GNT And SEC-American Champ SHP
Leads SC's All-Essex Baseball Honors

Essex County Player of the Year: Jordan Burwell, junior, Seton Hall Prep
In helping to anchor what developed as a very strong offensive lineup as the season progressed, a Pirates’ standout in the heart of that order was cleanup batter Jordan Burwell, the team’s junior first baseman and West Virginia commit who batted .478 with 27 runs, 7 doubles, 5 home runs and 30 RBI. His superb .600 OBP was enhanced with the fact that the SHP first sacker has an excellent eye at the plate as he drew 24 walks and also had an 806 slugging %. He will be one of the centerpieces for SHP to build around in forming another strong diamond squad in 2026.

Runner-Up Player of the Year: Will Mahala, senior, Seton Hall Prep
A picture of consistency at the plate, the University of Virginia commit is SC’s runner-up as Essex County’s POY for the second straight season. He played center field and also served occasionally as a DH in the powerful SHP lineup while batting .418 with 30 runs, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 5 homers and 23 RBI. He also had an OBP of .600 and .761 slugging % as another of the Pirates who did superb job of creating traffic on the bases and also driving them in.

Essex County Pitcher of the Year: Marcelo Harsch, senior, Seton Hall Prep
A 2-time SC Essex Pitcher of the Year, the Pirates’ Wake Forest commit drew major league scouts to each and every of his starts as he remains a potential early round selection in the upcoming Major League Baseball First-Year Player’s Draft, July 13-14, during MLB’s All-Star Week in Atlanta. The talented veteran right-hander was outstanding from the start of the season finishing 7-0 in 44 innings pitched, while walking 11 and striking out 69 with 4 shutouts, 4 complete games and at least six innings pitched in each start. Among his best outings were his two no-hitters vs. Nutley and Newark Academy and a pair of 1-hitters against Caldwell and St. Benedict’s. For his illustrious scholastic career, the Montclair resident was 18-2 in 127 2/3 IP with 47 BB, 176 K’s and a 1.26 ERA.

Runner-Up Pitcher of the Year: JJ Drennan, junior, Seton Hall Prep
Opposing teams never looked forward to facing either of SHP’s top two starters on the mound as Drennan also gives every indication of being an elite-level pitcher for years to come and still has a year of high school remaining. The Boston College commit had his own outstanding 2025 season with a 7-0 record in 45 1/3 IP, walking 12 with 68 K’s and a 1.39 ERA. His best games included a pair of 1-hitters vs. Columbia, where he had with 3 BB and 10 K’s, and vs. Livingston, with 2 BB and 8 K’s in 6 IP. A versatile player for SHP, Drennan also played some at third base when not on the mound and batted .333.    

Essex County Newcomer of the Year: Dante Placenti, freshman, Caldwell
Caldwell coach Ryan Smith knew he had to rely on several new faces on a predominantly youthful Chiefs diamond squad and one of the young players who emerged as a very key cog this past season was freshman outfielder Dante Placenti who batted .371 with 16 runs and 13 RBI, drew 14 BB and had 6 stolen bases and played solid defense while displaying the maturity and high baseball IQ of a seasoned varsity player. He helped lead Caldwell to a very respectable 14-10 record including 8-2 in capturing the Super Essex Conference-Liberty Division title.

Runner-Up Newcomer of the Year: Leo Dalton, sophomore pitcher, Millburn
Veteran Millburn coach Brian Chapman had to deal with a variety of injuries to a couple of his veteran starting pitchers and he was able to turn to a young left-hander in the crafty Dalton to fill a huge void in terms of innings and productivity. The very promising sophomore finished 3-4 on the mound for the 14-16 Millers who compete in the SEC’s top division, the American. He was a workhorse on the hill as well with 52 1/3 IP while allowing 40 hits, walking 15 and recording 44 K’s. 

Essex County Coach of the Year: Mike Sheppard, Jr., Seton Hall Prep
One of the true legendary coaches in New Jersey high school baseball history, ‘Shep, Jr.’ did one of his best jobs in an outstanding coaching career as he expertly put all the pieces together for what was a highly-productive team in all facets as the Pirates finished 22-2, including a perfect 10-0 mark in winning the SEC-American Division title, and the program’s record 18th Greater Newark Tournament title with a solid 6-0 win over Livingston in the championship game at Verona’s Doc Goeltz Field. With a career record of 893-237-7 (.788) in a career that spans from 1986 in one season at West Orange and 1986-2025 at SHP, Shep Jr. is closing in on the state’s winningest coach, the now retired Ken Frank of Toms River South (934-356-3) who he could perhaps surpass in the 2027 season. He has guided SHP to 7 overall NJSIAA Non-Public A state titles, 10 Non-Public, North A state sectional titles and 23 conference championships (11 in the SEC-American Division and 12 in the Iron Hills Conference-Iron Division.

Runner-Up Coach of the Year: Mike Sasso, MKA
A former standout player and pitcher at both MKA and William Paterson University, Sasso has emerged as one of the top, young coaches in Essex County relying on both his knowledge of the game and also innate instincts in terms of effectively guiding a diamond squad in the right direction, which he certainly did in 2025 as the Cougars showed much improvement over last year’s 9-17 squad finishing 18-7 overall this spring while also sharing the SEC-Colonial Division title with Cedar Grove as each had 8-2 records in the loop. MKA also advanced to the NJSIAA Non-Public, North B state sectional final where it lost to Pope John, but not before completing what was a solid spring campaign. Sasso also utilizes what he has learned during his lifetime in coming from a definite baseball family where his No. 1 supporter, dad Dennis Sr., is the former head coach at Fairleigh Dickinson University among other coaching stops along the way, and brother Dennis, Jr., is the head coach at River Dell High School.

