Milestone day

Mighty Oaks win first region playoff series in sweep, hand coach John Holt his 400th career victory

REGION 19 DIVISION III TOURNAMENT
Saturday’s Games
No. 1 RCSJ-Gloucester 17-9, No. 8 Montgomery 0-1 (Gloucester wins 2-0)
No. 4 Salem 6-10, No. 5 Middlesex 5-2 (Salem wins 2-0)
No. 3 RCSJ-Cumberland 15-3, No. 6 Camden 5-14 (Series tied, 1-1)
No. 2 Brookdale 15-3, No. 7 Northampton 5-1 (Brookdale wins 2-0)

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – John Holt stood on the grass just outside the Salem CC dugout twirling an autographed baseball in his sports-drink-soaked hands courtesy of the water bucket bath he just received in the outfield. The ball, signed by all the players on the team, represented a lifetime of success and a gateway to the future.

The Mighty Oaks won their first region playoff series in more than 30 years and handed head coach John Holt his 400th career coaching victory in sweeping Middlesex College 6-5 and 10-2 to take their best-of-3 playoff series two games to none.

“I was crying out there,” Holt admitted. “It means a lot to do it with these guys. These guys are a special bunch. I’m glad all the hard work that they’ve put in is finally going to get them to the Final Four. That’s just the next step. We’re not done yet.”

The fourth-seeded Mighty Oaks (27-24) now advance to the double-elimination Region 19 Division III Final Four next week at Rutgers-Camden, to face either top-seeded No. 1 RCSJ-Gloucester (47-4) or second-seeded No. 4 Brookdale (37-8) in the opening round.

Holt has won a playoff series before – in 2011, his last year at Burlington County CC – but the Mighty Oaks have never won one or even hosted one as far as Holt’s research goes back. They did win a playoff game last year at Northampton, but lost the series.

Holt began his collegiate coaching career at Burlington CC and was hired at Salem to restart the program in 2019. He has 107 wins with the Mighty Oaks, including career wins 300 and 400. His last two seasons have been the winningest in school history.

“There’s been a lot of good players, a lot of good coaches,” Holt said. “It’s been a hell of a ride. It’s been special.

“I’ve tried not to measure my successes in coaching based on wins and losses. For me it’s predominantly been about those relationships. Four-hundred wins, that’s awesome, but for all the good husbands, the good dads, the good men, if I’ve had anything to do with that, that’s more important than 400 (wins). I don’t take that for granted.”

The Mighty Oaks walked off their coach’s milestone win with three runs in the seventh inning capped by Yen Rodriguez’ game-ending single into the right centerfield gap. The sophomore outfielder said as soon as he made contact he knew it was over and Holt had his 400th win.

They led the game wire-to-wire, scoring a run in the first inning on Matt Murphy’s RBI triple and taking control with a four-run third that included home runs by Cole Dawson and Demetrius DeRamus. 

DeRamus’ homer, a two-run shot that made it 5-1, ended a 4-for-28 skid that was part of a larger 9-for-59 over his previous 18 games. He admitted the slump was eating at him “just a little bit,” but when he went to the plate he just tried to “keep things simple, be less technical” and it seemed to have done the trick.

He followed his seventh homer of the year with a single in his next at-bat for his first multi-hit game since April 13.

Tyler Hacker went 3-for-3 with a walk in the game and came within a home run of hitting for the cycle.

Jared Vandersteur pitched a complete game, scattering six hits and striking out five. He threw 118 pitches and even without his best stuff reduced his region-leading ERA to 2.67. The Colts scored both their runs in the fourth inning.

“I just knew I had a job to do and thankfully I was able to do it,” the righthander said. “I didn’t know it was for his 400th win, I just knew I had to get it done today. It’s fun to go out there and have the pressure on and get it done.”

The Mighty Oaks came out swinging in the opener, scoring five runs in the first inning to erase a 1-0 deficit and then held on.

They sent 10 batters to the plate in the first inning. Angel Velez, Hatcher and Hunter Cohen drove in the first three runs, then Tim Bowlby capped the outburst with a two-run single to right field. 

Velez had three hits and two RBIs in the game. Since the nightcap of the Mighty Oaks’ April 5 doubleheader with Middlesex (20 games), Velez is batting .486 (35-of-72) with a 10-game hitting streak.

Jon Gambone pitched the first seven innings for the Mighty Oaks, leaving with a 6-3 lead after throwing 133 pitches (one more than Middlesex starter Ryan Rzepinski in six innings), and got the win. Hard-throwing J.D. Wilson pitched the final two innings and although the Colts scored two runs in the eighth inning and threatened in the ninth to make it interesting, he kept it from getting ugly and closed it out for the save.

There was a lot to Wilson’s outing. He’s basically pitching without a UCL in his pitching elbow and will need Tommy John surgery to repair it. He was so determined to keep his college career from meeting a premature end, he “made” the doctor clear him to pitch in the playoffs and “kind of told” Holt he was going to throw if the game was close. 

“The doctor basically said you need surgery, you’re not going to do any more damage, it’s already done, you can throw as tolerated,” Holt said. “The thing about J.D., I think he gets a bum rap sometimes because he’s a hard-nosed kid, but I don’t know how many guys who can throw the ball 90-plus would call their coach and say I’m looking at Tommy John but I’ve got at least two innings this weekend for you. That just says a lot about who he is.”

“I just wanted to win,” Wilson said. “I just went out there and gave my team my best of what I had and came out of here with a win.”

It was his first appearance on the mound since April 13 and the first time his mother Jessie had seen him play since suffering a brain aneurysm the day before Easter, making for an even more poignant Mother’s Day for the family.

“It was just like the old days, before everything happened,” Wilson said. “It was nice.”

Photo: Salem CC baseball coach John Holt holds the ball from his 400th career victory surrounded by his players after the Mighty Oaks swept Middlesex in the Region 19 playoffs Saturday.