers from each of the six Shore Conference division and turns over the voting to the SSN Readers in order to choose the best performers. Read about the top players from the first week of the season and vote for the player and pitcher who stood out above the rest.

Vote in the polls at the bottom of the post and come back every hour to cast another set of votes until the polls close at 10 p.m. on Wednesday. The top overall vote-winner (player or pitcher) will receive a $20 gift card to Beacon 70 in Brick.

 

Class A North Player of the Week

Vin Ferrigno, Marlboro

With his team needing a jolt following a 1-3 start, Verrigno supplied it. The senior first baseman went 3-for-5 with a home run, triple and seven RBI to help Marlboro top Freehold Township on Wednesday. His big hit was a three-run home run in the top of the sixth that broke a 6-6 tie and gave Marlboro a lead it would not give back. Ferrigno capped his week by going 2-for-4 with a double in a win over Metuchen on Thursday.

Ben Levine, Manalapan

There was some serious competition for the top pitcher in Class A North this week: Bryan Bernard and Ryan Bearse combined on a no-hitter and 19 strikeouts (Bernard had 17 in 6 inning) for Howell, CBA juniors Evan Mahns and Pat Reilly each threw gems to get the Colts on track and Freehold Township sophomore Zach Gorman pitched a complete game with 10 strikeouts to hand Middletown South its first loss. Levine, however, stood out. Not only did the senior left-hander strike out 15 in a complete-game three-hitter vs. Freehold Boro; he also had a 2-for-2 game with a double and three RBI later in the week vs. Long Branch.

Class A North Honorable Mention: Bryan Bernard, Howell; Tommy DiTullio, CBA; Evan Mahns, CBA; Pat Reilly, CBA; Nick DiPietrantonio, Manalapan; Cristian Corcione, Freehold Twp.; Zach Gorman, Freehold Twp.; Michael Kuver, Manalapan; Chris O’Connor, Middletown South; Kyle Brex, Howell; Tommy Talbot, Howell; Joe Iacobello, Marlboro; Antonio Gatti, Howell

 

Class A Central Player of the Week

Jack Harmstead, Manasquan

Like the A North Pitcher of the Week competition, the scrap for A Central Player and Pitcher of the Week for Week 2 was fierce. Harmstead emerges as the Player of the Week thanks to two effective pitching outings and one monster day at the plate. The Monmouth University commit closed out a win over St. Rose with a clean inning, then fired a six-inning complete game with no earned runs allowed on five hits and one walk to go with four strikeouts. On the same day in which he pitched a complete game vs. Shore Regional, Harmstead went 3-for-4 with two homers and eight RBI, including a grand slam. Harmstead now has 14 RBI on the season and they have come in just two games – the other a six-RBI day vs. Monmouth Regional in the second game of the season.

Class A Central Pitcher of the Week

Jason Lyons, Holmdel

Monmouth Regional ace Dante Ciaramella went 2-0 last week with 22 strikeouts in 11 innings, but it wasn’t enough to win the Pitcher of the Week in A Central. That’s because Lyons did what no other player in the conference has done this year: pitch a no-hitter over seven innings. The Holmdel senior right-hander baffled Shore with 16 strikeouts and no walks in his seven-inning no-no, with two Holmdel errors costing him a perfect game. Lyons also helped his cause by going 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored in that 1-0 win over the Blue Devils and later went 2-for-2 at the plate in a loss to Raritan.

Class A Central Honorable Mention: Jack Scrivanic, Red Bank Catholic; Dante Ciaramella, Monmouth; Spencer Bauer, Manasquan; Alex Galvan, Manasquan; Alec Wells, Manasquan; Kevin Shanes, Rumson-Fair Haven; Shane McLaughlin, Shore; Jake Tennant, Raritan; Rob Gonzalez, Red Bank Catholic; Vincent Bianchi, Red Bank Catholic; Shane Panzini, Red Bank Catholic; John Foreman, Manasquan; Zack Alsieka, St. Rose

 

Class A South Player of the Week

Robert Jeans, Toms River North

Toms River North lost three top pitchers and five top hitters from last year’s Shore Conference and Ocean County Tournament championship teams but proved last week they still belong in the conversation as one of the Shore’s top teams. Jeans was the standout player during the Mariners’ statement week, going a combined 3-for-6 with a run scored and a double in two games vs. No. 1 Jackson Memorial, including an RBI double in Tuesday’s 1-0 win over the Jaguars. Jeans also earned the win in that game, holding the Shore’s most dangerous lineup scoreless over four innings.

Class A South Pitcher of the Week

Matt Hartshorn, Toms River South

During a .500 season for Toms River South in 2018, Hartshorn could only watch his team scratch and claw to a 12-12 record while he recovered from Tommy John Surgery. Even at the beginning of the this season, we was not quite ready to get on the mound but last week against rival Toms River East, Hartshorn finally made it back and it was worth the wait. The senior took a no-hitter into the fifth inning and gave up a single just one out away from accomplishing the feat in a 12-0 Toms River South win. Hartshorn finished with five strikeouts and one walk in his one-hit shutout and also went 5-for-10 with two doubles, a home run and six RBI at the plate during the week.

