2017 Diamond Notes

TitleNewsDatelocationStory
Fillmyer and Trivino added to A's 40 man roster
November 22, 2017

Pitching prospects Heath Fillmyer (Mercer CC, Trenton Generals, 2013) and Lou Trivino (Slippery Rock, Quakertown Blazers, 2011) were recently added to the Oakland A’s 40 man roster and will be protected in the Rule V draft.

Fillmyer pitched at AA Midland this season and posted a 11-5 record in 29 starts over 149.2 innings with a 3.49 ERA. Trivino posted a 3.03 ERA and a strikeout per inning in relief at AA Midland and AAA Nashville and did not allow a home run in 68 innings.

In other news Eric Young Sr. (Rutgers, Jersey Pilots, 1987-88) was named first base coach for the Atlanta Braves and Walt Weiss (North Carolina, Teaneck Teamsters, 1983) was named bench coach for the Braves.

Mike Koplove (Delaware, Delaware Gulls, 1996) and Buddy Hernandez (NC Wesleyan, Quakertown Blazers, 1998) were named scouts for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Moyer added to Hall of Fame ballot
November 21, 2017

The Baseball Writers association of America announced that Jamie Moyer (Saint Joseph’s, Allentown Wings, 1982-83) has been named to the 2018 Hall of Fame ballot.

Moyer is one of five pitchers and 10 total players to play at least 25 seasons in the Major Leagues. Moyer posted a 269-209 record with eight different teams. He was the oldest pitcher to win a major league game and also the oldest player to record an RBI at age 49 in 2012. Moyer was a key player on the 2008 Phillies’ World Series championship team and was inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame in 2015.

ACBL and NYCBL Partnering for All-Star Showcase
October 6, 2017
ACBL-NYCBL All-Star Logo
Cortland, NY – The New York Collegiate Baseball League (NYCBL) and Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League (ACBL) have partnered to create an All-Star Showcase between the two leagues. This newly formed summer classic will showcase All-Stars from both leagues beginning with the summer of 2018.

The NYCBL and ACBL are both members of the National Alliance of Summer College Baseball (NACSB). Both leagues are amongst the oldest and respected summer collegiate wooden bat leagues in the country. The ACBL began in 1967 followed by the NYCBL in 1978.

The inaugural game will take place in Syracuse, NY at the Onondaga Community College baseball complex on July 9, 2018. The NYCBL All-Stars will host the ACBL All-Stars in an action paced day to include a luncheon, home run derby and game. The NYCBL will return the trip and travel to the ACBL in the summer of 2019.

The All-Star Showcase will serve as the "official" All-Star game for both leagues.

The NYCBL consists of 12 franchises located exclusively in the Upstate New York region. The ACBL consists of 8 franchises geographically located surrounding the states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York.

"The ACBL is pleased to participate in this event and looks forward to playing an All-Star game with the NYCBL. This will be an excellent opportunity for our players to display their baseball skills in front of Major League scouts, said ACBL President Tom Bonekemper."

NYCBL Commissioner Joe Brown also stated. "One of our NYCBL goals was to have an inter-league All-Star game, we are excited that we were able to partner with the ACBL. This will enhance the experience and is exciting for our players to play another league, we feel this is a win-win for both leagues and Major League Baseball."

In 2017 seven former ACBL players made their Major League debuts and 108 former ACBL players have played in the Major Leagues including players such as Craig Biggio, Jamie Moyer and Frank Viola.

The NYCBL had numerous former players on Major League rosters in 2017. From the likes of J.D. Martinez, Rajai Davis, Hunter Pence, Mike Fiers, Jason Motte and Tim Locastro. The league has also had great success over the years throughout Major League Baseball. All-Stars Brad Lidge and Tim Hudson along with Gold Glover Kirt Manwaring, Perfect Game Pitcher Dallas Braden along with other notable names like Clay Bellinger, Jeremy Accardo and Tim Naehring all played in the NYCBL.

Stay up to date with information on both leagues by visiting www.NYCBL.com and www.ACBL-Online.com.

Swarmer strong in AAA debut for Cubs
August 20, 2017

Matt Swarmer Photo Courtesy of baseball-reference.com

Matt Swarmer makes AAA debut RHP Matt Swarmer (Kutztown, Allentown Railers, 2014-15) was promoted to the Chicago Cubs AAA affiliate, the Iowa Cubs, and tossed seven shutout innings in a 4-0 win over the Nashville Sounds on Saturday.

Swarmer, the top prospect in the ACBL for 2015, allowed only five hits with eight strikeouts and one base on balls.

Swarmer, a 19th round selection in the 2016 draft, has moved up quickly in the Cubs system this season. He posted a 3-0 record with a 1.07 WHIP for Eugene in the short season Northwest League and then moved up to South Bend of the Midwest League prior to the big jump to the AAA Pacific Coast League.

