DeJesus, Papa, Lacugna head All-District baseball team
By tim morris
Staff Writer

FARRAH MAFFAI Freehold Township’s Nick Papa was one of the Freehold Regional School District’s top offensive players this year, earning a spot on the New Transcript’s 2002 All-District team.

They finally found a Toms River school that could beat Manalapan The Braves sent top-seeded Toms East and Toms River South packing in the Shore Conference Tournament before falling to Toms River North in the semifinals.

"We had a nice run at the end," said Braves coach John Verderosa. "The kids played well."

Manalapan threatened to shock the SCT field from the 16th seed. After an opening round win, the Braves met the No. 1 seeded Raiders from Toms River East in the Round of 16. The Raiders were expected to advance, and Manalapan was supposed to start thinking of next year. But with John Lacugna firing a six-hitter and striking out nine, the Braves shocked the Raiders, 5-4. Mike Santoro connected on a home run, and Mike DeJesus scored the winning run on an error.

It was Toms River South’s turn in the quarterfinals, but LaCugna was even better in this one, holding the Indians to four hits as Manalapan prevailed 4-1 in eight innings. Brian Glanzburg’s two RBI-double was the big hit in the eighth.

FARRAH MAFFAI Marlboro’s Peder Von Harten was one of the top two-sport stars in the district this year, leading the Mustangs on the football field, while also earning honorable mention on this year’s All-District Baseball Team.

Finally, the Toms River North Mariners ended Manalapan’s march through Toms River with a 9-6 win in the semifinals. Tim George’s three-run home run highlighted the Manalapan effort.

With the semifinal loss, the Braves ended the season at 15-12, and were once again the area’s top team.

Freehold Township fulfilled its goal of returning to the state playoffs and the SCT. Nick Papa’s standout season and some extra-innings drama highlighted the Pats’ season.

The young Freehold Borough Colonials began to jell at the end of the season getting big wins over Wall, Monmouth Regional and Freehold Township, leaving reason for optimism at the borough. During the course of the season, the team provided head coach Jon Block with a milestone victory, the 200th of his career.

Together, Manalapan and Freehold Township are the most represented team on the News Transcript’s 2002 All-Freehold District Baseball Team.

Joining DeJesus from Manalapan are pitchers John Lacugna and Pete Sanchez, outfielders Tim George and Steve Graziano, and designated hitter Chris Ruggiero. From Freehold Township there are Papa, catcher Bob Cook, infielders Evan Piscitelli and Jim Ascolese and utility player Dave Lorber. Colts Neck’s representatives are catcher/DH Mike Sarapochillo, outfielder Mike DeCorso and pitcher John DeTulio. Howell’s Mike Sales and Freehold Borough’s Eric DeJesus round out the team.

DeJesus, a four-year starter at Manalapan had a fabulous career with the Braves. He is headed for East Carolina University this fall, leaving behind one of Manalapan’s finest careers.

The respect shown for DeJesus from the opposing team was amazing as he was issued 29 walks. That, along with his .320 batting average, led to an amazing on-base percentage of .625.

That led to his leading the team in runs scored with 34. Of his 29 hits, seven were doubles, one a triple and four home runs as he increased his power production. He had 22 RBIs despite all of the walks. He was the Cal Ripken Jr. of Manalapan baseball, playing in 100 straight games during his career. He played every inning of those 100-straight games.

DeJesus goes to East Carolina with a career .390 batting average at Manalapan with 118 hits and 111 runs scored.

Papa, who is headed for Wagner College, Staten Island, to continue his baseball career, also enjoyed an outstanding scholastic career that puts him among the Pats’ best ever. Papa went out with a big season and was one of the big reasons Freehold Township returned to the state playoffs. He batted .424 this spring, with power. He had five home runs, four triples and four doubles. He led the team with 28 RBIs and scored 19 times. He was a rare power hitter who made contact in 85 at bats (36 hits), striking out just three times. In the outfield, he caught everything and had great range, making just one error.