Essex County Team of the Year: Seton Hall Prep
Along with a superb 22-2 record and elite position most of the season in nj.com’s statewide Top 20, SHP was unbeaten in the SEC’s top division, the American, while winning another GNT title and reaching the semifinals of the toughest bracket in the NJSIAA state tournament before falling to DePaul, 10-8, in an offensive-minded contest at Porcello Field. With the top two starting pitchers in the county in Marcelo Harsch and JJ Drennan plus a strong lineup led by SC Essex County Players of the Year Jordan Burwell and Will Mahala along with Mahala’s fellow talented seniors in the deep lineup including infielders Santino Czarecki and Michael Bravette and outfielder Kaden Frei.

Runner-Up Team of Year: Livingston
A runner-up to SHP in the last two GNT finals, and a 2024 SEC-American Division and N1G4 state sectional champion, the Lancers continued to be a state-ranked team to be reckoned with in 2025 led by its veteran pitching staff with seniors Tyler Chen (2.94 ERA in 48 IP) and Max Peri (2.44 ERA in 51 2/3 IP) along with talented junior Adam Goldberg (1.34 ERA in 57 2/3 IP) and an air-tight defense and solid bats including senior outfielders E.J. Frayne (.306, 18 RBI) and Julian Schultz (.333 with 27 runs) along with third baseman Robbie Lynn (22 RBI) and catcher John Marco Maiello (.312 BA).  Veteran coach Mickey Ennis’ fundamentally very sound ball club finished a fine 20-8 overall and a solid 7-3 just behind SHP in the SEC-American Division.    

AROUND ESSEX- West Essex had another strong season while reaching the semifinals in both the GNT and North 2, Group 2 state tournament before falling to eventual state finalist West Morris. Junior pitcher Jackson Lodgek (4-1, 1.74 ERA) is a pitcher to watch looking ahead to next season for coach Joe Cardinale’s Knights…Caldwell won the SEC-Liberty Division title with its young lineup along with key veterans such as Drew University-bound senior pitcher Marco Sozio (60 K’s in 49 IP, 3.00 ERA)…Verona won the most games (19) in a season for 12th-year head coach Joe Phelan, while reaching the N2G1 state sectional final vs. Brearley. Albright-bound senior outfielder Andrew DePaul (.362 BA, 27 RBI) and Quinnipiac-bound senior pitcher-1B Frank Orrei (1.95 ERA, 24 RBI) were among the key players for the Hillbillies…Cedar Grove also won 19 games, including 9 of its last 11 while reaching the N2G1 semis and sharing the SEC-Colonial Division title with MKA led by Salve Regina-bound senior Nick Russo (.457 BA, 4 HR, 24 RBI), the Panthers’ superb 4-year starting catcher, and strong junior southpaw Xavier Andujar…Nutley showed improvement under coach Eric Puzio winning seven of their last nine games, winning a N1G3 state tourney game vs. Northern Highlands and giving Bergen County stronghold Old Tappan a run for its money before being edged 6-5 in the sectional quarters…MKA won seven of its last 10 games plus a berth in the Non-Public, North B final vs. Pope John behind the efforts of workhorse right-hander pitcher Alessandro Rizio (1.28 ERA in 65 2/3 IP), who was one of the unsung and outstanding pitchers in Essex County this spring and hard-hitting Williams College-bound senior shortstop Quinn Carlesimo (.380 BA, 26 RBI) 

Sideline Chatter Final Essex County Top 10:
1- Seton Hall Prep (22-2)
2- Livingston (20-8)
3- West Essex (16-9)
4- Millburn (14-16)
5- Columbia (13-12-1)
6- MKA (18-7)
7- Caldwell (14-10)
8- Verona (19-7)
9- Cedar Grove (19-7)
10- Nutley (15-13)

COACHES ALL ESSEX BASEBALL

FIRST TEAM
P-Marcelo Harsch, Seton Hall Prep
P-JJ Drennan, Seton Hall Prep
P-Adam Goldberg, Livingston
C-Henry Ayers, Seton Hall Prep
INF-Jordan Burwell, Seton Hall Prep
INF-Joe Panzarino, West Essex
INF-Charlie Pepe, Verona
INF-Santino Czarecki, Seton Hall Prep
OF-Will Mahala, Seton Hall Prep
OF-Julian Schultz, Livingston
OF-Sam Dorian, Montclair
UTIL-Tyler Chen, Livingston

SECOND TEAM
P-Charlie Wall, Millburn
P-Max Peri. Livingston
P-Jackson Lodgek, West Essex
C-Nick Russo, Cedar Grove
INF-Greg Rosenthal, Millburn
INF-Quinn Carlesimo, MKA
INF-Max Garcia, West Essex
INF-Patrick Van Note, Montclair
OF-Zac Calveric, Columbia
OF-Kaden Frei, SHP
OF-EJ Frayne, Livingston
UTIL-Marco Sozio, Caldwell

THIRD TEAM
P-Xavier Andujar. Cedar Grove
P-Alessandro Rizio, MKA
P-Jack Pimm, West Orange
C-Isaac Buchalter, Columbia
INF-Justin Jiminez, St. Benedict’s.
INF-Frank Orrei, Verona
INF-Nick Palumbo, Nutley
INF-Sean Walsh, Belleville
OF-Peter Lawrence, Millburn
OF-Dante Placenti, Caldwell
OF-Andrew DePaul, Verona
UTIL-David Aishton, Montclair

 
Follow Steve Tober on 'X' @Chattermeister