By Rich Chrampanis
KEANSBURG – Scottie Lewis, Bryan Antoine and the boys basketball Tournament of Champions title in 2019 put Ranney School sports on the map. But the Panthers continue to raise their profile across the board in varsity programs and, much like the emergence in hoops a few years back, people across the state are now taking notice of the Ranney baseball team.
The Panthers jumped out to a 5-0 start in the 2022 baseball season, with the most recent victory Monday, a 17-1 rout of Keansburg. With a roster filled with college prospects, coach Pat Geroni’s team has quickly vaulted to No. 12 in the latest state polls. Ranney scored two signature wins early, most notably a 7-5 victory at Delbarton in the first week of the season. On April 9, the Panthers busted open a 2-2 tie with a 6-run sixth inning on the way to a 9-2 win against Ferris.
Senior Charlie Chropuvka is the leader and a true trailblazer in this up-and-coming program. Chropuvka became the first Ranney baseball player to sign a Division I letter of intent when he inked with the University of Delaware in November. He led the Shore Conference with a .471 batting average last season and his 2022 is off to a similar pace. Chropuvka blasted a grand slam to dead center in the win against Keansburg and is hitting .411 through five games.
Four other Panthers juniors are Division I commits, headlined by AJ Gracia who is pledged to Duke University. Shortstop Brett Wehringer is set to play at Bucknell with pitcher Nick Coniglio on his way to Northeastern and Marcello Mastroianni committed to Georgetown.
Ranney has pitching depth, which is a luxury in high school baseball. Junior Jack Renaud threw four no-hit innings in the Keansburg win, striking out 11 of the 13 batters he faced. Having four elite arms will serve Ranney well come tournament time, starting with the Monmouth County Tournament, followed by the Shore Conference and then the state playoffs.
Five different Panthers have gone deep during the first five wins and Chropuvka is the lone senior in the starting lineup. Ranney baseball has officially arrived. Look for the Panthers baseball team to be in the headlines over the next couple of years, giving us a new team to watch with the traditional powers in our backyard.
This article originally appeared in the April 14-20, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