Aaron Slegers to make MLB debut
August 17, 2017

Aaron Slegers Photo Courtesy of Minnesota Twins Organization

Aaron Slegers to make MLB debut
Aaron Slegers (Indiana, Riverhead, 2011) will be the seventh former ACBL player to make a MLB debut this season.

Today the Minnesota Twins recalled Slegers from their triple A affiliate Rochester where he posted a 13-4 record in 21 starts. The 6-10 RHP put up a 3.18 ERA in 130 innings with a 1.24 WHIP. He was drafted by the Twins in the fifth round of the 2013 MLB Draft.

Tim Mayza (Millersville, Quakertown Blazers, 2011) pitched a scoreless ninth inning in his MLB debut for the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday in their 6-4 loss to Tampa Bay.

Mayza posted a hold for the Blue Jays on Thursday as he struck out two batters in two-thirds of an inning as Toronto defeated Tampa Bay 5-3.

Mayza promoted to Toronto Blue Jays
August 14, 2017

Tim Mayza Photo Courtesy of Toronto Blue Jays Organization

Tim Mayza Photo Courtesy of Toronto Blue Jays Organization Tim Mayza (Millersville, Quakertown Blazers, 2011) will be the sixth former ACBL player to make a MLB debut this season.

The Toronto Blue Jays purchased his contract from their triple AAA Buffalo Bisons franchise on Monday.

The 6-3, 220 lb. LHP was a 13th round selection of the Blue Jays in the 2013 MLB Draft.

Mayza posted a 0.93 ERA over 11 relief appearances and 19.1 innings at Buffalo.

He started this season with the AA New Hampshire Fisher Cats where he posted four saves and three holds in 33 innings.

ACBL announces 2017 season awards
August 12, 2017

ACBL announces 2017 season awards


Dom D'Alessandro (George Washington, South Jersey Giants) was the big award winner as he was selected Most Valuable Player and also won the Slugging Award with a .772 slugging percentage. D'Alessandro topped the ACBL in home runs (15) and RBIs (49) and was second in hitting with a .382 average. He played first base and was a designated hitter with the Giants and will be a rising junior at George Washington after playing this spring at Rowan-Gloucester.

Rhett Jacoby (Moravian, Allentown Railers) won the Most Valuable Pitcher Award. The 6'5" RHP posted a 5-1 record with 52 strikeouts and only two base-on-balls in 42 innings. The rising junior at Moravian also posted a 2.14 ERA.

Jared Melone (West Chester, Allentown Railers) earned the Hitting Award with a .450 batting average. The versatile Melone played first base, third base and in the outfield for the Railers. He topped the ACBL in doubles (14) and had a league second best slugging percentage at .725. Melone will be a junior at West Chester and was instrumental in West Chester winning the D-2 World Series.

Corey Sawyer (Seton Hall, North Jersey Eagles) was named Relief Pitcher of the Year after posting five saves for the Eagles. The rising sophomore LHP at Seton Hall struck out 34 in 26.2 innings while making 12 appearances and posting a 4.06 ERA.

Rhett Jacoby Photo Courtesy of Moravian College
Jared Melone Photo Courtesy of West Chester University (Pa.)

Railers win third title in a row
August 6, 2017

Allentown Railers win 3rd straight championship

The Allentown Railers took both ends of a doubleheader with the Quakertown Blazers on Sunday to claim their third consecutive ACBL championship.

The Railers featured outstanding pitching in both games. In the opener Rhett Jacoby (Moravian) only allowed two runs over nine innings as the Railers won 6-2. Jacoby walked one while striking out nine.

Jared Melone (West Chester), Chris Panzarella (Keystone) and Brady Mengel (Mansfield) each added two hits.

John Yocum (Rider) only allowed one hit, a single by Nate Sides (Alvernia), in the second game while striking out eight with one walk.

Jared Melone posted two RBIs and two hits including a double to lead the Railers' offense as the Railers won the second game 4-0.

The Railers join the Allentown Wings (1978-1980) and the Kutztown Rockies (2006-2008) as the only ACBL teams to win three consecutive championships.

ACBL Championship series starts on Sunday at Quakertown
August 5, 2017

The Allentown Railers and Quakertown Blazers will play a doubleheader at Memorial Park on Sunday in Quakertown at 1pm as part of the final best-of-three series.

Allentown advanced to the finals by sweeping the North Jersey Eagles on Friday evening by the scores of 4-1 and 7-4.

Quakertown swept the South Jersey Giants on Thursday with a 10-9 win in the opener and a 2-1 win in the nightcap.

Game 3, if necessary, will be played on Monday August 7th at Allentown.

Luis Amaro, Top Offensive Player in North Jersey Eagles History
July 29, 2017

Luis Amaro, Top Offensive Player in North Jersey Eagles History


By Thomas Terzulli | North Jersey Eagles

The Eagles all-time greatest hitter has added another notch to his already spectacular resume. First baseman Luis Amaro launched his eighth home run of the season on July 22nd against the Pilots, smashing the Eagle single season record.

