UNION COUNTY, NJ — The 2022 NJ Quad-County Underclassmen All-Star Baseball Games are scheduled for Thursday, June 30, at North Brunswick’s Community Park. The rain date is Friday, July 1.
Two games take place on adjacent fields, both at 7 p.m., with the Essex County All-Stars to take on the Middlesex County All-Stars and the Union County All-Stars to clash with the Hudson County All-Stars.
These games, in some form, date back to 2010 and include freshmen, sophomores and juniors only.
The games were established more than a decade ago, to have an all-star game for non-seniors and so that scouts could have an opportunity to see them play while they still had at least one more year of eligibility.
There was plenty of action in last year’s games, which took place with the temperature at more than 90 degrees.
Union County Tournament champion Cranford has three juniors in the game on the Union County roster — Shea Grady, Ryan Jaros and Sean Woodruff.
Jonathan Dayton High School, which reached the UCT final for the first time since 2005 and which also captured the Union County Conference’s middle Mountain Division, has freshman Frank Dasti and junior infielder Wesley Griffith on the Union County roster.
Here’s an account of what took place in the 2021 games:
John Cerwinski produced a fantastic pitching performance right off the bat.
The Seton Hall Preparatory School junior right-hander, donning No. 13 for the Essex County All-Stars, went after every Union County All-Star batter he faced.
His results? Six up and six down. Three strikeouts, the first of them looking, one ground ball and two fly-ball outs.
When he walked off the mound after he ended the bottom of the second with a strikeout, his team was ahead by two runs.
New Providence High School junior Zach DeGeorge, wearing No. 7 and batting seventh in the Union County lineup as his team’s starting right fielder, reached base all three times up. His 2-for-3 effort included an opposite-field double to left-center in the third, making him Union County’s first baserunner; a single to right field in the fourth; and reaching on a 4-6 fielder’s choice — the Essex County second baseman made a heck of a play to get one — in the fifth. DeGeorge, who helped lead New Providence to a third straight North 2, Group 1 sectional state championship last year, as well as the Group 1 state championship game at Mercer County Park, also scored his team’s first run.
For their stellar efforts, these two players were selected the Most Outstanding Players of last year’s Union–Essex Underclassmen All-Star Baseball Game at North Brunswick’s Community Park.
Essex County regained the lead for good with two runs in the top of the fifth en route to a 13-8 triumph against Union County as part of the 2021 NJ Quad-County Underclassmen All-Star Baseball Games.
Middlesex County defeated Hudson County in the other contest played on the adjacent field.
This was the first time since 2017 in the series that Union County played Essex County. A combined Union–Essex team defeated Middlesex also in 2017, while Union lost to Hudson and Essex and Middlesex played to a 9-9 tie in 2018. Union and Middlesex played to a 5-5 deadlock and Hudson defeated Essex in the 2019 games. There were no games two years ago because of the pandemic.
Highland Park graduate and scout for the Colorado Rockies for more than 25 years Mike Garlatti — also the owner and chief operator of Baseball Warehouse — was honored before last year’s games with the 2021 Distinguished Achievement Award.
2022 NJ Quad-County
Underclassmen All-Star Baseball Games
Union County All-Stars
No. 1: Andrew Kowantz, New Providence, sophomore, outfield
No. 2: Luca Vitale, New Providence, sophomore, outfield
No. 3: Shea Grady, Cranford, junior, infield
No. 4: Danny Ciprian, Linden, junior, pitcher-infield
No. 5: Frank Dasti, Jonathan Dayton, freshman, pitcher-infield
No. 9: Aiden Baiardi, Union, junior, pitcher-outfield
No. 10: AJ Davis, Elizabeth, junior, outfield
No. 11: Jonathan Schmidt, Governor Livingston, junior, catcher
No. 12: Jackson Gulbin, Arthur L. Johnson, junior, outfield
No. 13: Owen Callahan, Westfield, junior, catcher
No. 14: Wes Hellings, Summit, junior, pitcher-infield
No. 15: Sean Woodruff, Cranford, junior, pitcher
No. 16: Matt Sims, David Brearley, junior, infield
No. 17: George Provel, Governor Livingston, junior, outfield
No. 18: Tomas Cestero, Westfield, sophomore, pitcher-outfield
No. 21: John Schmidt, Governor Livingston, junior, pitcher
No. 22: Spencer Nicely, Summit, junior, infield
No. 23: Ryan Jaros, Cranford, junior, infield
No. 24: Wesley Griffith, Jonathan Dayton, junior, infield
No. 25: Evan Doyle, Scotch Plains–Fanwood, sophomore, pitcher
2021
Essex County 0 2 4 0 2 1 1 3 0 – 13 13 1
Union County 0 0 3 4 0 0 0 0 1 – 8 12 5
WP: Brandon Kenney, Livingston, pitched the third and fourth innings.
