Kittatinny baseball team makes history
NEWTON. The Cougars earn their first outright league championship.
Newton /
| 21 Jul 2024 | 11:27
Kittatinny Regional High School baseball head coach BJ Hough, center, speaks to the players after they win the division title. Assistant coach Mike Hoffmann is at left. (Photos courtesy of BJ Hough)
Evan Rodriguez, who scored his 100th hit during the season, poses with, from left, coaches BJ Hough and Mike Hoffmann; his mother, Evelyn; former head coach TJ Orlando; and his father, Raul. He was the first player in school history to accomplish that.
Coach BJ Hough and Evan Rodriguez.
It was a year to remember for the Kittatinny Regional High School baseball program.
With a 9-1 record in Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Colonial Division play, the Cougars earned their first outright league championship and finished with an overall record of 17-10.
Head coach BJ Hough called two wins against Wallkill Valley and one against Lenape Valley very memorable. “All three wins allowed us to work towards and eventually win the Colonial Division title.”
He also mentioned the teams’ two victories at home in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 tournament, which was a school record.
They included ”a comeback win in our first-round game versus Hawthorne, where we scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie and scored a walk-off run in the bottom of the eighth inning.”
The team also came from behind in the second-round game to defeat Mountain Lakes, 4-3.
Kittatinny lost to Pequannock, 10-0, in the semifinals, and Pequannock was defeated by Pompton Lakes, 5-0, in the finals.
Leadership was important to the team during the season.
“Our entire core of six seniors showed tremendous leadership,’’ Hough said. “It was a ‘win first as a team and not worry about personal stats’ attitude.
“Evan Rodriguez, Tyler Chodack, Cole Davis, Tucker Lockburner, Jack Jacinto and Speros Ellis-Ulmer all brought this mentality each and every day. They play the right way and treat the game of baseball with a lot of respect and expect the others to do the same.”
The coach pointed out that for the first time in school history, a player made 100 hits. Evan Rodriguez “accomplished this feat on May 9 versus Hopatcong.”
“Tyler Chodack finished his career with 98 hits. Eddie Deckert, Tyler Chodack, Evan Rodriguez and Keegan Monahan received First Team All-Conference. Gage Ingalls, Aiden Prtorich and Jackson Hughes received Second Team All-Conference and Cole Davis received Honorable Mention.’’
Several players improved as the season progressed.
“Not that it was too much of a surprise but Eddie Deckert continued to impress,’’ Hough said. “He emerged as the best pitcher in our division and brought with him a solid bat to the lineup. Underclassmen like Gage Ingalls, Aiden Prtorich, Preston Gratcofsky, Jackson Hughes and Mason Dube showed continued improvement throughout the season.
“Keegan Monahan was an amazing surprise to the lineup as a freshman. Key individuals who played a role were Easton Konar, Tyler Coombs, Paul Trotter, Tommy Tosti and Colin McCaughey.’’
The Cougars will move into the Freedom Division next year.
“We want to continue to play good competition, and I feel like our pitching staff and defense will allow us to be competitive all season,” Hough said.