BERKELEY HEIGHTS — After senior first baseman Michael Novotny provided the offensive heroics in only his second game of the season following and recovering from neck surgery and sophomore right-hander Michael Donohue settled things down on the mound by tossing three shutout innings, it will be senior right-hander Reid Bazydlo starting on the mound when the Governor Livingston High School baseball team goes for a third straight Group 2 state championship.
The Highlanders are now also one win away from setting the program record for wins in a season at 29.
Down by three runs going into the bottom of the third, three-peat Central Jersey, Group 2 sectional state champion Governor Livingston scored the final 13 runs en route to producing a convincing 15-5, six inning triumph against South Jersey, Group 2 sectional state champ Haddon Heights Jr-Sr High School in the Group 2 semifinal on Monday, June 8, played at Governor Livingston’s natural field home field on The Hill in Berkeley Heights.
The lefty-swinging Novotny went 3-for-3, sandwiching home runs over the right field fence around a walk and then delivering a two-run single to right. Novotny’s initial home run, a solo shot in the second, put Governor Livingston on the scoreboard for the first time. His three-run homer in the fourth was the game-winning hit, giving Governor Livingston the lead for good at 7-5.
The Highlanders then scored seven runs in the bottom of the fifth to pull away at 14-5. Haddon Heights used six pitchers, but none of them could limit a Governor Livingston offense, averaging more than 10 runs a game.
Standout senior catcher Michael Basile, who will next play at Lehigh University, drove in Mississippi State University–bound senior shortstop Zach Geerstma from third with a one-out RBI-single to center to end the game in the bottom of the sixth. Geertsma led off with a double to left and moved to third on a wild pitch.
Governor Livingston won for the seventh straight time and for the 20th time in its last 21 games to improve to 28-4, tying the program record for wins in a season at 28. Previous Governor Livingston teams to win 28 games were 2011 at 28-6, 2024 at 28-5 and 2025 at 28-0, with all of those teams winning state championships.
Governor Livingston has not lost a game in regulation time, seven innings, in more than two years. Governor Livingston’s last five losses going back to the 2024 season have all come by one run and all in extra innings, including all four this year.
Although the HIghlanders did not win the Union County Tournament for the third straight year, Governor Livingston repeated as the Union County Conference’s Watchung Division champion and three-peated as the Central Jersey, Group 2 champ.
Governor Livingston will next face North 1, Group 2 champion Ramsey High School in the Sunday, June 14, Group 2 final scheduled to be played at Rutgers University with a tentative first-pitch time of 7 p.m.
Governor Livingston will be the home team and will be situated in the third base dugout and bat last.
The Group 2 final is the fourth and final of the four public school state championship games that will be played at Rutgers for the first time Sunday, June 14. The South and Central Jersey teams playing in the four games on Sunday, June 14, are the home teams.
Ramsey High School, a perennial Bergen County power, won at repeat North 2, Group 2 champ West Morris Central High School, 6-3, in the other Group 2 semifinal on Monday, June 8, played in Long Valley. The line score reads that Ramsey scored seven runs.
Governor Livingston defeated West Morris Central, 6-1, in last year’s Group 2 final, played at Wood-Ridge High School’s turf field in Bergen County.
Governor Livingston will be going after a sixth state championship, all in Group 2. Governor Livingston defeated Gateway Regional High School, 4-2, in the 1999 final at East Brunswick Magnet High School; downed defending champion West Essex High School, 8-2, in the 2011 title game at Toms River North High School; bested Bernards High School, 10-4, in the 2015 final at Toms River South High School; blanked Pascack Valley High School, 3-0, in the 2024 title contest in Hamilton West High School; and then handled West Morris Central, 6-1, in the 2025 championship game at Wood-Ridge to become the first state champion in New Jersey to finish with an undefeated record since Don Bosco Preparatory High School captured the Non-Public A state title at 33-0 in 2008.
Novotny drove in six runs and made all the plays as he usually does at first base.
“It’s a blessing,” Novotny said. “I was told I was not going to be able to come back. God works in mysterious ways.”
Governor Livingston head coach Chris Roof said, “Story book. What he had to go through to get to this point his senior year, incredible. He has five hits already in just two games and it’s like he never missed any time at all.”
Donohue went from giving up a two-run home run in the top of the seventh to Allentown High School in the sectional final on Friday, June 5, to allowing just one baserunner on a single to right in three complete, scoreless innings on Monday, June 8, after Bazydlo was a bit off, after allowing five runs on 73 pitches through the game’s first three innings.
“I told Michael after the game Friday that he was still going to be my first choice to come out of the bullpen,” Roof said. “He worked hard, was ready and gave a great performance.”
“My fastball had a good life to it,” said Donohue, who struck out one and did not walk a batter against Haddon Heights. “My changeup was moving well, but my fastball was my best pitch.”
Junior left fielder Jackson Crimaldi slugged a solo home run over the left field fence in the second to pull Governor Livingston to within 3-2. Seniors Dominic Labisi and Ryan Pappas walked with the bases loaded in the third to bring Governor Livingston to within 5-4.
In the fifth, junior center fielder Owen Keough had an RBI-infield single that made it 8-5 and then Basile walked with the bases loaded to make it 9-5. Sophomore third baseman Addison Adornato also walked with the bases full for a 10-5 advantage. Then Bazydlo came through with a two-run single to center to make it 12-4 before Novotny made it 12-4 with his two-run single.
Governor Livingston earlier this year set the state record for consecutive wins at 40. The Highlanders have now won 17 straight state tournament games the past three seasons.
“We’re very prepared,” Roof said. “We work really hard to know how to hit against and how to pitch to these teams. With Haddon Heights, we forced them to throw strikes.”
Governor Livingston Highlanders in the Group 2 final (5-1)
2026: Governor Livingston vs. Ramsey, Sunday, June 14, at Rutgers University
2025: Governor Livingston 6, West Morris Central 1 – at Wood-Ridge
2024: Governor Livingston 3, Pascack Valley 0 – at Hamilton
2015: Governor Livingston 10, Bernards 4 – at Toms River South
2011: Governor Livingston 8, West Essex 2 – at Toms River North
2006: Hanover Park 6, Governor Livingston 0 – at Toms River South
1999: Governor Livingston 4, Gateway 2 – at East Brunswick Tech
Photos by JR Parachini
