A year ago, Nutley East Little League finished third in the entire state in the Intermediate 50/70 classification.
Most of those guys are back, now playing at the Junior League (14U) level and they’re adding to an already strong championship resume.
After winning all but one game during the regular season, Nutley swept the best of three final against Caldwell-West Essex, winning 13-3 at Caldwell on June 21, before clinching the District 8 title two days later in Nutley.
According to head coach Albert Prodigalidad, the success is not just a testament to their talent, but a chemistry and cohesion that this group has built in recent seasons.
“It’s a confident group,” said Prodigalidad. “They’ve been playing together for a few years now, so they’re confident against whoever they play.
“There’s a chemistry that these boys have displayed from game to game. It’s like they know where each other will be at all times. They’re always backing each other up, every play. It’s fun to watch and it’s been fun to watch over these past few seasons as they continue to mature.”
As part of that maturity, Prodigalidad now has four quality pitchers that he has been able to rely upon all season long to form a real strength.
Michael DeJianne has served as the ace each of the past two years. Travis Gonick and Nick Rivera are also veteran pitchers with Greg Crumrine also getting a lot of valuable innings.
While that quartet have gotten the bulk of the moundwork, Prodigalidad stressed he has the confidence to turn to any of the 12 boys on his roster to pitch if needed.
“(Having those four) makes my life 10 times easier,” Prodigalidad said. “I don’t have to save my best arm or throw the best arm against the best team. I can just throw who’s available, who’s rested enough.”
Catching them has been the tandem of Luke Finkelstein and Max Ruiz. Finkelstein has been Nutley’s leadoff hitter with DeJianne, Jack Conway, Anthony Berardesco and Rivera following.
All four spots on the infield vary by the game, in large part due to who is pitching, but Nutley has proven to have multiple options at each position.
Berardesco and Rivera split first base. Crumrine is the main second baseman though Saverio Marinelli and Gonick have also played there. DeJianne is the primary shortstop with Gonick also seeing time at the position. Gonick, Rivera and Marinelli all split time at third base.
Conway starts in center field, with Austin Prodigalidad in left field and Luke Priolo in right with Matthew Espinales also in the mix in both corner spots.
Nutley opened up the Sectional Tournament in Lodi with a 6-5 extra-inning victory over Hoboken on Sunday. It faced North Arlington in a Monday game played after our deadline.
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)