By Jimmy Allinder
The Monroe Township High School baseball team achieved a program first by winning the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Tournament championship last season.
The 1-0, eight-inning victory against Sayreville War Memorial High School in the final game was a crowning achievement for a team that ended 17-8 overall. Although the conference title erased some of the disappointment the Falcons experienced after suffering a 4-1 loss to Freehold High School in the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group IV tournament, Monroe had high hopes of winning the state sectional.
If there’s anything that will motivate this year’s extremely talented team, it will be qualifying for the states and doing nothing less than win it all.
A month after Monroe was eliminated by the Patriots, senior Rico Viani, a leader among leaders on the talented Falcons, spoke about how he and his teammates felt about being eliminated from the states.
“The lesson learned is to never underestimate an opponent,” he said. “Baseball is a tricky game and anything can happen on a given day. We will try to be mentally and physically prepared for any situation and play every game as if it is the championship.”
Viani said head coach Pat Geroni and assistant coach Shawn McCorkle did a thorough job getting the Falcons ready for this season. It doesn’t hurt that Monroe is armed with one of the state’s top one-two punches on the mound with senior Robbie Peto and junior Eric Heatter.
Peto (4-3) is headed to the University of North Carolina next year, while Heatter (4-1) has already committed to Rutgers University. Both provide Geroni with a pair of dependable arms, which will be vitally important since the state and conference tournaments run concurrently.
The others slated to see mound action are sophomore Nick Payero, senior Kenny Sysyn, junior Matt Zureiwicki and Viani, if needed.
Geroni will switch players in the lineup depending on opponents’ strengths and which hurler Monroe starts. Viani leads off in center field with superior defensive skills to go along with a team-leading 18 stolen bases, .403 batting average and 29 hits. Payero starts in right field, and senior Anthony Tagliaferro, one of the top catchers in the conference, hopes to improve after hitting .349 with 15 RBIs.
Junior Matt Sorrento is a quality first baseman who hit .323 and also expects to improve his offensive production. Up-and-coming sophomore Shawne Eldridge can play third base or left field, junior Chris Perdoni has great range at shortstop and senior Kyle Daly will be positioned at second or third base.
Heatter will lend his offensive skills at first base, and Peto will be a designated hitter. Sysyn hopes to contribute behind the plate and play left field, while Connor Carey (second base), Joe Pedulla (shortstop/second base) and senior Chris Savino (infield) will fortify the infield.
Also, senior Andrew Isola will play infield and be joined by Vinnie Abene; Zureiwicki, who will be positioned at first base; Thomas Fleites; Matt Horn; John Bobish; and Nick Guercia, who will be in the outfield. Timmy Ruckdeschel will back up Tagliaferro behind the plate.
“The lineup is strong, athletic and should produce a good amount of runs,” Geroni said. “We have high expectations across the board, but our success will ultimately be determined by how well we respond to our opponents’ best punches.”
While most area teams opened their season April 1, Monroe begins April 4, when it travels to Colonia High School in a GMC White Division game. The Falcons host the Patriots the following day.
