VERONA- His batterymate on the mound was dealing as was the opposing pitcher, who was throwing hard and displaying his talent as the 93rd Greater Newark Tournament final was scoreless with two outs in the third inning.
Seton Hall Prep had the bases loaded and the No. 6 hitter in the order, junior catcher Joey Maiella, was in the hole in a 1-2 count against Nutley’s impressive junior right-hander Sean Fealey.
Then came the key hit of the game as Maiella delivered a well-hit shot over third base as the ball continued down the left field line clearing the bases for a 3-run double and a 3-0 Pirates lead in the rather 1-hour 56-minute ball game played under perfect mid-May sunny weather conditions on Saturday afternoon at Verona’s Doc Goeltz Field.
A fourth run would come home on a throwing error which allowed courtesy runner John Deveau to race home, and with senior ace hurler JJ Drennan settling into a good groove, the game was all but decided as top-seeded SHP (20-4) earned its third straight GNT title – all by 6-0 scores- and record 21st championship against a solid seventh-seeded Nutley squad (12-11), which had its own fine tournament run and received a superb effort from Fealey, who allowed seven hits and struck out 11.
In the end it was the SHP battery of Maiella and Drennan who were the stars of the game, while the Pirates’ slugging senior first baseman Jordan Burwell added a 2-run double in the sixth inning for a couple of more insurance runs.
Drennan threw a season-high 91 pitches over 6 2/3 innings allowing just two hits, walking two and striking out 11 while improving to 5-1 on the season.
Senior Joseph Pontoriero recorded a strikeout for the final out to close out the GNT championship victory.
For Maiella, a first-year starting catcher, the way the 93rd GNT unfolded for him and his batterymate it couldn’t have gone much better, beginning with his huge 3-run double in the third.
“I had fouled off a couple of pitches and in the 1-2 count I just tried to keep it simple, go right through the ball and I was able to get a good swing on that fast ball,” said the SHP catcher. “I love catching JJ, he’s a accurate thrower, the slider was working best today, but he also throws a 2-seam and a 4-seam fast ball, and a change-up.
“Hats off to the Nutley kid as well. He threw a good game.”
Drennan, who has now thrown 27 2/3 straight innings without allowing a run, had his streak of 18 straight hitless innings ended when Nutley senior Chris Kovacs singled through the left side to lead off the second inning.
The Pirates’ Boston College-bound senior walked two batters with one out in the fourth, but then needed just five more pitches to record a strikeout and a ground out back to the box to end the frame unscratched.
All told he retired nine in a row before junior Jackson Veneziano’s one-out single in the seventh, before he then struck out the next batter, was relieved after 6 2/3 IP and Pontoriero finished things with a game-ending strikeout.
“I didn’t feel all my pitches in the first inning, but then I felt great the rest of the way and thought I got into a nice groove looking to pound the zone with strikes,” said Drennan. “Joey’s been an awesome catcher for me all season long and it was great to see him get that big hit for us.
“Our whole lineup has been coming through for us this season and I wasn’t worried about them getting runs for me today.”
Burwell, the West Virginia-bound slugger, was 2-for-3 with a walk and he had a classic 10-pitch at bat against Fealey with two men on and two outs in the sixth before coming through with a wind-aided 2-run double to help seal the deal.
“In that at bat I was just ab le to battle and I knew that we could definitely use two more runs to help us get the ‘W,’” he said. “Our team has worked so hard all season long to get to this point and now we can aim for a state title!”
The NJSIAA Non-Public, North A field will be officially seeded on Tuesday (May 19) with first-round action slated to begin Tuesday, May 26. Delbarton is expected to be the No. 1 seed followed by Don Bosco Prep and DePaul with SHP fourth. St. Joe’s of Montvale has been right on the heels of the Pirates at No. 5 in what is always a formidable field to try and traverse.
“Winning the GNT title never gets old,” said SHP veteran coach Mike Sheppard, Jr. “Joey Maiella had the hit to break the game open and JJ was outstanding once again on the mound.
“We knew coming in that the Nutley kid (Fealey) throws hard, he battles and he’s not a kid who just chucks. He was tough out there against us.
“Now, we can focus on the states. It’s going to be a challenge as it always is, but in the game of baseball anything can happen so we get back to work and keep working to prepare for our next game!”
NOTES- Before Saturday's GNT final the 1976 Livingston championship team was honored with several members of that memorable Lancers squad on hand at Verona for the occasion of the 40th anniversary of their terrific season. Longtime Livingston assistant coach Dave McLaughlin, a sophomore on that team, was one of the former Lancers on hand...SHP and Nutley had also met in the 2016 GNT final with SHP cruising to an 11-1 victory; but the period of time when the SHP-Nutley GNT championship matchup became a staple was when they met in the final five straight years from 2001 to 20025 with the Maroon Raiders coming out on top in three of those contests...SHP clinched its 12th SEC-American Division championship with this pastTuesday's (May 12) 10-2 win over Livingston...Nutley is now 4-11 in GNT finals with its four victories coming in 1993 vs. West Essex (10-3) and with a trio of championship wins vs. SHP, 5-3 in 2001, 6-2 in 2002 and 3-2 in 2004 under former coach Tom Gargiulo…SHP was appearing in its seventh straight GNT final 30th overall and now with a record 21 championships, including the last tghree years, all by 6-0 scores vs. Livingston in 2024 and 2025 and now vs. the Maroon Raiders...The last GNT final without SHP in it was in 2018 when Livingston defeated Nutley, 8-3, in Verona. There was no GNT final played in 2020 due to the covid virus...Saturday marked the 18th time that SHP and Nutley will meet in the GNT dating back to 1971 with the Pirates holding a 9-8 edge....GNT co-directors Dan Romano of Caldwell and Stephan Zichella once again did an excellent job in coordinating and making sure everything ran smoothly for the 93rd GNT.
93rd Greater Newark Tournament Final, Saturday, May 16 at Verona:
(7) NUTLEY (12-11) 000 000 0 - 0 R 2 H 2 E
(1) SETON HALL PREP (20-4) 004 002 X -6 R 7 H 1 E
2B- SHP- Joey Maiella, Jordan Burwell
WP- JJ Drennan (5-1) LP- Sean Fealey (5-1)
93rd Greater Newark Tournament
First round, Friday, May 1:
(1) Seton Hall Prep 10 (16) Barringer 0 (in 5 inn.)
(8) Verona 6 (9) Livingston 1
(5) West Orange 13 (12) MKA 3 (in 6 inn.)
(4) Columbia 14 (13) Glen Ridge 4
(3) West Essex 2 (14) Cedar Grove 0
(11) St. Benedict’s 7 (6) Montclair 4
(7) Nutley 5 (10) Millburn 2
(2) Caldwell 10 (15) Newark Tech 0 (in 6 inn.)
Quarterfinals, Wednesday, May 6:
(4) Columbia 1 (5 West Orange at 0 (in 8 inn.)
(3) West Essex 6 (11) St. Benedict's 5
(7) Nutley 4 (2) Caldwell 2
(1) Seton Hall Prep 5 (8) Verona 3
Semifinals, Saturday, May 9:
(1 Seton Hall Prep 6 (4) Columbia 0
(7) Nutley 2 (3) West Essex 1
Final: Saturday, May 16, at Verona’s Doc Goeltz Field:
(1) Seton Hall Prep 6 (7) Nutley 0
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GREATER NEWARK TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES:
2026: Seton Hall Prep 6 Nutley 0
2025: Seton Hall Prep 6 Livingston 0
2024: Seton Hall Prep 6 Livingston 0
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