LP: Carter Frey, Summit, pitched the fifth inning.
Pitchers
• Essex: John Cerwinski 2, Brandon Kenney 2, Tyler Markman 2, Jack Amirata 1, Steven Echevarria 1, Ryan Sprock 1.
• Union: Danny Ciprian 1, Michael DaSilva 1, John Schmidt 1, Anthony Magliozzi 1, Carter Frey 1, James Pazdera 1, Will Gallagher 1, Aiden Baiardi 1, Tommy DeSarno 1.
Singles
• Essex: Joe Delanzo, Matt Hollender, Brandon Kenney, Matt Bove, Robert Schneider, Ray Zamloot, Alfonso Lombardo, Nick Levine, Myles Seid, Noah Stennett.
• Union: Will Gallagher, AJ Davis, Tony Silva (2), Jake Watson, Danny Ciprian, Zach DeGeorge, Matthew Kosuda, Owen Callahan.
Doubles
• Essex: Joe Delanzo, Brandon Kenney.
• Union: Zach DeGeorge, Aiden Baiardi, Tommy DeSarno.
Triples
• Essex: None.
• Union: None.
Home runs
• Essex: Brandon Piacenza.
• Union: None.
NJ Quad-County
Underclassmen All-Star Baseball Game
Scores
2021: Middlesex County 9, Hudson County 1
Essex County 13, Union County 8
2019: Hudson 13, Essex 2
Union 5, Middlesex 5
2018: Essex 9, Middlesex 9
Hudson 4, Union 2
2017: Essex/Union 8, Middlesex 7
Essex 4, Union 3
2016: Essex 9, Union 6
2015: Essex 12, Union 7
2014: Essex 7, Union 2
2013: Essex 8, Union 6
2012: Union 7, Essex 1
2011: Essex 12, Union 1
2010: Union 4, Essex 4
Most Outstanding Players
• 2021: Essex — John Cerwinski, Seton Hall Prep
Union — Zach DeGeorge, New Providence
Middlesex — Sal Della Fave, Edison
Hudson — Marcus Monroe, Ferris
• 2019: Essex — Kyle McCaffrey, Verona
Hudson — Rafael Solano, Hudson Catholic
Union — Saul Lopez, Arthur L. Johnson
Middlesex — Jay Harry, Metuchen
• 2018: Essex — Elliot Dix, Columbia
Middlesex — Nick Petrillo, North Brunswick
Hudson — Justice Ramirez, North Bergen
Union — Dylan Bedder, New Providence
• 2017: Essex/Union – James Shriner, Cranford
Middlesex — Christian Biolis, Edison
Union — Dan Serretti, Governor Livingston
Essex — Peter Gula, Millburn
2016: Essex — Anthony Giachin, Newark Academy
Union — Dan Baroff, Governor Livingston
• 2015: Essex — Athony Condito, Nutley
Union — Matt Meola, Union
• 2014: Anthony Maldonado, North 13th St. Tech (EC)
• 2013: Tyler Brandon, Seton Hall Prep (EC)
• 2012: Luis Amaro, Roselle Park (UC)
• 2011: DJ Link, Seton Hall Prep (EC)
• 2010: Rob Fonseca, Seton Hall Prep (EC)
Distinguished Achievement Award recipients
2021: Mike Garlatti, Colorado Rockies Northeast scout and owner of Baseball Warehouse
2019: Coach Jim Muldowney, Middlesex County College and Edison High School
2018: Al Santorini, alumnus, Union High School
2017: Coach Gordon LeMatty, Union High School
2016: Coach Mike Sheppard Sr., Seton Hall University
2015: Coach Fred Hill, Rutgers University and Montclair State University