The power lefty from West Texas A&M; propelled himself past Stanley Paul, an infielder from UConn who went deep seven times in 2012.

This is Amaro’s staggering seventh franchise record in Eagle pinstripes. He set a season mark for runs batted in last summer when he knocked in 28 and tops the career charts in 5 categories. No Eagle has more career doubles (24), RBI’s (73), walks (59) hit by pitches (13) or home runs (17). The home run total is 4th highest in the 51-year history of the American Collegiate Baseball League. His .611 career slugging percentage ranks in the same spot.

The season the 5-11, 210-pounder has had in 2017 is a big reason why the Eagles are a playoff team for the first time since 2013. He is among the ACBL leaders in a plethora of offensive categories. The numbers read third best in batting average (388), second in homers (8), fourth in runs batted in (27) and tied for first in runs scored (25).

By the end of this year’s campaign, he could be on the cusp of history once again. He is second in another four areas in Eagle history. The Roselle Park, New Jersey native has played in 95 games and came to bat 280 times, smacking 94 hits and coming around to score 59 runs. His three-year teammate Shane Woelfel is the leader in the last two categories with 96 hits, crossing home plate 61 times.

Amaro has six regular season games left in 2017 to build on what has already been an astounding, record-breaking career.

Lloyd makes MLB debut with the Padres
July 26, 2017

Kyle Lloyd Photo Courtesy of MiLB.comKyle Lloyd called up to the bigs, Photo Courtesy of MiLB.com

RHP Kyle Lloyd (Evansville, Westhampton Aviators, 2010) made his MLB debut with the San Diego Padres last night as he allowed four earne runs in four innings in the Padres' 6-5 loss to the New York Mets.

Lloyd, a 29th round selection in the 2013 MLB draft, was recently promote from El Paso.

He is the fifth former ACBL player to make a MLB debut this year and the 106th former ACBL player to advance to the Major Leagues.

The Miami Marlins recalled Mike Aviles (Concordia, New York Generals) from New Orleans. The veteran shortstop made his MLB debut in 2008 with the Kansas City Royals.

Teamates Fight for All Time Eagle Hit Record
July 21, 2017

Shane Woeful and Luis Amaro battle for hit leadership


By Thomas Terzulli | North Jersey Eagles

A pair of three year North Jersey Eagles are embroiled in a battle for the team’s all-time hits record. Outfielder Shane Woelfel leads the way with 94 base knocks, Eagle first baseman Luis Amaro is right behind him with 92.

They both entered the July 21st matchup with the Jersey Pilots knotted up at 91 hits a piece. That is the number former Eagle Ryan Quinn tallied during his time in North Jersey.

However, three singles from Woeful and another one bagger from Amaro catapulted them to first and second in the all-time standings.

Amaro, has been a reliable power bat in his three years in Eagle pinstripes. He leads the 2017 North Jersey group in batting average (.383), home runs (7), and runs batted in (26). The Kaiser division All-Star has reached base safely in all but one contest so far this season and has knocked in more than one run four times.

Woelfel already etched his name in the Eagle record books last season. The Bloomsburg University Husky set a single season mark for batting average, hitting .405 in 2016. In the fall of 2016, Woelfel suffered a catastrophic knee injury requiring ACL reconstructive surgery. In 2017, he has now bounced fully back after a slow start, hitting .429 for the month of July. The hot stretch has his average up to .338 for the year to go along with three home runs and 11 RBI’s. The left-handed bat carries seven multi-hit games to his name.

They have both surpassed Quinn’s original record and with eight games left in the regular season, they will be battling it out to see who becomes the Eagles, all-time hit leader.

Kaiser All Stars edge Wolff All Stars
July 17, 2017

The Kaiser All Stars were down 4-0 in the fourth inning but rallied with two runs in the fifth inning and three in the sixth to gain a 5-4 victory over the Wolff All Stars at Quakertown on Monday evening.

Tyler McAvoy (Seton Hall, North Jersey Eagles) lead the winners with a double and triple. Colby Smith (Elizabethtown, Jersey Pilots) chipped in with two hits.

Tom Ambrosino (Adelphi, Staten Island Tide) recorded the win while Jason Salva (Caldwell, North Jersey Eagles) posted the save.

Jared Melone (West Chester, Allentown Railers) topped the Wolff offense with two doubles while Carmen Scalfani (Rutgers, Trenton Generals) added two singles.

O'Grady gets win in MLB debut
July 10, 2017

Chris O'Grady Photo Courtesy of Miami Marlins Organization
Chris O'Grady Photo Courtesy of Miami Marlins Organization
LHP Chris O'Grady (George Mason, North Jersey Eagles, 2009) was recalled from New Orleans by the Miami Marlins and received the win as the Marlins edged the San Francisco Giants on Sunday 5-4.

O'Grady allowed two earned runs over 5.1 innings. He was a 10th round draft pick of the Los Angeles Angels in the 2012 MLB draft.

