WEST ORANGE, NJ – The Seton Hall Prep varsity baseball team completed another outstanding season with a 26-3 record.
On May 31, the fourth-seeded and defending champion Pirates lost to fifth-seeded Delbarton, 1-0, in the quarterfinal round of the NJSIAA Non-Public “A” North Jersey state tournament at Porcello Field. Delbarton scored its run in the top of the sixth on a bases-loaded walk.
SHP was held to one hit by junior Jack Zyska; two walks to senior Kevin Gately and senior Francis Prior, and two hit batters, senior Eric Raio and Zyska. Senior Jack Mahala (6-1) took the loss, pitching six innings and allowing one run on five hits with four strikeouts and seven walks. West Orange resident and senior Jamil Vanheyningen pitched the seventh inning, allowing one hit.
The loss ended a 19-game winning streak for SHP.
On June 1, the Pirates traveled to Woodman Field in Montclair and came from behind to defeat Montclair, 6-4, and finish with a 15-1 Super Essex Conference-American Division record.
With SHP trailing 4-3 in the seventh inning, junior Ryan Hebert opened the inning with a single to right field. He was sacrificed to second base by Gately. After a lineout to shortstop, sophomore Nick Maldonado was intentionally walked. Prior then launched a long three-run homer to right field for the game-winner.
SHP opened the scoring in the second inning when Raio had an RBI single and Hebert was hit with the bases loaded to drive in a run to make it 2-0. Montclair tied the score at 2-2 in the third inning. SHP took a 3-2 lead when Zyska had an RBI single in the fifth inning. Montclair tied the score with a run in the fifth and took a 4-3 lead with a run in the sixth.
Senior Kevin Young pitched four innings, allowing two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk. Maldonado (7-0) picked up the win in relief, pitching the final three innings and allowing two runs, one earned, on two hits with two walks. This was the final game for 12 seniors who graduated on Sunday afternoon. The ceremony was held at Seton Hall University’s Archbishop Walsh Gymnasium. Head Coach Mike Sheppard Jr. completed his 32nd year as a high school head coach with a record of 744-196-4 (.790 winning percentage). In 1986, he was the Head Coach of West Orange High School. Sheppard has been the head coach of Seton Hall Prep since 1987.
The Pirates won the Greater Newark Tournament title for the fifth straight and won the SEC-American championship for the sixth time in the eight-year existence of the conference.
Seton Hall Prep baseball team finishes another great season added by Jeff Goldberg on
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