Baseball hasn’t been one of Bernards best sports in the past years but this season they are on a roll and have a record of 14-9 (7-1 in the Skyland Conference). The team is led by head coach Jeff Falzarano and assistant coach Justin Kaufman. In their first couple games they started out 1-3 but went on a winning streak and ended up with a record of 5-3 midseason. In Bernards’ fifth game, they played a talented Voorhees team and crushed them 14-0. Tyler Helpinstil (senior) had 4 runs and Matt Giunta (senior) had 2 hits along with 1 home run. Charlie Gonella (junior) also threw 5 strikeouts.
In the Somerset County Tournament, second round, Bernards faced up against Hillsborough at home. Bernards ended up getting the win, winning 5-0. Matt Giunta (senior) had 1 run and Tyler Helpinstil (senior) had 2 hits along with 2 RBI. Charlie Gonella (junior) also threw 2 strikeouts. In the Quarter Final Round, they faced up against a talented Ridge team where they fell short and lost 1-0. Evan Hoeckele (junior) threw an impressive 9 strikeouts.
Currently, Matt Giunta (Senior) holds the most hits with 29 and also has the most runs with 21. When it comes to pitching, Evan Hoeckele (junior) has thrown the most strikeouts with 46. Henry Depew (junior) has the most home runs with 5 and has 15 RBI on the season.
Alex Fragassi (senior) has been on the baseball team all four years at Bernards and said “I’ve had the best four years of my life on this team and it’s more than a sports team it is a family. The staff and coaches made me feel very welcome since day one and I’ve made many friends and developed new connections through baseball.”
Bernards just faced Delaware Valley where they won 3-1. Tyler Helpinsitil (senior) recorded 2 hits and 2 runs and Henry Depew added 1 RBI. Evan Hoeckele (junior) also had 8 strikeouts. Next, they face up against Passaic Valley in the First Round of States in the North Jersey Section 2 Group 2. Bernards Baseball has come a long way and look to add some trophies to the Bernards trophy collection.