He is the second former ACBL player to make a MLB debut this past weekend as Zack Granite (Seton Hall, Staten Island Tide, 2011) pinch hit for the Twins on Saturday and started in the outfield on Sunday.

Zack Granite makes MLB debut
July 8, 2017

Zack Granite Photo Courtesy of Minnesota Twins Organization
Zack Granite Photo Courtesy of Minnesota Twins Organization
Zack Granite (Seton Hall, Staten Island Tide, 2011) made his MLB debut with the Minnesota Twins when he flied out as a pinch hitter in the Twins 5-1 loss to the Orioles on Saturday.

Granite was leading the International League with a .360 average when promoted to the major leagues.

The speedy centerfielder topped the Rochester Red Wings with four triples and 15 stolen bases.

Granite becomes the third former ACBL player to make a MLB debut so far this year and is the 104th former ACBL player to advance to Major League Baseball.

North Jersey Leap Frogs to 2nd Place with Gulls Sweep
July 8, 2017
Eagles pull into second placeEagles pull into second place
FDU Teaneck, NJ - When the Eagles arrived at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex in Teaneck, New Jersey, they were excepting to play two games. What they got instead, was a 13 inning marathon in the first game, and another one run game in the nightcap. The result however, was what they wanted all along, a sweep of the Gulls on Saturday 11-8 and 4-3.

With the sweep of the twin bill, the Eagles improve to 11-7-1, while the Gulls drop to 7-13.

The scoring opened for both ball clubs in the second inning. Matt Tancredi doubled home Dylan Habeeb to score the first run of the afternoon. North Jersey answered back in the home half of the inning with a lead-off single and a pair of stolen bases from Christian Sepulveda. Brandon Hanson plated Sepulveda from third with a base hit to tie the game at 1.

In the 4th, the Gulls would take the lead back with Tancredi knocking in two more runs with another double.

The Eagles would answer again in the bottom half of the inning, cutting the lead to one. Casey Dana kicked off the frame with a double and another two-bagger from Tyler McAvoy scored him.

A 3-2 Ocean lead became a 6-2 advantage in the 5th, with the league’s seventh best team plating three.

However, a common a theme continued for the Eagles, responding well in the bottom half of innings. They garnered three runs of their own in the inning’s home half to keep the Gull lead within one.

Bobby Shannon got on first with a walk and Luis Amaro moved him to third with a base hit. With one out, Sepulveda then doubled them both in for the first two runs of the frame. Dana then reached with the second base on balls of the inning and McAvoy brought him home with a double of his own.

The comeback was complete when Shane Woeful came home on a sac fly RBI from Brian Kelly in 6th.

With the game tied at 6 and both teams going scoreless in the final inning of the seven frame affair,that meant free baseball in Teaneck.

North Jersey had several opportunities in extras, but justwere not able to break through. In the bottom half of the 8th, Woeful doubled with one out. He was pinch ran for with Anthony DeFrancesco. The Gateway Community College product proceeded to get thrown out at home trying to score on a Shannon single.

In the 9th frame a pair of lead off singles got Kelly and Sepulveda onto 1st and 2nd. And after Dana recorded the 1st out, McAvoy grounded into a 5-5-3 double play to end the inning. Cris Ruiz then led off the 10th with a double, but Jonathan Budesa, DeFrancesco and Shannon went down in order to follow.

Meanwhile, Corey Martinez was dealing on the mound for the Eagles. Since recording the final out of the 5th, the righty had allowed just one base runner leading into the 13th.

It was in that inning that the Gulls finally got to him. Matt Cuppari brought Joe DeMaio home with a double. Then Dylan Habeeb made it 8-6, scoring Cuppari with a double of his own.

So the stage was set, trailing by two in the bottom of the 13th, the Eagles had one last chance to win it in extras.

Jimmy Huber led off with a walk and Shannon went to second with a double. With one out following an Amaro strikeout, Kelly singled in Huber and advanced Shannon to third. Sepulveda was next, flying out to third to get the Eagles down to their final out.

Dana followed by working a walk to load the bases for McAvoy. The right hander then won the game, crushing a walk off grand slam on 2-2 to make the final score 11-8.

The grand salami topped off a 4-7, 6 RBI game 1 for McAvoy. There was also three hit games for Sepulveda, Amaro, Shannon and Woeful. Kelly and Sepulveda knocked in 2 runs a piece. Hanson picked up his second hit and RBI of the year for the first Eagle run.

Martinez was nothing short of spectacular out of the bullpen for North Jersey. He went 7.2 IP allowing 2 runs on 3 hits, walking 1 and striking out 7. Kevin Romero got the win for the Eagles though, going two and a third without allowing a hit and striking out one.

The Gulls got into the scoring column early, picking up two runs in the top half of the first.

