The usual suspects favored to be there at the end in the Greater Newark Tournament generally come from the Super Essex Conference-American Division, the No. 1 assemblage of teams in the loop which had its first season in the 2009-2010 school year.
And, this season promises more of the same except that another superb team which should be among the ‘First 5’ along with the American Division’s top tier of Livingston, Seton Hall Prep, Columbia and Montclair will be West Essex (9-1, 8-0) which is currently running away with the SEC’s Liberty Division title.
The field for the 91st edition of the GNT will be assembled during this Monday night’s (April 22nd) seeding meeting at James Caldwell High School where co-directors Dan Romano of Caldwell and Stephan Zichella of West Orange, the two athletic directors overseeing the 2024 countywide diamond event, will preside over the process.
Unlike ECT basketball which has had large numbers enter the event in recent years, including 41 schools this past winter, the GNT has had a 22-team field for the past two tournaments.
Those coaches on this spring’s seeding committee are holdovers Brian Chapman of 2023 GNT champion Millburn (representing American Division); Ryan Smith of Caldwell (American), Vin Cordasco of Cedar Grove (Colonial) and Paul Bayona of Technology (Independence) who will be joined on Monday night by co-head coach Ron Gavazzi of Montclair (American), Joe Phelan of Verona (Liberty), Joe Sorce of Belleville (Colonial), Michael Dello Russo of Glen Ridge (Liberty) and Darryl Harvey of Newark Central (Independence).
The ‘Play-In’ preliminary rounds are scheduled for April 25, 27 and May 1. The traditional Round of 16 first round is slated for Friday, May 3, and the quarterfinals, Wednesday, May 8, all at the higher-seeded team’s home field.
The GNT semifinals are scheduled for 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., Saturday, May 11, at Seton Hall Prep’s Porcello Field in West Orange. The GNT final is set for Saturday, May 18, at Verona’s Doc Goeltz Field with the time for first pitch yet to be announced.
The GNT was held in Verona every year from 1971-1999 before moving to Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium in Newark from 2000 to 2012. The final moved back to Verona in 2013 before finishing up its final two years at Bears & Eagles Stadium in both 2014 and 2015, before the Brick City stadium was closed and eventually demolished.
The GNT final then returned once again to Verona in 2016, had a year in Belleville in 2017 and then back to Verona in 2018 and 2019 before a covid year with no tournament in 2020 and then two straight years with the championship game at Yogi Berra Stadium on the campus of Montclair State University in 2021 and 2022.
Last year the GNT once again returned to Verona where Millburn, behind the superb pitching of current Oakland A’s minor league farmhand Steve Echavarria edged SHP, 3-0, for its second championship in three years.
Looking at the 2024 GNT field, the likely No. 1 seed at the moment appears to be Livingston (6-1-1, 5-0-1) which gains the upper hand by virtue of its 4-3 triumph over SHP on April 15. Coach Mickey Ennis’ Lancers, who won the GNT title in 2018 at Verona, have also tied Columbia and lost to No. 8 ranked Morris Knolls, 4-0, on Thursday (April 18).
The youthful and talented Lancers have a very capable lineup led by junior right fielder E.J. Frayne (.385 BA, 4 doubles, 10 RBI) and a strong pitching staff that features juniors Julian Schultz (0.64 ERA) and Max Peri (2.14 ERA).
Livingston does have a key home conference clash with Montclair on Sunday afternoon prior to the seeding meeting.
SHP (8-2-1, 4-1-1) looks like a probable No. 2 seed at this point. the Pirates posted an 8-7 win vs. Montclair on Wednesday (April17) after having an 8-inning 1-1 tie with the Mounties back on April 1. Outside of the conference, SHP has an independent setback to Randolph.
Again, Sunday's Livingston-Monclair result will be a key factor in helping to finalize the order for the top two seeds.
The No. 3 through No. 5 slots should wind up being some combination involving West Essex, Columbia (6-3-1, 3-3-1) and Montclair (7-3-1, 4-2-1), with the order depending on how the seeding committee assesses the overall accomplishments to date of SEC-Liberty Division member Wessex which has played just one SEC-American Division team, defeating Nutley, 7-3, on April 15.
Columbia did edge Montclair, 5-4, in a head-to-head meeting which might give the Cougars a slight edge, again depending on how the committee looks at the full body of work of both teams and also how to work in Wessex.
Columbia did absorb a 7-0 shutout loss at Caldwell on Friday (April 19).
A deep pitching staff is certainly key when looking at the progression from a Wednesday quarterfinal game to a Saturday semifinal in the GNT where pitch counts and days in between appearances will enter in also depending on number of pitches and innings worked in the quarterfinals.
SHP has mound depth with a staff headed by junior Wake Forest commit Marcelo Harsch and also including a host of other capable arms such as senior Andrew Hladik, junior Michael Bravette (2 saves) and sophomore JJ Drennan.
