TJ Hunt
Director of Scouting, New Jersey 

High School: Middletown High School South
Head Coach: Ryan Spillane (112-72)
2015 Record: 21-9

 

Head Coach Ryan Spillane is excited about the prospects of the 2016 season at Middletown South.  The Eagles are coming off a 21-9 season, and are looking to make even more noise in Group 3 this year after suffering a 5-1 loss in the Sectional Semifinal last year to eventual champion Northern Burlington.  With only two players lost off of last year’s club (Zac deRocco and Nolan Pereless), it is easy to see why 2016 appears to hold so much promise.

The Eagles will look to their Tri-Captains and 3-year starters, Austin Markmann, Zach Schild, and Johnny Zega to provide the leadership necessary to make deep runs across all 3 major tournaments.  INF/RHP Austin Markmann is signed with Sacred Heart University and hit .337 last year while slugging 3 homeruns along with 6 doubles.  Markman also logged 47.1 innings on the mound, and will be counted on to take the ball in big spots all year.  C Zach Schild and SS/RHP Johnny Zega are both signed with Monmouth, and will make South very strong up the middle.  Schild is a veteran backstop who savors the big moment.  He was second on the team last year with 20 RBI while hitting at a .317 clip.  Zega is another duel-threat guy.  At the plate in 2015, he slugged over 1.000 while scoring 26 runs.  On the mound he went 4-1 with an ERA of 0.96 giving up just 4 earned runs in 29 innings.  These three will steer the ship all year, but will also be joined by an exciting supporting cast.

Senior RHP/1B/OF Ian Scheuer (Manhattan) and senior C/IF Freddy Yahn (Eastern) return, and will look to build on their experience gained last year.  The two seniors are part of a group of 9 returners that saw more than 40 at-bats last season (Jeremy Joyce, Dave Mangarelli, Ben Porpora, Jeff Lewandowski).  Varsity newcomers Senior 1B Mike Chiusano and Junior’s OF Alex Beck, INF Ryan Ruziecki, and RHP Matt Salicco will also be counted on to contribute.

Overall, the outlook for the Middletown High School South Eagles is extremely bright.  Coach Spillane will have the boys ready to go from day 1, and isn’t afraid to play anyone.  The confidence of Coach Spillane, and his talented staff, had South mere outs away from beating eventual Shore Champion, CBA, in 2015 before they lost a heartbreaker in extra innings.  One of the few teams to beat CBA in ’15, Middletown South relishes the idea of meeting up with any team in the Shore Conference this spring, and should be favored to reach the finals of the section.  If the pitching comes together, this could be a magical run for the Eagles.