Freehold Twp. National perfect in LL District 19
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

Manager Gregg Heinzmann had the rare luxury of never having to worry when he turned to his bench.

His Freehold Township National Little League Minor League (11-12-year-olds) all-star team was stacked, one through 13.

"There was no drop off in performance," Heinzmann said when talking about his club's depth. "They had excellent coaching and training throughout the year. They were very, very talented. A manager's dream. They were very coachable."

Freehold Township National rode its wealth of talent to the Little League District 19 championship. They stormed through the tournament undefeated, beating Marlboro South, 11-6, in the championship game at Tinton Falls.

En route to the final, they beat Colts Neck, 11-1, Marlboro South, 3-2, and Middletown, 11-10.

As the two one-run wins would suggest, National was tested, which made the tournament that much more satisfying.

"The hallmark of the team was that it was mentally tough," said Heinzmann. "When they were tested, they responded."

Heinzmann pointed to the 11-10 win against Middletown. That game was played on Middletown's home field in Bodman Park, and there was a large and vocal Middletown crowd. Middletown rallied to take an 8-6 lead late in the game, which had the home crowd buzzing, but Freehold Township National would not be denied. They hung tough and mounted their own rally that led to the 11-10 win and a trip to the final.

By staying undefeated and not falling in the losers' bracket, Freehold Township National didn't have to overwork its pitching staff and have to worry about pitch count. If need be, they had the depth required with Kevin Gilboy, Jared Hayden, Tyler Horneck, Ryan McNamara and Blake Stimpson forming the team's deep pitching staff.

What pleased Heinzmann the most about his all-star team was the way each player subordinated his ego for the team, allowing them to perform at their maximum.

The Freehold Township National District 19 Minor League champions were: Matt Chiusano (first base/shortstop), Gilboy (pitcher/right field), Hayden (pitcher/third base), Connor Heinzmann (center field/catcher), Horneckl (pitcher/shortstop), Michael Lopes (catcher), McNamara (second base/pitcher), Matt Papa (left field/catcher), Hayden Shapiro (first base/right field), Paul Stewart (center field), Stimpson (outfield/pitcher), Luke Tiefenthaler (shortstop/outfield) and Ryan Weinstock (third base/second base).

Manager Gregg Henzmann's coaching staff included Dan Stimpson, Tom Tiefenthaler and Adam Weinstock.