CJ Hitmen win Middlesex sophomore Legion title
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

The Central Jersey Hitmen smacked a grand slam in their Sophomore American Legion debut.

The Hitmen won the regular season Sophomore Legion (ages 13-14) championship played in Middlesex County in their first season with a sparkling 15-2 record. And they were the "hit" men with a team batting average of .445.

"Unbelievable for a team playing against good competition," said coach Ed Graziano.

Matt Gelchion led the hit parade with a .649 average for the season. Mark Sorbara checked in at .571, and Jason Dean also batted over .500 with a .545 average. Jared Graziano (.458) and Brandon Coluccio (.455) had hefty averages as well.

The Hitmen, whose roster consists of players from Freehold, Colts Neck and Manalapan, finished the regular season on a 15-game winning streak. It was due in a large part to the team's very deep pitching staff. Graziano and his staff looked for depth when assembling the team, and it led to the outstanding record because it meant a quality arm would always be on the mound. And it provided the coaches with flexibility.

Nick Pranzo (who had a no-hitter), Mike Hanlon, Anthony Pira, Vinnie Campagnolo, Sean Edgeworth, Gelchion, Hanlon, Charlie Lasky, Mario Mennella, Sorbara and Mike Surick made up the rotation.

Graziano put the sophomore team in the Middlesex County League because Monmouth County doesn't have a sophomore league for these younger players. He was looking to get his players some valuable playing experience competing against teams from another county. His goal was .500. But that was quickly elevated after the team rallied from the 0-2 start and got on its roll.

First, it was to finish no worse than second in their Division (South) and qualify for the states. Then, the goal was to win the Division, and finally to be the top team overall, which they became by finishing the season with those 15 consecutive wins.

"Every player has contributed defensively and offensively," noted Graziano. "We use a player rotation that guarantees each player plays three to four innings per game."

Now that they have taken the Sophomore American Legion to Monmouth County, the team is seeded No. 1 out of Middlesex in the upcoming state tournament that begins Saturday in Bridgewater for them. They'll be looking to extend their winning streak when things gets started this weekend. The state tournament runs through Monday.

"We are looking forward to the states," said Graziano.