Sarapochillo has been a starter since the Cougars first fielded a varsity team three years ago. One of the area’s premier power hitters, the senior had four home runs, four triples and a double while batting .444. His 18 RBIs and 24 runs scored topped his team as well. He had a .578 on-base-percentage and slugged to a tune of .778. Shore pitchers are glad to see him graduating.

George, who is headed for Felician College, Lodi, had a Ted Williams ending to his career. He launched a three-run home run in his very last at bat. For the season, the outfielder batted .364 and led the team in RBIs with 25. He had three home runs, two triples and six doubles as he and DeJesus provided the power in the Brave lineup.

Ruggiero was the key link in the Manalapan lineups providing average power and run production. The senior led the team with a .429 batting average and 35 hits, and his 25 RBIs tied George for team leadership. He had three home runs and six doubles.

Graziano was Manalapan’s speed threat. The senior batted .333 and had 18 stolen bases. His speed gave the Manalapan offense its versatility. The Braves could hit teams with the big inning, using their power or making things happen with their speed, led by Graziano.

Piscitelli had a very productive season for the Pats, batting .325 (25-77) while putting up 17 RBIs, second to Papa. The senior made only two errors at first base all season, as he was a key player behind their resurgence.

Ascolese has a very bright future in front of him. The sophomore shortstop batted .354 in his first full varsity season on 20-25 hitting. He scored 11 runs and had 12 RBIs. The versatile Ascolese is a promising pitcher as well. He was 1-0 with a 2.94 earned run average.

Cook is the best all-around catcher in the District. He is just as valuable with his glove as his bat, and that’s saying a lot considering his hefty .378 batting average. He was 31-82 with eight doubles and 19 runs scored. He was a big help to his pitchers by throwing out 40 percent of the stolen base attempts against the Pats.

According to coach Frank Gualtieri, Lorber, a junior, will be the Pats’ best all-around player next year. This spring he did a bit of everything well. He was an offensive catalyst, batting .324 (22-68) and scoring 21 runs. He was 3-5 as a starting pitcher with an earned run average of 3.05.

Freehold Borough is a year away with its youth and the leadership of senior outfielder Eric DeJesus helping the team dig itself out a big hole at the start of the season. He was the Colonial who stirred the pot from his lead-off position getting on base. He batted .322 getting 21 hits and scored 16 runs, both team-highs.

DeCorso was one of the top offensive players in the Shore. He was among the leaders in average (.429), hits and walks, which was what the Cougars were looking for. He was the player whose job was to get on base and score. He was a model of consistency and ended the season riding a 12-game hitting streak.

It was a tough year for the Howell Rebels, but it didn’t keep senior shortstop Sales from excelling. He batted .345 to lead the team and hit for power as his nine doubles and three home runs attest.

Lacugna was the area’s top pitcher this fall. He was 6-1 with an earned run average. But more important than the record was the way he took the ball in the big games for Manalapan, as his two wins in the SCT showed. He is just a junior, and Verderosa is pleased to have this innings-eating, big-game pitcher to lead his staff next year.

Pitching, pitching, pitching. It’s the key to any winning team, and the Braves had that with depth behind LaCugna, led by Sanchez, who was 5-3 with a 3.61 earned run average. This tandem won 11 of the Braves 15 games and will be returning next year.

DeTulio emerged as the ace of the Cougar staff, and head coach Mike York is pleased that he is just a junior. DeTulio was 4-3, but sported a 1.71 ERA. A control pitcher who hits his spots, the Cougars will be set in the rotation next year with him at the top.

Those earning Honorable Mention are: Matt Webber and Nick Tucker, Colts Neck; Pat Brown, Matt Coulson and Don Bielak, Freehold Borough; Paul LePore and Bryant Perez, Freehold Township; Nick Aldiero and Tom Papa, Howell; Rich Allen, Mike Santoro and Brian Glanzburg, Manalapan; Peder Von Harten and Craig Rodwogin, Marlboro.