The West Orange High School baseball team poses together.
WEST ORANGE — The West Orange High School baseball team enjoyed an historic season.
The Mountaineers, under head coach Tim Blumkin, finished with a stellar 20-9 record after losing at top-seeded Passaic County Tech 12-2 in the semifinals of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 state tournament on June 3.
Senior Ethan Almengo hit a solo home run and senior Jay Stevenson had a single and an RBI for the fourth-seeded Mountaineers, who won 20 games for the first time in program history, since the merger of West Orange HS and Mountain High School in 1984.
Blumkin will always cherish the accomplishments of this year’s team.
“We had 12 seniors, and many of them have been playing together since they were 8 years old in PAL (Police Athletic League),” said Blumkin. “They grew up together, and that bond showed every day, on and off the field. They were hard-working, focused and extremely competitive, but they also genuinely cared about each other and loved being around one another. As a coach, that made every day fun.
“I’ve told the players many times that this was the most fun I’ve had on a baseball field since my own senior year of high school in upstate New York back in 2008, and without question, the most enjoyable season I’ve had in my 13 years of coaching high school baseball,” Blumkin continued. “Winning is always exciting, but what made this team special was the brotherhood they built, the way they competed for each other and the pride they took in representing West Orange baseball. I couldn’t be prouder of this group and everything they accomplished.”
Despite losing the seniors to graduation, the Mountaineers will be strong next year.
“Don’t sleep on us for next year, as we are bringing back three starters and have some young pitchers we are very excited about,” said Blumkin.
The Mountaineers boasted several players who earned All–Super Essex Conference–Liberty Division honors, voted by the divisional coaches.
The first team honorees are senior infielder Shep Stevenson, outfielder Jay Stevenson, Shep’s twin brother; and senior outfielder Liam Ramos.
The second team honorees are senior pitcher Jack Pimm and senior infielder Alex Alfonso.
The honorable mention selections are infielder Almengo and senior outfielder Jordan Jackson.
The All–Essex County honorees, voted by the county coaches, are pitcher Pimm and outfielder Jay Stevenson on the first team, and infielder Shep Stevenson and outfielder Ramos on second team.
Photo Courtesy of West Orange HS Sports Media Association
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