This year’s fifth annual Roselle Park Dad’s Club Baseball Invitational – with the first pitch set to be thrown April 12 – just might feature the eventual North 2, Group 4 champion once again.
That team could be Bridgewater-Raritan, which last year reached the semifinals where it lost to eventual champion Hillsborough.
That team could also be N2, G4 newcomer Millburn.
The Millers, guided by third-year head coach Brian Chapman, will be competing in the event for the first time. Chapman, a 1987 Union Catholic graduate, coached at Cranford under head coach Dennis McCaffery from 1999-2010 and was part of the first two invites as an assistant coach.
The final two games scheduled to be played on the third day of the April 12-14 weekend are Bridgewater-Raritan vs. Nutley at 3 p.m. and then Millburn vs. Group 4 Middlesex County squad Monroe at 6 p.m.
Monroe, coached by Pat Geroni, is also in the event for the first time.
Nutley defeated BR 8-3 on the Sunday of last year’s event.
“We’re excited to be part of it,” said Chapman, whose second Millburn team finished 17-9 a year ago after his first one reached the 2011 Greater Newark Tournament championship game. “We tried to be in it last year, but with our (Phil Krug) tournament we couldn’t line it up.”
Roselle Park head coach Nick Agoglia had a slot for Millburn, but the Millers needed a team to play against.
“Nick and I are good friends and Nick encouraged me to find someone to play,” Chapman said. “A friend of mine knows Pat (Geroni) and we were able to work it out.
“It will be a great test for us. Monroe (situated in Central Jersey, Group 4) is among the better teams in Middlesex County.”
The first two games scheduled for April 12 include matchups involving Middlesex County teams vs. Union County squads. At 4 p.m. it will be Oratory Prep vs. Metuchen and then at 7 p.m. Dunellen will face Union Catholic.
The April 13 four-game lineup includes Johnson vs. Columbia at 10 a.m., defending Group 3 state champion Cranford vs. Steinert at 1 p.m., Weehawken vs. Middlesex at 4 p.m. and Roselle Park vs. Brearley at 7 p.m.
The first two of four games scheduled for April 14 before the Nutley-BR and Millburn-Monroe matchups include Memorial vs. Highland Regional at 9 a.m. and then New Providence vs. Bernards at noon.
Millburn, along with Union County school Scotch Plains – which is not participating in the invitational for the second straight season after taking part in it the first three years – moved into North 2, Group 4 after both spent many years in Group 3.
Three of the four teams that reached last year’s North 2, Group 4 semifinals – Hillsborough, finalist Hunterdon Central and semifinalist Sayreville – moved back to Central Jersey, Group 4.
Westfield won N2, G4 in 2011 for the first time since 1988.
Millburn is lifted by a strong pitching staff that includes senior Ian Riddell, juniors David Talpalar and Notre Dame-bound Evy Ruibal and sophomore Max Jacobs. All are right handers.
NOTES: This year’s Phil Krug Tournament at Millburn is scheduled for April 20. At 11 a.m. it will be Millburn vs. Warren Hills and Pope John vs. Moorestown, with the winners and non-winners to play each other at 2 p.m.
Cranford, guided by 1987 Roselle Park graduate McCaffery, is a combined 86-20 (.811) the past four seasons – 2012 (22-4), 2011 (20-5), 2010 (26-5) and 2009 (18-6) – with one-fifth of those defeats coming in the Roselle Park Dad’s Club Baseball Invitational.
Cranford is the invite’s only 0-4 team, with losses to Jackson 11-0 in 2009, to Jackson again 5-2 in 2010, to Delbarton 12-7 in 2011 and to Hillsborough 2-1 in 2012.
2013 ROSELLE PARK DAD’S CLUB BASEBALL INVITATIONAL
REVISED SCHEDULE – 5TH ANNUAL
FRIDAY, APRIL 12
Oratory Prep vs. Metuchen, 4 p.m.
Dunellen vs. Union Catholic, 7 p.m.
SATURDAY, APRIL 13
Johnson vs. Columbia, 10 a.m.
Cranford vs. Steinert, 1 p.m.
Weehawken vs. Middlesex, 4 p.m.
Roselle Park vs. Brearley, 7 p.m.
SUNDAY, APRIL 14
Memorial vs. Highland Regional, 9 a.m.
New Providence vs. Bernards, noon
Bridgewater-Raritan vs. Nutley, 3 p.m.
Millburn vs. Monroe, 6 p.m.
2012 ROSELLE PARK DAD’S CLUB BASEBALL INVITATIONAL
RESULTS – 4TH ANNUAL
FRIDAY, APRIL 13
Dunellen 9, Oratory Prep 4
Columbia 1, Johnson 0
SATURDAY, APRIL 14
Union Catholic 16, Weehawken 4
Holmdel 17, Linden 11
Hillsborough 2, Cranford 1
Roselle Park 3, Brearley 0
SUNDAY, APRIL 15
Dayton 11, Metuchen 4
New Providence 15, Newark Academy 3
Nutley 8, Bridgewater-Raritan 3
Mendham 6, Governor Livingston 4
2011 ROSELLE PARK DAD’S CLUB BASEBALL INVITATIONAL
RESULTS – 3RD ANNUAL
FRIDAY, APRIL 15
Oratory Prep 17, Dunellen 6
Hillsborough 2, Johnson 1 (9 inn.)
SATURDAY, APRIL 16
Bridgewater-Raritan 10, Scotch Plains 1
Delbarton 12, Cranford 7
Gov. Livingston vs. Columbia – rained out
GL beat Columbia 7-1 at home on May 21.
Roselle Park vs. Brearley – rained out
Game was not made up.
SUNDAY, APRIL 17
Linden 3, Union Catholic 2 – at Union Catholic
Hoboken vs. Holmdel – rained out
Game was re-scheduled for May 15 and rained out again.
New Providence 4, Newark Academy 1
Elizabeth 4, Morris Knolls 4 (tie)
2010 ROSELLE PARK DAD’S CLUB BASEBALL INVITATIONAL
RESULTS – 2ND ANNUAL
FRIDAY, APRIL 16
Roselle Park 8, Dunellen 0
Ridge vs. Somerville – rained out
Game was played May 1 at
Nap Torpey Field in Somerville,
with Ridge winning 17-9.
SATURDAY, APRIL 17
Bridgewater-Raritan vs. Morristown – rained out
Game moved to first of four on Sunday, April 18.
Union Catholic vs. J.P. Stevens,
because of rain, moved to UC’s field turf field,
with J.P. Stevens winning 11-0
Johnson 6, Holmdel 4
Steinert 6, Edison 0
SUNDAY, APRIL 18
Morristown 6, Bridgewater-Raritan 4
Bloomfield 6, Scotch Plains 4
Jackson 5, Cranford 2
Gov. Livingston 8, Waldwick 0
2009 ROSELLE PARK DAD’S CLUB BASEBALL INVITATIONAL
RESULTS – 1ST
FRIDAY, APRIL 17
Roselle Park 7, Dunellen 3
Ridge 11, Somerville 4
SATURDAY, APRIL 18
Madison 6, Union Catholic 4
Scotch Plains 5, Bridgewater-Raritan 1
Gov. Livingston 6, Metuchen 3
Steinert 5, Old Tappan 0
SUNDAY, APRIL 19
Johnson 5, Bloomfield 1
Jackson 11, Cranford 0
Colonia 9, Holmdel 8