In the 2nd, North Jersey put across their first run. The frame began with Sepulveda singling to center field. He got all the way to third with a wild pitch and a stolen base. An RBI groundout from Ruiz brought Sepulveda 90 feet to home.

Trailing 2-1 in the 4th, a couple of walks to Ruiz and Huber set up DeFrancesco. He botched a bunt attempt, getting Ruiz thrown out at 3rd, putting runners on 1st and 2nd with one away. After Budesa was hit by a pitch to load the bases, McAvoy plated two more runs with a single to give the Eagles a 3-2 lead.

A pair of solo homers came in the 6th. William Johnson knotted up the game at 3 with a one out shot. But Huber came right back with a lead-off knock to put the Eagles up 4-3.

Ryan Aquino kept the Eagles there, going all seven innings and getting the win. The righty allowed 3 runs on 7 hits, walked 3 and struck out 9.

McAvoy tacked on two more hits and a couple of runs batted in. Huber’s homer was his second of the year.

Mayza and Trivino promoted to AAA level
July 3, 2017

Tim Mayza Photo Courtesy of Toronto Blue Jays Organization
Lou Trivino Photo Courtesy of Oakland Athletics Organization

Tim Mayza Photo Courtesy of Toronto Blue Jays OrganizationLou Trivino Photo Courtesy of Oakland Athletics Organization LHP Tim Mayza (Millersville, Quakertown Blazers, 2011) and RHP Lou Trivino (Slippery Rock, Quakertown Blazers, 2011) have both been recently promoted to the AAA level in the Toronto Blue Jays and Oakland Athletics organizations respectively.

Mayza posted four saves with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats of the Eastern League before being promoted to the Buffalo Bisons of the International League.

Trivino had a 7-1 record with a 2.43 ERA in middle relief for the Midland RockHounds before going to the Nashville Sound of the Pacific Coast League.

Catcher/DH Alex Kowalczyk (Pittsburgh, Quakertown Blazers, 2013) and RHP Jim McDade (Millersville, Quakertown Blazers, 2012) are both doing well in the minor leagues also.

Kowalczyk is hitting .346 with six home runs and 24 RBI for the Hickory Crawdads, the Texas Ranger Class A affiliate in the South Atlantic League.

McDade, a 6-6 RHP, has not allowed an earned run in two starts with 14 Ks and no walks in 13.2 innings while pitching for the Tri-City Dust Devils, the short season class A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. McDade was promoted to the Padres Class A Full Season team, the Fort Wayne TinCaps on July 1st.

Amaro’s Monster Day Leads Eagles Slugfest
June 21, 2017

Luis Amaro has a day


By Nick Pereira | North Jersey Eagles

OVERPECK PARK — In the second meeting of the season between the North Jersey Eagles and the Jersey Pilots, it was the Eagles prevailing again to move to 5-3-1 on the young season.

After the Pilots got one on the board in the top half of the first, the Eagles came up to bat. After a leadoff walk to Shane Woelfel, slugger Luis Amaro crushed a pitch into deep right center field for his 3rd home run of the season and giving the Eagles a 2-1 lead.

In his next at bat in the 2nd inning, he had 2 runners on and he sent this ball even further for a 3 run shot. In his first 2 at bats, Amaro had 2 home runs and 5 RBIs, just after 2 innings of play.

He wasn’t done just yet.

In the top of the 3rd with the eagles up 5-2, starter Alex Mack continued to struggle with his control as he gave up a single to Eddie Lehr to make it 5-3. An error by DeFrancesco allowed a couple more runners to score and the Eagles early lead was gone, and Mack’s day was done as well.

We go to the bottom of the 4th for Amaro’s third at bat and he was up with the bases loaded and nobody out. He sent a pitch to the opposite field corner clearing the bases and putting the Eagles up 8-5.

Amaro was 3-3 with a 2-run HR, 3-run HR, and 3-run double good for a career high 8 RBI’s and only through 4 innings of play.

Next batter was Brian Kelly who sent a ball out to the deepest part of the park in center field scoring Amaro making it 10-5 Eagles as Alexander Hladik’s day was done allowing 10 runs, 7ER in 3.1 innings pitched.

Neither starter had good stuff as it became a bullpen game early. Jason Salva got the win for the Eagles, his first of the year after pitching 2.1 shutout innings striking out 4 Pilots. He came in with the bases loaded and 2 outs in the top of the 5th and got the Eagles out of trouble.

After Blake Espinal gave up 3 runs while only recording 1 out cutting the Eagle lead to only 3, the Eagles brought in their closer Corey Sawyer who shut the door with 1.2 innings of shutout baseball striking out 4 guys recording the save.

The Eagles got their first win of the year at Overpeck Park and have a doubleheader this weekend at FDU against the South Jersey Giants who currently sit a ½ game ahead of the Eagles at 7-4 good for second place in the ACBL. Meanwhile the Pilots fall to 3-9 currently in the basement of the ACBL will face the Staten Island Tide tomorrow night at Drew University.


