Nutley HS baseball team returns strong group this season

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 2025 Nutley High School baseball. team

NUTLEY, NJ — The Nutley High School baseball team has a strong returning group, looking to improve on last year’s five-win campaign.

The following are the returning players:

Seniors

• Keith Jiratatprasot, first baseman.
• Benjamin McNeil, designated hitter/third baseman.
• Nicholas Polumbo, second baseman.
• Santino Ruiz, catcher.
• Drew Slomkowski, pitcher/first baseman.
• Christopher Suriano, pitcher/infielder.

Juniors

• Nicholas Gaccione, pitcher/outfielder.
• Eugenio Roman, shortstop.

Sophomores

• Jackson Poole, right fielder/pitcher.
• Andrew Raboy, left fielder.
• Gabriel Rodrigues, third baseman/pitcher.
• Domonic Saladino, center fielder/pitcher.

Slomkowski, a right-handed pitcher, will continue his career at Division 1 Seton Hall University. He pitched to a 1.79 earned run average in 15.2 innings, striking out 22 and allowing six hits and 14 walks.

Last season, Jiratatprasot batted .333 (16-for-48) with five doubles, two triples and one home run, driving in 13 runs; Polumbo batted .316 (18-for-57) with two doubles, two triples and six RBIs.

The Raiders have other sophomores who will contribute: catchers Christopher Kovacs and Charles Giachetti, pitcher/first baseman Sean Fealey, shortstop/second baseman Anthony Straface and outfielder Kennan Bilotta.

P.J. Balsamo and Matt Dudek are junior outfielders/pitchers who will also see playing time, as well as senior outfielder/pitcher Ryan Pessoa.

Under head coach Eric Puzio, the Raiders have moved down from the Sujper Essex Conference–American Division, which is the top division in the SEC, to the Liberty Division, the second-highest division. The other teams in the Liberty Division are Barringer, Caldwell, St. Benedict’s, West Orange and Verona.

The Raiders will open the season on April 1 at home against Seton Hall Prep.

Schedule

• April 1: Seton Hall Prep, 4 p.m.
• April 3: at Caldwell, 4 p.m.
• April 5: at Wayne Hills, 11 a.m.
• April 7: St. Benedict’s Prep, 4 p.m.
• April 9: at Bloomfield, 4 p.m.
• April 11: at Verona, 4 p.m.
• April 12: at Hackensack, 11 a.m.
• April 14: at Livingston, 11 a.m.
• April 16: at West Orange, 1 p.m.
• April 17: Ridgewood, 11 a.m.
• April 19: Barringer, 11 a.m.
• April 21: Cedar Grove, 4 p.m.
• April 23: Caldwell, 4 p.m.
• April 25: at St. Benedict’s Prep, 4 p.m.
• April 26: Westwood, 11 a.m.
• May 3: Bayonne, at Memorial (West New York) tournament, 10 a.m.
• May 5: Verona, 4 p.m.
• May 12: West Orange, 4 p.m.
• May 14: at Barringer, 4 p.m.
• May 15: at Elmwood Park, 4 p.m.
• May 17: at Belleville, 11 a.m.
• May 19: Bloomfield, 7 p.m.

Photos by Joe Ragozzino

Nutley JV players practicing

  Nutley High School baseball