We know that now 3-time defending Greater Newark Tournament champion Seton Hall Prep graduated a pair of all-staters in slugging West Virginia-bound first baseman Jordan Burwell and ace hurler JJ Drennan (Boston College) along with Rutgers-bound pitcher Patrick Cassells, but the cupboard is never bear for longtime coach Mike Sheppard, Jr. (916-244-7, .788). who will be entering his 40th year as the Pirates head coach and 41st as a high school coach in 2027 just 18 wins short of the state’s all-time victories mark held by retired Toms River South coach Kenny Frank (934-356-3).
SHP (23-6, 9-1), which also won a Super Essex Conference-American Division championship, will welcome back key players next spring, including rising seniors in catcher Joey Maiella (.356 BA, 27 RBI), third baseman Jack Webber (.375 BA, 17 RBI, .537 OBA) and pitchers Angel Salcedo (4-1, 1.79 ERA) and Anthony Mustacciuolo (4-1, 2.78 ERA).
Caldwell (23-5, 9-1) captured an SEC-Liberty Division crown and will make the move up in the SEC-American Division next spring and has the talent to make some waves in 2027 with the return of Coaches First-Team All-Essex selection Dan Vybihal (6-2, 2.61 ERA) on the mound and terrific table setters at the top of the order in rising senior leadoff man Santino Russo (.329 BA, 29 runs, 17 stolen bases) and rising junior center fielder Dante Placenti (.373 BA, 26 runs, 26 RBI, 11 extra base hits, 16 stolen bases).
West Essex (21-8, 8-2) had a superb 2026 season in first-year head coach Anthony Genchi’s rookie season in North Caldwell and the Knights will return a number of promising players in rising seniors such as First Team All-Essex shortstop Rocco Pontrella (.367 BA, 28 runs, 12 stolen bases) and pitcher Daniel Gorab (5-3, 2.81).
Nutley (16-14, 6-4 in the SEC-Liberty) had its ups and downs during the recently-completed season; however, the Maroon Raiders made a deep run in the GNT knocking off both second-seeded Caldwell and third-seeded West Essex to reach the championship Saturday at Verona vs. perennial champion SHP.
Nutley will return one of the county’s top pitchers in Sean Fealey (5-2, 2.93 ERA) along with fellow second-team All-Essex selection Gabe Rodriguez (.405 BA, 23 RBI), a valuable infielder and pitcher as those two rising seniors should help lead the way in 2027.
Looking at other SEC-American Division teams hoping to make inroads next spring are Livingston (7-18, 4-5), which went through a tough rebuilding season this past spring and will ride the talents of rising junior infielder Jake Bonardi (.396 BA), and Montclair (12-14, 2-8), which will look for much improvement behind young prospects such as rising sophomores in catcher-second baseman Silas Hart (.329 BA, 17 RBI) and third baseman-pitcher Clyde Hodari (1-0, 2.21 ERA) along with veteran rising senior infielder Kody Nesbitt (.292 BA).
Millburn (13-15, 2-8) makes the move down to the SEC-Liberty in 2027 where the Millers could be a major factor in what is generally considered as the conference’s second-best division since they will return second-team All-Essex senior infielder Asher Holland (.326 BA, 23 RBI) and promising pitchers such as junior Leo Dalton (3-2, 3.31 ERA).
Verona (19-8, 6-4) had a solid season in 2026 and veteran coach Joe Phelan’s Hillbillies hope to factor in once again the SEC-Liberty with top returnees such as rising seniors Dom Kennedy an undefeated (6-0, 2.26 ERA) pitcher this past spring, and outfielder Drew Aromando (.415 BA, 22 runs, 25 RBI) as both veteran ‘Billies earned second-team All-Essex honors this past spring.
SC’s 2026 Essex ‘Team of the Year’ as the best story in the county highlighted by winning a North 2, Group 1 state sectional title, was Cedar Grove (20-10, 7-3 in the SEC-Colonial), which was hit hard by graduation in June; however, will return workhorse starting pitcher Jack Velonas, who threw 67 innings to a 2.51 ERA this past season, and other key performers including shortstop and fellow rising senior Chris Halbert (.333 BA, 22 runs).
St. Benedict’s (9-13-1, 3-7 in SEC-Liberty) is slated to welcome back rising seniors with real offensive talent in third baseman Jeremy Mercado (.441 BA, 25 runs, 20 stolen bases) and shortstop Justin Jimenez (.386 BA, 25 RBI).
Although it finished just 7-20 (0-10 in the SEC-Liberty) in 2026, Montclair Kimberley Academy could very well return to more of its 2025 form when it went 18-7 and reached a Non-Public, North B state sectional final with the return next spring of rising senior catcher and 2-year co-captain Lucas Barbetta (.362 BA, 23 RBI, 22 stolen bases) along with promising pitchers in sophomore southpaw Stefano Rizio and junior right-handers Mason Ewing and Henry Court.
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