Latcham and Balestrieri sign with Cardinals
June 19, 2017

RHP Will Latcham (Coastal Carolina, Allentown Railers, 2015) and RHP Paul Balestrieri (Cornell, Trenton Generals, 2014) signed with the St. Louis Cardinals after being selected in the recent MLB Draft.

Latcham was the ace at Cumberland County prior to transferring to Coastal Carolina for his junior year. Latcham went in the 17th round while Balestrieri was selected in the 26th round.

Other Trenton General players drafted included RHP Ron Marinaccio (Delaware, Trenton Generals, 2017), RHP Vincenzo Aiello (Oklahoma, Trenton Generals, 2013) and LHP Harrison Rutkowski (Woodbridge HS, Trenton Generals, 2017).

Marinaccio was selected in the 19th round by the New York Yankees while Aiello went to the Florida Marlins in the 28th round. Rutkowski was selected in the 28th round by the Cincinnati Reds.

3B Davis Schneider (Eastern Regional HS, South Jersey Giants, 2017) was also selected in the 28th round by the Toronto Blue Jays. Both Rutkowski and Schneider are Rutgers recruits. Schneider was hitting .357 for the Giants prior to the draft.

Big Day for Tyler Benson
June 16, 2017
Tyler Benson Drafted by San Diego Padres
By Drew Casey | North Jersey Eagles

In baseball, sometimes you just never know.

Just ask Tyler Benson after the former Eagle was chosen in the 2017 MLB Draft on Wednesday June 14th.

Chosen in the 31st round by the San Diego Padres, Benson was a member of both the 2015 and 2016 Eagles ACBL squads.

After missing nearly the entire 2015 Eagles season with injury and playing in only four games, the Bloomsburg University standout returned to the Eagles last summer. In his first full campaign with North Jersey’s College Team, the outfielder batted .299, while leading the club in doubles (13) and stolen bases (25).

Coupled with his speed and defensive talents, Benson was chosen as a 2016 Kaiser Division All Star. In just two plate appearances in front of a score of Major League scouts, the Montville, N.J. native knocked a single, scored a run, walked and stole a base at Palisades Credit Union Park.

Benson’s possible destinations in the Padres minor league system if choosing to begin his professional career, include the AZL Padres (A, Rookie; Peoria, Ariz.) and Tri-City Dust Devils (A, Short Season; Pasco, Wash.), among others.

The Eagles would like to congratulate Tyler and wish him the best of luck!

Lopez drafted in 13th round by the Indians
June 14, 2017
Angel Lopez drafted by Cleveland, 13th Round
Catcher Angel Lopez (Northampton CC, Quakertown Blazers, 2016, Allentown Railers, 2017) was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 13th round of the MLB Draft on Wednesday. Lopez was an ACBL All-Star for the Blazers in 2016 and played briefly for the Railers before the draft.

At Northampton this spring he hit .411 with 14 home runs and 62 RBI as the Spartans advanced to the NJCAA Division III World Series. For two years in a row he was the EPAC Player of the Year and a First Team All Region selection.

Cinnella Inducted into Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame
June 7, 2017

Doug Cinnella, the assistant commissioner of the ACBL and coach for the North Jersey Eagles, was recently inducted into the Seton Hall University Athletics Hall of Fame. Cinnella recorded 24 wins while striking out 210 and throwing 11 complete games in his four year career with the Pirates. He also pitched for the Teaneck Teamsters in the ACBL while attending Seton Hall.

He was drafted in the fourth round of the regular 1986 MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles and had a successful pro career which included back-to-back no-hitters in his first two starts in the New York Penn League. In 1995 he was in major league spring training with the New York Yankees.

He is the Founder and President/CEO of Professional Baseball Instruction in Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Curry, Cirillo and Sides named D-3 All-Americans
May 28, 2017

RHP Matt Curry (TCNJ, Trenton Generals, 2017), RHP Joe Cirillo (TCNJ, North Jersey Eagles, 2016-17) and Shortstop Nate Sides (Alvernia, Quakertown Blazers, 2017) were named to the ABCA/Rawlings D-3 All-American teams. Curry was a First Team selection while Cirillo and Sides were on the Second Team.

Curry posted a 9-0 record without starting a single game and notched seven saves to go along with a 0.82 ERA. Cirillo posted a 5-1 record in 85 innings. His 1.48 ERA ranked 11th nationally and his 0.97 WHIP was 32nd best in D-3. Sides topped D-3 nationally with 84 hits and his .433 average placed him 20th best in D-3.

ACBL Players Gather Patriot League Honors
May 20, 2017

OF Brett Smith (Bucknell, Quakertown Blazers, 2014) was selected as Defensive Player of the Year and named to the First Team of the Patriot League All Conference Team.

1B Anthony Critelli (Holy Cross, Jersey Pilots, 2014), OF Jacen Nalesnik (Lehigh, Allentown Railers, 2014-15) and DH Connor Donovan (Lehigh, Quakertown Blazers, 2014) join Smith on the first team.

