Hamilton-Northern Burlington 13s reach Mid-Atlantic Regional
They came from several different directions to Hamilton’s Switlik Park.
There were players from Little Lads, the Northern Burlington league and Sunnybrae to form a very focused and determined group of 13-year old allstars.
“Right from day one I believed in these boys and knew the potential but was conservative with my forecast,’’ said HNB manager Jim Petersohn. “I had heard about these boys battling in the Ripken finals last year between Lads and Northern, and then to add the Sunnybrae group was helpful. We have a total team focused and willing to put team goals and success ahead of individual success.’’
The focus, the determination and the talent shone through in the Southern New Jersey State Tournament as the Switlik Park Crew swept all four games to claim the title and earn a berth in the Middle Atlantic Regional. The Regional, which starts on Tuesday, will be played in the same Somers Point/Ventnor sites as the state tournament and will be hosted by the Atlantic Shore Babe Ruth League.
Hamilton/Northern Burlington opens regional play against Bridgewater, the Northern New Jersey winner, on Tuesday at 3 p.m. on the field at Somers Point.
The regional winner will advance to the World Series in Mountain Home, Arkansas.
HNB had wins over Brick American, Jersey Shore, Washington Twp. Blue and a championship game win over Atlantic Shore West to claim the state title. They outscored the opposition, 49-27 and allowed only six earned runs.
“We hit the ball a lot better than I thought we would coming into the states,’’ said Petersohn. “I felt we would have to pitch very well (which we did), play solid defense which we didn’t and put the ball in play, which we excelled at. We averaged 13 hits a game.’’
Not in the easiest part of the bracket, HNB made it look easy.
Ryan “RB” Boyd had seven RBI and batted at a .533 clip, Franklin Peters drove home six and batted .417, Isaac Acosta had five RBI and hit .389 and Ryan Kochie, who had a .600 batting average, scored eight runs and ripped three doubles.
James Watson hurled 10 innings and gained a win, Matteo Mannino also had a win along with Noah Rivera and Boyd. Watson and Boyd have ERA’s under 2.00.
Petersohn also saw Nathan Mains (.462) come up big in the comeback against Jersey Shore. Andrew Stizza also played a big role in the win. Alex Visalli (.385) was a spark in the tourney opener, John Bassett had a key at bat, Austin Boddie batted .500, Nicholas Garnier had three RBI, Isaiah Helleis had an RBI and Chris Nodeland batted .333.
“It’s going to take all 15 of our rostered players to help and perform for us to be successful in the regional,’’ said Petersohn. “We’ve got great kids and great families.’’
The job that Petersohn has done at HNB cannot be discounted, either.
A great communicator, he has won five district titles, four state titles and a regional and has managed in the World Series.
“I’ve been very blessed with some very good teams and great coaches,’’ said Petersohn. “This team was extremely successful prior to me joining them.’’
Once Petersohn did join them, though, they became champions and are still looking for more.