Here are the 2025 Salem County Sports Hall of Fame inductees. Ceremonies take place Aug. 28 in Salem Community College’s Davidow Hall and are free and open to the public.
Linda DuBois, coach, A.P. Schalick High School
Joseph Frassenei, coach, Woodstown High School and A.P. Schalick High School
Faleesha Dowe, track, Penns Grove High School (2011-2014), Delaware State University
Aisha Morgan, track, A.P. Schalick High School (1997-1999), University of Houston
Ceil Smith, founder, Salem County Sports Hall of Fame
Dennis Thomas, football, Salem High School (1993-1996), Rutgers University. Currently, Syracuse football director of high school relations/quality control
Community Service Award Donald Ayars Sr.
Honoring State Champions 1987 Salem track team: James Washington, captain, Coach Lee Bacon
2024-25 High School State Champions Arthur P. Schalick Spring Track 1600 Meters Group I: Jordan Hadfield
Pennsville Spring Track Pole Vault Group I: Megan Morris
Salem Spring Track Long Jump Group I: Anthony Parker
Woodstown Track 4×800 Relay Winter & Spring State Champions (Cole Lucas, Karson Chew, Jacob Marino, Joshua Crawford)
Spring Track 4×800 State Champion: Joshua Crawford
Salem CC Athlete Recognition
Ella Hayes – 2024 All-American, Softball; two-time Region XIX Player of the Year.
Salem CC men’s basketball schedule complete, women’s schedule close, Marsh adds 2 new assistants
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – The mandate to play home-and-home series within the conference and region has kept Salem CC basketball coach Mike Green from being as creative as he’d have liked with his team’s 2025-26 schedule, but it finally came together even if he’s not altogether happy with it.
GREEN
With only three games to play with, it didn’t take long. The Mighty Oaks filled the open slots with a spot in a pre-Thanksgiving event where the Mighty Oaks might play a team they beat in last year’s Division III national tournament and instate Division II contender Essex.
Green was hoping to get more games with teams they might see in a return trip to the nationals. As it is, their trip to the Penn Highlands tournament in November gives them a chance to play the Sandhills (N.C.) CC team they beat in the fifth-place game at the nationals.
“We didn’t hunt these,” he said. “I wanted to play everybody that we have a possibility to see in March. I wanted to play those type of teams. I’d much rather start my season off with those type of teams, get tested early.
“It’s different, it’s a completely different schedule. You only get three games. You don’t have as much creativity; you can’t do much with the schedule. Last year we played pretty much who we wanted to play, returned some games and all that, but we just don’t have that wiggle room.”
“It is what it is,” athletics director Bob Hughes said. “That’s way the league has decided to do things and the region decide to do things, so you’ve got to go with it. You can talk about it in meetings and maybe change it down the line, but for now this is the way they’ve scheduled it.”
It also could be a little more balanced. The bulk of the Mighty Oaks’ home games are in the second half of the season making a more comfortable push to the postseason at least.
Last year they played 14 regular-season games at home and 14 on the road, but they played their first seven and 10 of their 14 games before Christmas at home. They didn’t play at home after Feb. 6.
This year they play 11 of their 16 games before Christmas on the road, with nine of their 14 games after the calendar turns and the whole month of February (five games) at home.
The season starts Nov. 6 at Atlantic Cape. The banner commemorating the Mighty Oaks’ district championship and trip to the national tournament will be raised during the home opener Nov. 13.
2025-26 SALEM CC MENS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE OCTOBER 12: x-Prince George’s CC; 18: x-Jamboree (Salem, PGCC, Bucks, Union), site TBA; 23: x-at Alvernia; 28: x-at Penn State-Brandywine). NOVEMBER 6: at Atlantic Cape, 8: at Delaware County; 13: Bergen; 15: at Pennsylvania Highlands Tournament (SCC, Penn Highlands, Sandhills, Bryant & Stratton); 16: at Penn Highlands Tournament; 18: Ocean; 20: at Passaic; 22: Essex, site TBA; 25: at Camden. DECEMBER 4: Thaddeus Stevens; 6: at Bergen; 9: RC-Gloucester; 11: at RC-Cumberland; 13: Brookdale; 18: at Ocean; 20: at Sussex. JANUARY 6: at Union; 10: at RC-Gloucester; 13: RC-Cumberland; 15: at Northampton; 17: Passaic; 22: Atlantic Cape; 27: Philadelphia; 29: at Brookdale; 31: at Luzerne. FEBRUARY 3: Montgomery; 5: Harrisburg Area; 10: Union; 12: Camden; 14: Sussex. (x-scrimmage)
Women: Schedule close, add 2 coaches
The Salem CC women have a little more flexibility in their scheduling and while this year’s slate isn’t quite finished, it does have some of what coach Brian Marsh called “out of the ordinary” elements.
MARSH
It includes three games with teams from Maryland, including a home-and-home deal with Hagerstown, and a visit from Palm Beach State, a JUCO Division I program from Florida on a three-game Northern swing that includes games at Raritan Valley and Harcum.
