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Veteran Millburn coach Brian Chapman knows that he has to look to several new faces in lineup this spring but there is still strong talent on hand including junior right-hander Alex Faust and veteran third baseman and solid hitter Matthew Weiner. Millers were No. 8 in final 2023 state rankings. (Photos by Melinda Delmauro, Jeff Stiefbold and Gene Nann)

Millburn Looks For Pitching To Set Tone
As Lineup Will Have Several New Faces

By Steve Tober
For sidelinechatter.com

Millburn baseball has been right there with the best in the state near the end of the season for three straight seasons while putting together a 71-17 (81%) record from 2021-2023 with two state sectional titles and a pair of Greater Newark Tournament championships.

But, that trio of exceptional Miller diamond squads were led by a splendid group of 3-year starters who received their high school diplomas last June, including a third-round major league draft pick of the Oakland A’s, which means the 2024 diamond squad – although still stocked with talent – will have to see a number of first-year varsity position players step it up in order to effectively complement a promising pitching staff for more success this spring in the always-rigorous Super Essex Conference-American Division.

“We are basically flipping over the whole lineup except for a couple of positions,” said veteran coach Brian Chapman, whose team wound up ranked No. 8 in the state last spring with a 27-4 record, including 10-2 in the SEC-American. “Just looking up the middle, we will have different players at catcher, shortstop and in center field, and we’re hoping those players continue to progress.

“Our pitching will be key for us to be able to stay in games and then we’ll try to figure it out from there.”

Among the standouts Millburn bid adieu to last June were all-state pitcher Steven Echavarria (8-1, 0.78 ERA, 80 Ks in 50 IP in 2023), who is currently described as the seventh-best prospect in the Oakland A’s system after being selected in the third round of last year’s MLB draft. He appears likely headed to his first professional season in Single A minor league ball.

Also gone are other 3-year starters including shortstop Robert Schneider (.407 BA, 40 runs, 29 RBI in 2023), who is a freshman on the Scranton University diamond squad, and is also a roommate of Chapman’s son, Matt, a former pitcher at Cranford. Also playing this spring at the college level is graduated Millers slugging outfielder Henry Jacobs (.359 BA, 18 extra base hits, 42 RBI), who is off to a quick start at Babson College.

The Millers’ top returning pitchers this spring are veteran junior right-hander Alex Faust, who had a superb freshman year in 2023 (1.76 ERA in 39 2/3 IP, 46 K’s) and then was dialed back a bit last spring - strictly for precautionary reasons – and made eight appearances, tossing 25 1/3 innings with 30 K’s and a 1.93 ERA.

Sophomore Charle Krasnove is coming off a productive freshman season on the winning ledger in 2023, posting a 4-0 record in just five starts with a 2.36 ERA. Another underclassmen pitcher to watch this spring is junior Jake Roesler.

Anchoring the infield will be senior 3-year starting third baseman Matthew Weiner (.325, 19 RBI), and junior Greg Rosenthal (.275, 12 RBI), who started all last year at second base but will now move over to shortstop this spring.

Looking around the SEC-American, Chapman sees Seton Hall Prep as the heavy favorite with its veteran lineup returning and sees Columbia, which has a couple of hard-throwing future college pitchers, to be another team to watch.

“Seton Hall is strong on the mound and with its lineup, and Columbia has two D1 pitchers in Jared Carlucci (Rutgers commit) and Reno Spagnoli (Seton Hall University bound) who both throw in the 90s,” said Chapman. “Then, I think there will be a lot of competition 3 through 7 in our division, and we know we’re going to have to come to play each and every day.”

The Millers open the new campaign hosting Caldwell on Tuesday, April 2, before traveling to Porcello Field on Wednesday (April 3) to face SHP in another attractive early-season SEC-American Division showdown.

Around the SEC-American:

Seton Hall Prep (15-11-1, 7-4-1)- Pirates struggled at times last spring with a very young team but still reached the GNT final where it fell to Millburn, 3-0. SHP is still a young ball club, but the experience and talent should help raise the fortunes of veteran coach Mike Sheppard, Jr.’s team in 2024 led by hard-hitting junior catcher Henry Ayers (.303 BA in 2023), precocious sophomore first baseman Jordan Burwell (West Virginia commit), junior outfielder Will Mahala (Virginia commit), junior infielder Michael Bravette (George Washington University commit) junior right-hander Marcelo Harsch (Wake Forest commit) and senior righty Andrew Hladik.

Columbia (8-19, 2-10)- Cougars had tough season in the SEC-American with the hard-throwing Seton Hall commit Spagnoli throwing limited innings (18 2/3) although he did strike out 33 with a 1.50 ERA. The future Rutgers Scarlet Knight Carlucci is coming off a strong basketball season for the Cougars with a 2.87 ERA in 39 IP and 53 K’s in 2023. Coach Ryan Muirhead has to come up with a consistent lineup for Columbia to factor in over the long haul in the SEC’s top division, but the strong arms at the top of the rotation are certainly there.

Caldwell (15-13-1, 6-6)- Chiefs will build their mound staff around veteran senior right-hander Dan Paris and there is no doubt that the hard-hitting potential of the everyday lineup for coach Ryan Smith with potent veteran bats including with seniors Joey Marinello (.321 BA in 2023), Julian Casale (4 HR, 25 RBI), Dom Velardi and Louie Anemone.   

Livingston (17-11, 8-4)- Coach Mickey Ennis has seen his Lancers put together some strong late-season runs the past two seasons and there are hopes for another solid spring with the return of talented juniors such as steady southpaw Julian Schultz (3.11 ERA), who can also hit (.333 BA) and excel in the outfield, while junior EJ Frayne (.373 BA) wields a potent bat and Robbie Lynn is a sure-handed infielder.

Montclair (14-12-2, 5-6-1)- Mounties will sorely miss graduated star southpaw Anthony Anzaldi (NJIT), but there is young talent to work with led by veteran junior infielder Ben St. Pierre, who is one of the top hitters in the county (.400 BA, 22 RBI); and with other returning position players such as senior outfielders Derek Lacey and Mack Mathisen and sophomore shortstop Patrick Van Note. Seniors Eli Rudall-Stulberg and Shea Goal help lead a promising pitching staff where St. Pierre can also have a valuable role. 

Nutley (7-15, 3-9)- Second-year coach Eric Puzio hopes for improvement as the Maroon Raiders have to replace several 2023 senior starters and will look to build around versatile senior pitcher-first baseman Erik Thompson (3.73 ERA, .377 BA in 2023) and junior pitcher-infielder Drew Slomkowski. 

Among key early season games: Monday, April 1: Seton Hall Prep at Montclair;; Nutley at Livingston; Tuesday, April 2, Millburn at Caldwell; Wednesday, April 3: Millburn at Seton Hall Prep; Caldwell at Columbia; Friday, April 5: Columbia at Seton Hall Prep; Livingston at Montclair       

91st GNT: first round: May 3; quarterfinals, May 8, at higher seed; semifinals, May 11, at Seton Hall Prep's Porcello Field; final: May 18 at Verona's Doc Goeltz Field.  

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Livingston returns talented junior southpaw Julian Schultz while Seton Hall Prep has fine array of key underclassmen including sophomore first baseman Jordan Burwell. Millburn coach Brian Chapman points to Columbia, guided by coach Ryan Muirhead, as one of the SEC teams to keep a close eye on. (SC photo and by Gene Nann and PJ Candido/SHP)

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