NUTLEY, NJ – The Nutley High School varsity baseball team enjoyed another great season last spring with a 20-10 record, including finishing runner-up in the Greater Newark Tournament, which is regarded as the Essex County tournament.
The Raiders, though, lost a lot of key players to graduation, among them right fielder Anthony Condito, who finished as the NHS all-time hits leader with 144 hits.
But the town of Nutley is always a hotbed for baseball, and the Raiders once again have a good group of talented players who are poised to continue the program’s tradition of success.
Entering his 14th year at the helm, Bob Harbison acknowledges that winning the Super Essex Conference-American Division — which is the top division in the conference — is a tall order, especially with a young team. But the head coach expects his team to compete with those tough divisional foes.
“You never like to say you’re not going to win the conference, but it would be tough to do something like that this year,” said Harbison on a recent Saturday morning while his team was working out in the NHS gym. “But I think we can beat anybody in our conference on any day.”
For the second straight year, the Raiders traveled to Orlando, Fla. for spring training, joining the NHS softball team. They left on March 16 and returned March 21. They open the regular season April 1 at Livingston.
The Raiders’ top returning player is shortstop Marty Higgins. Last season as a freshman, Higgins was phenomenal as he finished with a .358 batting average. He had 34 hits, including seven doubles, two homers, 18 RBI, 25 runs, 17 walks, a .465 on-base percentage and a .495 slugging average.
Higgins is one of several players who can do damage at the plate. The others are junior right fielder Dan Caraballo, junior center fielder Pete Lopez, seniors Jake Ramezzana and Sean Bernardo and senior catcher/designated hitter Mark Charles.
Ramezzana and Bernardo return to headline the pitching staff. When they’re not pitching, Ramezzana will play first base and Bernardo will play at third base.
Sophomores Josh O’Neill and Jon Luberto and senior Jake Ifverson also have experience as pitchers. O’Neill also can play first base. Caraballo, who will bat in the leadoff spot, will see time on the mound as well.
For the Raiders, the key to success will be their pitching, and Harbison is confident his pitchers will deliver.
“We have some pretty good arms,” Harbison said. “Our pitchers are talented. I think the young kids are a year away from being very good, but I think they’re good enough to keep us in games. We have enough good pitchers.”
Junior Seth Antinocello will see time at second base. Infielder/outfielder Dan Jennings, third baseman/outfielder Kevin Hogan and outfielder Trevor Santos show promise as freshmen.
Phil Agosta returns as Harbison’s longtime assistant coach.
In addition to Livingston, the other teams in the SEC-American Division are Seton Hall Prep, Millburn, Montclair, Newark Academy, Bloomfield, Columbia and Verona. Seton Hall Prep beat NHS in last year’s GNT final, after the Raiders beat SHP in a divisional contest in their previous game three days earlier.
Pitch count rule instituted
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association has instituted a pitch count rule. Here are the guidelines:
Pitch Limit
1-30 pitches, 0 day rest
31-50: 1 day rest
51-70, 2 days rest
71-90, 3 days rest
91-110, 4 days rest
- A pitcher who reaches the max while facing a batter may continue to pitch until the batter reaches base, the batter is put out, or the third out is made to complete the half-inning.
- A pitcher cannot throw 3 calendar days in a row.
- A pitcher cannot throw more than 50 pitches in consecutive calendar games.
- For State Tournament games that may be suspended and resumed at the point of interruption, if a pitcher has thrown 1-50 pitches before the game was suspended, that pitcher’s pitch count shall carry over to the next day.
Schedule
April 1, Livingston (Away), 10 a.m.
April 3, Newark Academy (Home), 4 p.m.
April 5, West Essex (A), 4 p.m.
April 7, Seton Hall Prep (A), 4 p.m.
April 8, Columbia (H), 11 a.m.
April 10, Bloomfield (H), 4 p.m.
April 11, Memorial (H), 4 p.m.
April 13, Montclair (H), 4 p.m.
April 15, Bayonne (A), 7 p.m.
April 17, Verona (A), 4 p.m.
April 19, Livingston (H), 4 p.m.
April 20, Pequannock (H), 4 p.m.
April 21, Newark Academy (A), 4 p.m.
April 24, Millburn (A), 4 p.m.
April 26, Seton Hall Prep (H), 4 p.m.
April 28, Columbia (A), 4 p.m.
May 1, Bloomfield (A), 7 p.m.
May 5, Lodi (A), 4:15 p.m.
May 8, Montclair (A), 4 p.m.
May 10, Montville (A), 7 p.m.
May 15, Millburn (H), 4 p.m.
May 17, Verona (H), 4 p.m.
May 18, Hasbrouck Heights (H), 4:15 p.m.
May 23, Belleville (H), 7 p.m.
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