Donovan also landed a spot on the second team as a starting pitcher along with RHP Levi Stoudt (Lehigh, Quakertown Blazers, 2017), 1B David Young (Lehigh, Jersey Pilots,2015; South Jersey Giants, 2016) and 2B Steven Cohen (Lafayette, Lehigh Valley Catz, 2015).

ABCL players recognized on PSAC All-Conference teams
May 16, 2017

Catcher Steven Zimmerman (East Stroudsburg, Allentown Railers, 2017), 2B Tyler Benson (Bloomsburg, North Jersey Eagles, 2016), OF Austin Edgette (Bloomsburg, Lehigh Valley Catz, 2016) and RHP Gabe Mosser (Shippensburg, Allentown Railers, 2016) were named to the PSAC East All-Conference First Team.

OF Drew Jarmuz (West Chester, South Jersey Giants, 2016) and 1B Jared Melone (West Chester, Quakertown Blazers, 2016) were selected to the Second Team.

Former ACBL player and manager, Joe Spano (Metro NY Cadets) was named Coach of the Year in the PSAC West Conference for the fourth time. He has guided the Mercyhurst Lakers to the Number One ranking in the NCAA Division II Coaches' Poll.

ACBL Players Top NJAC Conference Selections
May 5, 2017

Senior outfielder Rob DeAngelis (Ramapo, Jersey Pilots 2015-16) and junior shortstop Zachary Shindler (TCNJ, Trenton Generals 2017) were named New Jersey Athletic Conference Co-Players of the Year.

RHP Joe Cirillo (TCNJ, North Jersey Eagles 2016-17) was named NJAC Pitcher of the Year while Matt Curry (TCNJ, Trenton Generals 2017) tabbed the Fireman of the Year Award.

LHP Jerry D'Andrea (Ramapo, Staten Island Tide 2016-17) and 2B Bobby Shannon (Ramapo, North Jersey Eagles 2016-17) joined Cirillo, DeAngelis and Shindler on the first team.

RHP Andrew Cohen (Rowan, Trenton Generals 2014), Catcher Jon Theckston (Rutgers-Camden, South Jersey Giants 2014-15), 1B Matt Krupa (Kean, North Jersey Eagles 2015-17) and SS Austin Unglaub (Ramapo, Jersey Pilots 2015) were named to the second team.

RHP Ian Scheidermann (Rutgers-Camden, South Jersey Giants 2016) and RHP Brandon Zachary (TCNJ, Trenton Generals 2017) received Honorable Mention honors.

Rothmund and Beinlich among home run leaders
April 30, 2017

Michael Rothmund Photo Courtesy of Univ. of Illinois-Springfield Athletics
Nick Beinlich Photo Courtesy of Belmont Abbey Athletics

Michael Rothmund Photo Courtesy of Univ. of Illinois-Springfield AthleticsNick Beinlich Photo Courtesy of Belmont Abbey Athletics Michael Rothmund (Illinois-Springfield, Quakertown Blazers, 2015) and Nick Beinlich (Belmont Abbey, Lehigh Valley Catz, 2014) have both hit 20 home runs and are tied for second in the NCAA Division II statistics.

Rothmund, a 6-6 junior first baseman, is also ranked second in slugging percentage with an .839 percentage. He is hitting .369 with 55 RBIs as the Prairie Stars top the Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division and rank 10th in the Midwest Region.

Beinlich, a speedy RS-junior outfielder, leads off for Belmont Abbey and has a .387 average with 29 stolen bases. He is in the elite 20-20 club with 20 home runs and 29 stolen bases. The Easton Pa. native was named Conference Carolinas Player of the Year and his walk off 11th inning home run gave Belmont Abbey a win in the first round of conference playoffs. Beinlich went three-for-five on Saturday and the Crusaders advance to the Conference Championship game on Sunday.

Casey Lawrence makes MLB debut
April 9, 2017

Casey Lawrence Photo Courtesy of baseball-reference.comRHP Casey Lawrence (Albright, Kutztown Rockies), Photo Courtesy of baseball-reference.com

RHP Casey Lawrence (Albright, Kutztown Rockies) made his first major league appearance with the Toronto Blue Jays last night and took a loss in relief.

Lawrence was an ACBL All-Star in 2008 and 2009 and signed a free agent contract with the Blue Jays in 2010 after his senior year at Albright.

He played seven years in the minor leagues and posted an 8-12 record in 28 starts at AA New Hampshire and AAA Buffalo with 168 innings pitched in 2016.

Overall he has pitched 1073 innings in the past seven years in pro ball including three stints in the Venezuelan Winter League.

