UNION, NJ — Taking advantage of the small gap between the conclusion of county tournaments and the commencement of the state tourneys after Memorial Day, a first-time, two-day baseball event is planned to take place at Union High School’s Gordon R. LeMatty Field.
The first Tip Your Cap Classic includes two games scheduled to be played at Gordon R. LeMatty Field in Union on Wednesday, May 25, and Thursday, May 26.
The event supports the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which provides mortgage payoffs or mortgage-free homes to America’s catastrophically injured veterans and first responders, Gold Star families and families of fallen first responders.
“This is a great opportunity for a group of talented New Jersey baseball programs to come together for a great cause and compete at a high level,” Union head coach Angel Navarrete said.
Here’s the two-day lineup:
Wednesday, May 25:
Game 1: Union vs. Old Bridge, 4:15 p.m.
Game 2: Millburn vs. Don Bosco Prep, 7 p.m.
Thursday, May 26:
Game 1: Union vs. Madison, 4:15 p.m.
Game 2: St. Joseph’s Metuchen vs. Bergen Catholic, 7 p.m.
LeMatty, Union County’s third-most winning coach with 641 victories from 1959 to 1991, will have his 89th birthday on Sunday, May 15.
“We have a Central Jersey vs. North Jersey theme here, in an attempt to raise awareness for the 9/11 foundation” Tunnel to Towers, Navarrete said. “This will also allow kids a network link to connect with college coaches.”
In the past, Union boys basketball coach Kevin Feeley helped raise funds via the St. Jude Classic, with season-opening games played at Union’s Louis J. Rettino Gymnasium. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and Tropical Storm Ida’s destruction of the gym wiped out the opportunity for Union to host the games and raise funds the past two seasons.
“COVID shut that down, and Kevin does such a great job with that, so we’re trying to do something similar,” Navarrete said.
The “we” Navarrete spoke of when it came to putting this event together includes his older brother, Ray Navarrete, and Millburn head coach Brian Chapman. The go-to guy because of his experience with the Last Dance Tournament, along with Chapman, was St. Joseph Metuchen’s head coach, Mike Murray Jr.
“I’m sort of the middle guy for getting involved and helping to get this going,” Navarrete said. “Our athletic director, Linda Ionta, deserves a lot of credit for her support and the running of the event.”
Bill Gore, assistant coach at Gloucester Catholic, helped Union switch its game against Old Bridge in April’s Thank You Classic to Union playing Old Bridge in the Tip Your Cap Classic event.
“We wanted to see how we can have a great baseball event to showcase great programs and players in the area and to bring awareness to such a great cause,” Navarrete said.
All proceeds from the event go to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
“We reached out to a lot of teams and some had scheduling conflicts,” Navarrete said. “This could be a great buildup to the state tournament.”
The Union County Tournament, for example, is scheduled to conclude with the final on Monday, May 23. Unlike in the past, state tournament play in New Jersey does not start until after Memorial Day this year.
Ray Navarrete is a 1996 Marlboro High School graduate who played there and then at Seton Hall University. He played professionally for 13 years, including Triple-A status with the Mets, big-league camp with the Pittsburgh Pirates and five years with the Long Island Ducks.
A resident of Somerset, Ray Navarrete is a financial adviser and is also involved with baseball activities.
“We’re looking to make this an annual event,” Angel Navarrete said.
Other head coaches of teams involved are Madison High School’s Brian Weingart, a 1998 Cranford graduate; Old Bridge High School’s Matt Donaghue; Don Bosco Prep’s Mike Rooney; and Bergen Catholic High School’s Bob Muggeo.
Donations can be made at https://tinyurl.com/2mnzd3fy.