Morris/Sussex baseball players to watch entering the 2024 season

Nick Gantaifis, Morristown Daily Record

With the baseball season set to begin Monday, here are some of the top players to watch across Morris and Sussex counties.

Sean Bauer

Butler junior utility

Belted a team-high five home runs, with 34 RBIs, 25 runs scored and 14 extra-base hits. Knocked in five runs or more in three games, including a six-RBI performance in a 10-9 win over Kinnelon in the regular season.

Josh Brancy

Sparta senior outfielder

Hit .443 with a team-high 35 hits and 32 stolen bases and scored 27 runs and 10 RBIs. Had 11 multi-hit games.

Donovan Cassel

Pequannock junior outfielder

Cassel had a breakout sophomore campaign when he batted .341 with 29 hits, 38 runs, 14 RBIs, 21 walks and two home runs to help guide Pequannock to its first state title since 2009 and third in program history.

More: Morris/Sussex Top 10 rankings heading into the 2024 season

Morris/Sussex high school baseball 2024: Team-by-team previews

Eddie Deckert

Kittatinny junior pitcher

The Cougars ace and workhorse, Deckert fanned 71 batters in 45 innings pitched.

Luke Dickerson

Morris Knolls senior shortstop

Morristown, NJ - May 13, 2023 — Luke Dickerson at shortstop for Morris Knolls as West Morris defeated Morris Knolls 7-4 to win the semifinal of he Morris County Baseball Tournament played at Delbarton.
Morristown, NJ - May 13, 2023 — Luke Dickerson at shortstop for Morris Knolls as West Morris defeated Morris Knolls 7-4 to win the semifinal of he Morris County Baseball Tournament played at Delbarton.

One of the state’s finest players, Dickerson hit .483 with a team-leading 43 hits, 47 runs scored, eight home runs and 18 stolen bases to go along with a .635 on-base percentage. The Virginia commit guided the Golden Eagles to their first state title in program history.

Aiden Dill

Delbarton senior pitcher/outfielder

The ace of the Green Wave rotation, Dill went 7-0 and allowed just one earned run across 49 innings pitched for a 0.14 ERA. A two-way standout, the Seton Hall commit batted .368 with 21 hits, 28 runs scored and 10 stolen bases to help guide Delbarton to its fourth straight Morris County Tournament title.

Ryan Foley

Pequannock senior outfielder

PQ #26 Ryan Foley bumps fists with coach Jon McBurney. Pompton Lakes hosts Pequannock in the NJSIAA North 1, Group 1 baseball tournament on Friday, June 2, 2023.
PQ #26 Ryan Foley bumps fists with coach Jon McBurney. Pompton Lakes hosts Pequannock in the NJSIAA North 1, Group 1 baseball tournament on Friday, June 2, 2023.

The Golden Panthers top returning player from last season’s Group 1 state title team, Foley batted .367 with 33 hits, 28 RBIs, 17 runs, two home runs and 11 multi-hit games.

Sal Garcia

Delbarton sophomore infielder

D #14 Sal Garcia makes it to second. Chatham varsity baseball hosts Delbarton in an NJAC-American contest on Friday, April 21, 2023.
D #14 Sal Garcia makes it to second. Chatham varsity baseball hosts Delbarton in an NJAC-American contest on Friday, April 21, 2023.

Garcia burst onto the scene as a freshman batting .484 with 31 hits, 26 RBI’s, 22 runs scored and two home runs. Had 11 multi-hit games.

Jack Harley

Delbarton senior third baseman

The Rice commit paced the Green Wave with 28 RBIs and batted .468 with 37 hits, 27 runs scored and two home runs. Had 11 multi-hit games.

Peter Hercek

Mountain Lakes senior infielder

Led the Lakers with 41 hits and batted .482 with 23 RBIs and 19 runs scored. Had 11 multi-hit games and had three or more hits in a game eight times.

Trent Jenks

Chatham senior pitcher/first baseman

C #27 Trent Jenks runs past third. Chatham varsity baseball hosts Delbarton in an NJAC-American contest on Friday, April 21, 2023.
C #27 Trent Jenks runs past third. Chatham varsity baseball hosts Delbarton in an NJAC-American contest on Friday, April 21, 2023.

A two-way standout for the Cougars, Jenks struck out 51 batters in 41 innings to a tune of a 1.02 ERA. Batted .375 with a team-high 24 hits.

James Kleiven

Randolph senior pitcher

The University of Miami commit’s fastball reaches the low-to-mid 90 mph range. As a junior, Kleiven struck out 51 batters in 39 innings pitched.

Tommy Martin

Randolph senior pitcher/infielder

A two-way standout, Martin struck out 43 batters in 40 innings for a 2.28 ERA. Batted .301 with 22 hits, 14 RBIs and 11 runs scored.

Kyle Phillips

Roxbury junior pitcher

Threw a team-high 45 innings with 38 strikeouts and a 3.89 ERA.

Kyle Piechnik

Madison senior outfielder

Batted .443 with 39 hits, 34 RBIs, 21 runs and nine doubles. Had 10 multi-hit games.

Colin Richter

Roxbury senior outfielder

Hit .451 with 23 hits, 22 runs scored, 17 RBIs and eight home runs.

Nick Rotundo

West Morris junior pitcher

West Morris pitcher Nick Rotundo as Mt. Olive High School unveiled and played their first game at their new baseball complex against West Morris on April 27, 2022.
West Morris pitcher Nick Rotundo as Mt. Olive High School unveiled and played their first game at their new baseball complex against West Morris on April 27, 2022.

The ace of the Wolfpack staff, the southpaw struck out 56 batters in 55 innings for a 2.67 ERA.

Cody Sherrer

North Warren senior pitcher

The Monmouth commit posted a 1.15 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 49 innings. Had double-digit strikeouts in five outings, including a 15-strikeout performance against Sussex Tech during the regular season.

Michael Simone

Morris Knolls senior third baseman

Flashed power last season, hitting .452 with 33 RBIs, four home runs and 20 runs scored. Had a season-high five RBIs and a big home run against Mainland in the NJSIAA Group 3 title game. Had 11 multi-hit games.

AJ Terry

Randolph junior infielder

The North Carolina commit batted .395 with 30 hits, 24 runs and nine doubles as a sophomore.

Mac Tufts

Pope John senior shortstop

St. Joseph's Julian Rondon leads off second base as Pope John shortstop Mac Tufts stays close. St. Joseph defeated Pope John 13-8 on Saturday April 16, 2022 in Montvale.
St. Joseph's Julian Rondon leads off second base as Pope John shortstop Mac Tufts stays close. St. Joseph defeated Pope John 13-8 on Saturday April 16, 2022 in Montvale.

A four-year starter for the Lions, Tufts hits .407 with 33 hits, 21 runs scored and a team-high 16 stolen bases. Had 11 multi-hit games.

Jack Veith

Wallkill Valley senior infielder/pitcher

Collected 40 hits for a .513 batting average and posted 30 runs scored, 17 RBIs and 17 walks. Had 13 multi-hit games. On the mound, he struck out 42 batters in 37 innings.

Others to watch

Rocco Albano, Randolph senior pitcher/outfielder

PJ Coffey, Butler junior pitcher/utility

Hunter Force, Montville senior outfielder

Logan Force, Montville senior outfielder/pitcher

Jon Moore, Mount Olive sophomore outfielder

Jayden Rush, Mount Olive senior shortstop

AJ Saccento, Delbarton sophomore pitcher

Christian Zebrowski, Delbarton senior pitcher

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ baseball: Morris/Sussex players to watch entering 2024 season

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