Class A South Honorable Mention: Dylan Feigin, Toms River North; Ahmir Cournier, Jackson Memorial; Ryan Lasko, Jackson Memorial; Alex Iadisernia, Jackson Memorial; Zach Crotchfelt, Jackson Memorial; Logan Spakowski, Toms River South; Jordan Erbe, Toms River South; Reece Miller, Toms River East; Mike Masino, Central; Daniel Greene, Central; Aidan Meola, Toms River East; Carmine Petosa, Jackson Memorial; Matt Potok, Jackson Memorial; Gabe Driscoll, Toms River South; Nick Gillen, Brick Memorial

 

Class B North Player of the Week

Reece Horneck, Colts Neck

After two tough losses to Ocean to open the season, Colts Neck responded with three wins last week thanks to its relentless lineup. Horneck, Dan Cowles, Rob Mannino, Nick Torres, George Zemlanicky and Walter Jordan all had big weeks with the bat, with both Horneck and Cowles coming up clutch. Before Cowles’s walk-off RBI single to beat Middletown North Wednesday, Horneck delivered a go-ahead three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth of a 13-9 win over Neptune. That homer was part of a 6-for-12 week with a double, a home run and seven RBI for the Rutgers-bound outfielder.

Class B North Pitcher of the Week

Kevin Schoenberger, Ocean

Schoenberger delivered Ocean two wins on the mound last week, starting with a complete-game win over St. John Vianney on Monday and topping that outing with a shutout vs. Shore Regional at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood on Sunday. Over the two games, Schoenberger allowed one run on 11 hits and two walks, and struck out 12.

Class B North Honorable Mention: Trey Dombroski, Wall; Rob Mannino, Colts Neck; Dan Cowles, Colts Neck; Teddy Sharkey, Wall; Ryan Napolitano, Wall; Brian Yatcilla, Ocean; Nick Callano, Ocean; Jay Kalieta, Matawan; Chris Gendi, Matawan; Jackson Hercek, Matawan; Tanner Powers, Wall; David Howarth, Wall; Andrew Lombardi, Middletown North; Nick Torres, Colts Neck; Jack Povey, Red Bank; Adrian Jimenez, Colts Neck; Logan Boag, Colts Neck

 

Class B Central Player of the Week

David Terra-Nova, Point Beach

The Garnet Gulls continued their hot start in B Central last week with three more wins and their sophomore catcher’s bat was a big reason why. Terra-Nova went 7-for-10 in the three games with four doubles, three runs scored and four RBI – including 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI to help Point Beach hand Ranney its first loss.

Class B Central Pitcher of the Week

Sean Turner, Mater Dei Prep

Turner kept the Seraphs rolling with a complete-game win over Keansburg last week. The junior right-hander struck out six and walked one while allowing one unearned run on four hits. He also drove in a pair of runs in the Mater Dei win.

Class B Central Honorable Mention: Jeff Wall, Point Beach; J.J. Young, Keyport; Anthony Longo, Keyport; Deven Bhatnagar, Ranney; Liam Hagan, Henry Hudson; Charlie Chropuvka, Ranney

 

Class B South Player of the Week

Lukas Torres, Barnegat

Barnegat is quietly off to a 4-2 start and well-positioned in the Class B South race after a 2-0 showing last week. The Bengals had a handful of heroes in the two games – Tyler Suydam and Nick Danbrowney each turned in strong outings on the mound while helping themselves at the plate and David McGillvray launched a homer in Sunday’s win over Edison. Torres, meanwhile was prominent in both wins, going 2-for-3 with a pair of runs in a win over Donovan Catholic during the week, then going 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI against Edison.

Class B South Pitcher of the Week

Nick Guzzi, Point Boro

Guzzi got Point Boro’s week off on the right foot with a two-hit shutout vs. Central that also came with nine strikeouts against just one walk. The St. John’s commit then delivered a 3-for-3 performance at the plate with five RBI in a win over Donovan Catholic and drove in the lone run in Point Boro’s 1-0 series-clincher against the Griffins.

Class B South Honorable Mention: Evan Scala, Manchester; Sam Collins, Point Boro; Nick Guzzi, Point Boro; Christian Aurin, Point Boro; Garrett Reilly, Lacey; Sam Sramaty, Lacey; Brandon D’Angelo; Nick Danbrowney, Barnegat; Lukas Torres, Barnegat; Justin Vega, Lakewood; Jorden Jurkiewicz, Lacey; Lawrence Zingi, Donovan Catholic; Tyler Suydam, Barnegat; Connor Keenan, Jackson Liberty; David Melfi, Jackson Liberty; Kevin Ritz, Jackson Liberty