Mike Sheppard Jr. will begin his 37th season as the Seton Hall Prep head coach. He is ranked No. 2 on the state’s all-time wins list.
WEST ORANGE, NJ — The Seton Hall Prep baseball team had an outstanding week, as the Pirates went 4-0 with three complete games by their pitchers. They outscored their opponents, 44-3, to raise their record to 6-1-1.
On Monday, April 8, the Pirates traveled to West Caldwell to take on Caldwell High School. The Pirates defeated the Chiefs, 12-1, in six innings. Junior Marcelo Harsch (1-0) pitched a complete game, allowing one unearned run on one hit with 13 strikeouts and two walks. Sophomore Jordan Burwell led the offense by going 3-for-3 with two RBI, including a two-run home run. Junior Michael Bravette went 3-for-4 with two RBI, junior Kaden Frei went 3-for-3 with two RBI and sophomore JJ Drennan went 1-for-4 with two RBI.
On Wednesday, April 10, the Pirates hosted and defeated Verona, 11-0, as senior Andrew Hladik (2-0) and junior Christopher Cerwinski combined on a four-hit shutout. Hladik threw four innings, allowing four hits with four strikeouts and two walks, while Cerwinski threw the fifth inning with one strikeout. Bravette led the offense by going 2-for-3 with three RBI. Burwell was 2-for-2 with three runs scored and two RBI.
This victory marked the 850th in the outstanding career of Michael Sheppard Jr. After the game, Sheppard said, “It is great to work at a school where the players buy into your program philosophy and you are supported by the administration.”
The next day, Seton Hall hosted St. Joseph’s (Metuchen) and defeated the Falcons, 10-1, behind the six-inning, complete game by Drennan (2-0), who allowed three hits and one run with six strikeouts and one walk. Drennan was 2-for-3 with two RBI at the plate, while junior William Mahala was 1-for-4 with two RBI and catcher Henry Ayers drove in two runs with sac fly and a groundout.
On Saturday morning, April 13, the Pirates hosted Christian Brothers Academy and defeated the Colts, 11-1 in five innings. Junior Roman Baldwin (1-1) pitched a complete game, allowing one run on two hits with six strikeouts and two hit-batters. Senior right fielder Peter Peluso led the offense by going 3-for-3 with four RBI, including a solo home run. Burwell was 2-for-4 with three RBI and Ayers was 1-for-2 with two RBI.
Sheppard Jr.’s current record stands at 852-233-7 in 38 years as a high school head coach, including 37 years at SHP. His first year was at West Orange High School in 1986.
Photos Courtesy of Seton Hall Prep
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