Turner on Reds' Opening Day Roster
March 30, 2017

Stuart Turner Photo Courtesy of MiLB.comStuart Turner on Reds' Opening Day Roster, Photo Courtesy of MiLB.com

Catcher Stuart Turner (Mississippi, Southampton Breakers), a Rule 5 pick from the Minnesota Twins, is among seven rookies on the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day roster, the most rookies on an Opening Day roster since the 2007 Arizona Diamondbacks.

Turner, a third round pick of the Twins in the 2013 draft, was hitting .382 this spring with a .647 slugging percentage which included two doubles, two triples and a home run in 34 at bats in 22 games.

Turner will become the 102nd former ACBL player to play in the Major Leagues.

Welhaf Tosses No-Hitter in Elon Victory
February 18, 2017

Robbie Welhaf Photo Courtesy of Tim Cowie PhotographyWelhaf Tosses No-Hitter in Elon Victory, Photo Courtesy of Tim Cowie Photography

Robbie Welhaf (Elon, Quakertown Blazers, 2016) put up an outstanding performance to start the 2017 season. The 2016 ACBL All-Star only faced 28 batters as he no hit Longwood in a 7-0 win for the Phoenix. In nine innings he struck out eight with one walk and a hit batter. The senior RHP threw 100 pitches, 66 for strikes.

Another former ACBL All-Star, Karl Blum (Duke, Trenton Generals, 2015-16), also had an outstanding 2017 debut as the Blue Devils lost to #8 Oregon State 6-3 on Friday. The 6-5, 230 lb. senior allowed only an infield single in four scoreless innings of relief.

Mayza invited to Toronto Blue Jays spring training
January 24, 2017
LHP Tim Mayza (Millersville, Quakertown Blazers) invited to Toronto Blue Jays spring training
LHP Tim Mayza has been assigned to the Toronto Blue Jays major league training site as non-roster invitee. Mayza posted a 2-0 record with four saves and a 1.66 ERA at Dunedin (Toronto, High A) and followed this with a successful season the the Arizona Fall League where his fastball topped out at 97 MPH. Mayza is one of four former PSAC and Blazer players who excelled in the minors last season.

RHP Lou Trivino (Slippery Rock, Quakertown Blazers) had a 2.45 ERA with a save at Midland (Oakland A's, AA) after being promoted from Stockton.

Infielder Dylan Tice (West Chester, Quakertown Blazers) moved up three levels and finished at West Palm Beach (St. Louis Cardinals, High A) with a .288 average.

RHP Jim McDade (Millersville, Quakertown Blazers) posted a 5-1 record with a 1.59 ERA and 0.91 WHIP in the Arizona Rookie League for the San Diego Padres.

Vogelsong signs with Minnesota Twins
January 13, 2017

Vogelsong signs with Minnesota Twins

Photo Courtesy of Gene J. Puskar | Associated Press

Ryan Vogelsong (Kutztown, Quakertown Blazers) has signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins and has been invited to Major League Spring Training.

Vogelsong, 39, has 12 seasons of big league experience with the Giants and Pirates and this will be his first entry in the American League as he contends for a spot in the starting rotation. Vogey was an All-Star in 2011 and won World Series titles with San Francisco in 2012 and 2014.

Former ACBL players Zac Granite (Seton Hall, Staten Island Tide) and Aaron Slegers (Indiana, Riverhead Tomcats) will join Vogelsong at the Twins Major League Spring Training camp in Fort Myers.

Granite, a speedy centerfielder, was the Twins' Minor League Player of the Year after putting up big numbers at AA Chattanooga which included 55 stolen bases.

Slegers, a 6-10 RHP, went 10-7 at Chattanooga with a 3.41 ERA in 145 innings.

Jersey Pilots Welcome Zachary Dreher as Field Manager
January 4, 2017
Jersey Pilots announce Zac Dreher as 2017 Field Manager
By Mike Kalb | Jersey Pilots General Manager

The Jersey Pilots are pleased to announce that Zachary Dreher will take over as field manager of the team in the 2017 season. Zachary (Zac) is assistant baseball coach at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, Connecticut since 2015 and coached at Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts. Zac also has experience as a head coach in Naugatuck Post 17 American Legion Baseball. He is a mathematics teacher in Newtown Public Schools in Newtown Connecticut. As a college player he attended Elms College and lettered as a catcher from 2011 to 2014. He was captain of the squad in 2014 and achieved All-Conference status in 2013 to 2014. While at Elms, Zac earned his BA in Secondary Education/Mathematics, with a minor in Coaching in 2014. He is completing his MS in Sports Management, with a Certificate in Athletic Administration, at Southern New Hampshire University, Hooksett New Hampshire.

Please join the Pilots in welcoming Zac to the ACBL. He plans to lead the team to a successful season and turn out to be an asset to our league.




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2019 ACBL Standings

Wolff Division

 WLTPCT
Allentown221110.662
Trenton201620.553
Quakertown172210.438
Jersey142010.414

Kaiser Division

 WLTPCT
North Jersey211600.568
New York171400.548
Ocean Ospreys181700.514
Ocean Gulls92210.297

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