Columbia has two hard-throwing Division I commits in right-hander Reno Spagnuoli (Seton Hall University) and southpaw Jared Carlucci (Rutgers).
Follow Steve Tober on X (Twitter) @ Chattermeister
GREATER NEWARK TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES:
2023: Millburn 3 Seton Hall Prep 0
2022: Seton Hall Prep 15 Bloomfield 0 (in 5 inn.)
2021: Millburn 6 Seton Hall Prep 5 (in 11 inn.)
2020: No tournament due to covid-19
2019: Montclair 10 Seton Hall Prep 0
2018: Livingston 8 Nutley 3
2017: Seton Hall Prep 4 Millburn 2
2016: Seton Hall Prep 11, Nutley 1
2015: Seton Hall Prep 12, Millburn 6
2014: Seton Hall Prep 7, Cedar Grove 6
2013: Seton Hall Prep 4, Montclair 2
2012: Montclair 2, Nutley 1
2011: Seton Hall Prep 8, Millburn 2
2010: West Essex 5, Columbia 4
2009: Livingston 5, Nutley 4
2008: Seton Hall Prep 8, Millburn 7 (8 inn.)
2007: Seton Hall Prep 5, Newark East Side 1
2006: West Essex 5, Seton Hall Prep 2
2005: Seton Hall Prep 11, Nutley 0
2004: Nutley 3, Seton Hall Prep 2
2003: Seton Hall Prep 3, Nutley 0
2002: Nutley 6, Seton Hall Prep 2
2001: Nutley 5, Seton Hall Prep 3
2000: Seton Hall Prep 3, Livingston 1
1999: Seton Hall Prep 4, Columbia 3
1998: Seton Hall Prep 6, Essex Catholic 4
1997: Seton Hall Prep 5, Bloomfield 2
1996: Bloomfield 3, Livingston 0
1995: Columbia 1, Belleville 0
1994: East Side 4, Glen Ridge 3
1993: Nutley 10, West Essex 3
1992: East Side 5, Seton Hall Prep 2
1991: Livingston 7, Cedar Grove 6
1990: Seton Hall Prep 13, Columbia 0
1989: Glen Ridge 7, Livingston 0
1988: Cedar Grove 5, Livingston 3
1987: Glen Ridge 3, Irvington 0
1986: Columbia 9, Belleville 8 (8 inn.)
1985: Cedar Grove 2, Caldwell 1 (8 inn.)
1984: Millburn 4, Nutley 3
1983: Seton Hall Prep 3, Glen Ridge 1
1982: Caldwell 4, Glen Ridge 1
1981: Belleville 10, Glen Ridge 4
1980: Livingston 8, Belleville 6
1979: Columbia 5, Livingston 4
1978: Columbia 3, Our Lady of the Valley 2
1977: Livingston 9, Seton Hall Prep 1
1976: Livingston 6, Essex Catholic 4
1975: Essex Catholic 5, Irvington 1
1974: Livingston 5, Verona 1
1973: Our Lady of the Valley 3, Bloomfield 1
GNT has been Essex County teams only since 1973.
GNT also included teams from outside Essex County from 1933-1972.
1972: Ewing 7, Bloomfield 3
1971: Seton Hall Prep 7, Haddonfield 2
1970: Union 5, Ewing 1
1969: Morristown 12, Montclair 3
1968: Morristown 2, Piscataway 1
1967: Morristown 5, Roselle Catholic 4
1966: Union 2, Parsippany 1
1965: Parsippany 5, Westfield 3
1964: St. Benedict’s Prep 6, Montclair 5
1963: Montclair 6, St. Benedict’s 3
1962: Garfield 6, Nutley 0
1961: South River 5, Linden 3
1960: New Brinswick 3, East Side 0
1959: Bayonne 14, Verona 8
1958: St. Peter’s Prep 3, Hanover Park 1
1957: Rahway 3, Irvington 2
1956: New Brunswick 11, Barringer 0
1955: Jefferson 7, Montclair 6
1954: Montclair 8, Englewood 0
1953: Englewood 9, Irvington 4
1952: Bloomfield 3, Nutley 0
1951: Linden 8, Jefferson 3
1950: Rahway 9, East Side 7
1949: Bayonne 3, Montclair 2
1948: Montclair 1, Irvington 0
1947: Irvington 6, Columbia 0
1946: East Side 4, Roselle Park 2
1945: Bloomfield 5, Columbia 0
1944: Caldwell 9, Bloomfield 0
1943: Kearny 6, Hillside 3
1942: Montclair 3, Irvington 2
1941: Hillside 9, Kearny 5
1940: Irvington 2, Trenton 0
1939: Irvington 4, Woodbridge 3
1938: Irvington 6, South River 1
1937: Hillside 8, Bloomfield 4
1936: Hillside 11, Nutley 2
1935: Bloomfield 4, Hillside 3
1934: Hillside 5, Barringer 1
1933: Irvington 1, Kearny 0
*GNT historical information from Jeff Goldberg
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