Hopes high for Kittatinny baseball team

The Kittatinny Regional High School baseball team begins its regular season with high goals set by its head coach.

“I’d like for us to compete for the Colonial Division title and have a strong showing in the Hunteron/Warren/Sussex and (NJSIAA) state tournaments,’’ BJ Hough said.

The Cougars are scheduled to open the regular season with a road game at Morris Tech on Tuesday, April 2. Their first home contest is Thursday, April 4 against Lenape Valley.

Key returning players include seniors Evan Rodriguez (short stop), Tyler Chodack (third base and pitcher), Cole Davis (pitcher and outfielder); junior Eddie Deckert (pitcher and outfielder); and sophomores Gage Ingalls (pitcher and second base) and Aiden Prtorich (catcher, first base and pitcher).

Promising newcomers include seniors Tucker Lockburner (pitcher), Jack Jacinto (outfielder) and Speros Ellis-Ulmer (outfielder); juniors Paul Trotter (catcher), Jackson Hughes (utility player), Sebastian Orrico (catcher and outfielder) and Preston Gratcofsky (first base); sophomores Mason Dube (outfielder), Tommy Tosti (pitcher), Jonny Diani (outfielder) and Brendan Leahy (third base); and freshmen Keegan Monahan (utility player), Tyler Coombs (short stop) and Easton Konar (utility player).

Leadership is in ample supply for Kittatinny this season.

Team leaders are Evan Rodriguez, Tyler Chodack and Cole Davis, Hough said. “They understand our team goals and I am hoping they lead by example.’’

The Cougars compiled a 9-16 overall record in 2023 and they were 7-3 in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Colonial Division.

They also made the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 Tournament as the No. 15 seed but lost a one-run game to second-seed and eventual sectional and Group 1 champion Pequannock in the first round.

This year, Kittatinny competes in the NJAC Colonial Division along with Hopatcong, Sussex Tech, Morris Tech, Wallkill Valley and Lenape Valley.

Lenape Valley and Wallkill Valley are among the top teams to beat in the division this spring, Hough said.

“We are hoping to contend for our division. Our division has some good pitchers who can keep their teams in games. We had a great showing in the summer and fall leagues and we are looking to build off that success.’’