By Rich Chrampanis
RED BANK – RBC has enjoyed tremendous success in the Shore Conference, winning four straight tournaments over the last five years. But when it came to the state playoffs, the Caseys have endured heartbreak in a variety of ways. That all changed last Saturday when Red Bank Catholic scored a 4-1 win over St. Joe-Metuchen to claim the school’s first section championship in 26 years.
“It’s the best feeling in the world today,” third baseman Sean Griggs said. “After having to try 26 years with no state championship, you have to do something to spark the team up.”
Alex Stanyek overcame a 36-pitch first inning that saw St. Joe-Metuchen score on a Matt Kosuda RBI single. The senior hurler buckled down and once again pitched lights out when his team needed it. The Caseys’ bats were baffled by the sidearm delivery of Falcons pitcher Jimmy Mulvaney but were able to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth inning thanks to a Max Dantonio ground ball to short that was thrown wild off first base to allow Matt Brunner to score.
Brunner then brought the crowd to its feet with a diving catch in center field in the top of the sixth inning that robbed Josiah Brown and set the table for the Caseys to take control of the game.
Griggs, a University of Alabama commit, had the Caseys’ second hit of the day to lead the bottom of the sixth. Frank Scrivanic followed with a perfect bunt that saw him safely reach first. Following a strikeout, Dylan Passo slapped a base hit to left to load the bases. Griggs saw a window when a pitch got away and hurried home to slide in head-first with the go-ahead run. The Caseys added two more runs with a Brunner sacrifice fly and a Brendan Kopec RBI single to make it 4-1. Stanyek reached his pitch limit when he recorded the first out of the seventh inning, turning things over to Ethan Marzo to get the final two outs.
“This group is unreal,” Stanyek said. “The fight in these guys, the amount of heart, it’s just something you can’t teach. It’s something that you can’t coach. This team is different than any team I’ve been on.”
The Caseys will get a chance to finish the year where they started in the preseason as New Jersey’s top-ranked baseball team. But they’ll need to get by the defending state champions Don Bosco Prep who – like RBC – are accustomed to the big stage.
Non-Public “A” State Championship
Thursday, June 8, 7 p.m.
Red Bank Catholic (24-5) vs.
Don Bosco Prep (26-5)
Hamilton Veterans Park
Scouting the Ironmen
The defending state champs have gone through a similar path as the Caseys. Don Bosco beat an archrival for the Bergen County championship (Bergen Catholic) and, while Ranney was gone from RBC’s radar after the Shore Conference championship, the Ironmen needed extra innings to return to the state title game.
Don Bosco’s ace Michael Staiano pitched 5.2 innings on Saturday. Staiano has pitched 46 innings this year while Stanyek is at 30 innings. It will be interesting to see if both aces get the ball on four days’ rest or if either team turns to other options. Steve Svenson and Declan Leary are both capable starters and the Caseys could turn to Stanyek to close out a state championship if they get there in the late innings. Don Bosco has University of Iowa commit Dylan Henshaw and Jonathan Rodriguez as options.
Both teams have tremendous talent. Don Bosco shortstop Eric Becker is a University of Virginia commit who’s hitting .422 with four homers and 31 RBIs. Nick Locurto is red hot after winning Bergen County Tournament MVP and boasts a .398 batting average.
RBC has shown its ability to scratch out runs when the potent offense runs into great pitching. That could be the key to a Caseys victory along with the Caseys pitching depth that could power the team to a first state championship since coach Buddy Hausmann was on the hill back in 1997.
The article originally appeared in the June 8 – 14, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