“I always try to say I recruit nationally; it’s kind of nice to play some teams that aren’t within driving distance,” Marsh said. “I want to play a lot of different teams. I want to expose my players to a lot of different players. Obviously, when you’re playing the same 18 games you start to see the same type of programs, so it’s just a totally different program that we have no idea about.
“I think it’s interesting playing a lot of different players, a lot of different coaches and see where we stack up with these tier players. We’re building this program and we’re trying to get this team where we want it to go. I don’t want to turn down anybody to play.”
The women open their season against Hagerstown (Nov. 4), then travel to a Delaware County team (Nov. 8) reviving its program after a five-year pause. They hope to add another game or two before the schedule is completed.
Before opening the season, the Mighty Oaks have scrimmages against Penn State-Brandywine and St. Elizabeth (with 2024-25 Mighty Oaks minutes leader Jakayla Jenkins).
Marsh has brought on two new assistants since the end of last season – Jeremy Jeanne and Kayla Chambliss. Jeanne is the former Delaware Military Academy head coach and athletics director. Chambliss, a Delaware grad, previously coached at Lincoln and Wilmington universities.
They join Kiara Eubanks, Garret Sample and Thomas Stanley on the staff.
“I’m just real excited to have a ‘real staff,’ Marsh said. “My first year I had one assistant coach. The second year I had two assistant coaches and now I’m up to (three assistants and two volunteers), which is really nice.
“It’s so much easier in practice the more coaches you have. Like last year you’re trying to teach something and people are moving around. Now you have more coaches who can kind of pull people aside and handle it.
2025-26 SALEM CC WOMENS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE OCTOBER 23: x-Penn State-Brandywine; 30: x-St. Elizabeth. NOVEMBER 4: Hagerstown; 8: at Delaware County; 18: at Mercer; 20: Palm Beach State; 22: at Essex; 25: at Delaware Tech. DECEMBER 2: Union; 4: at Bucks; 6: at Raritan Valley; 9: Morris; 11: RC-Cumberland; 13; Lackawanna; 20: at Cecil. JANUARY 10: at RC-Gloucester; 12: at Hagerstown; 15: Harcum; 17: Middlesex; 20: Mercer; 24: at Lackawanna; 27: Delaware Tech; 31: Raritan Valley. FEBRUARY 3: at Union; 7: at Middlesex; 10: at Morris; 14: Essex; 17: at Harcum. (x-scrimmage)
Green, Mighty Oaks restock roster, mold an athletic team ‘geared’ for the nationals looking to create its own legacy
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT — Mike Green looks like a guy who knows something and can’t wait to spring it on folks.
The Salem CC basketball coach had that same feeling last year, but had to wait until the calendar turned to turn it all loose – with historic results.
His instincts proved right and with the emergence of three second-semester eligibles the Mighty Oaks soared to their first-ever JUCO district championship and a top five finish in the national tournament.
This year, with virtually an entire new roster – such is the churn in junior college basketball – and without some of the elements that made last season special, the third-year Salem coach feels even better about the product he can put on the court next winter.
And this time he can put it all on the floor without having to hold anything back.
“I’m high on all these kids,” Green said after one of the team’s recent summer workouts. “I think this team is more talented than last year, but that doesn’t mean anything.
“We got out to the nationals (last year) and saw parts that we needed (and) we picked them up. But it’s a long road before you even get to nationals. Last year let us know we’ve got to turn it up even more. I think this team is more geared for nationals, but you’ve got to get there. You’ve got to take care of all the stuff in between. Brand new team, brand new year.”
The Mighty Oaks return only three players from last year’s 26-8 team that won three games in the national tournament In Herkimer, N.Y., and in some ways Green is OK with that because he sees as his job to get his players to the next level as quickly as possible.
To replenish the roster Green went back to his roots, digging deep into Philadelphia and Delaware to steal players either overlooked in the process or late bloomers and even snatching others away from programs too slow to pull the trigger.
“Our town, Philadelphia, picked up on (their vision) big time,” Green said. “We promoted it well. It’s a thing now. Salem is a thing now. We did more turning guys down than anything.”
There are 10 newcomers in total. Some even came over from region rivals.
Kamari Brasher played five games at Northampton last year, going for a double-double in his college debut. Nyeem Johnson, a 6-3 guard perhaps the biggest catch of the signing class, averaged 14.9 points in 15 second-semester games for Montgomery County CC last year. He scored 15 points in 32 minutes in the Feb. 4 win over Salem that was the Mighty Oaks’ last loss before the national tournament, but didn’t play in the district championship game Salem won by eight.
Johnson already has two Division I offers – Cal State-Bakersfield (which showed interest early last year in Jyheim Spencer) and Louisiana Tech. Naseem Wright is another projected Division I talent.
“Seeing their success, I only plan to continue that,” Johnson said. “Coming in, I’ve seen the type of team they are. They play fast, they play hard, everybody is talented. This is a way more talented team, so I plan to win everything.”
Now that he’s here, he’s all in with the Mighty Oaks.
“It’s all love,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s no bad blood or anything (when the Mighty Oaks face Montco again). I just plan to step on the court and do what I do.”
The Mighty Oaks are expected to raise their district championship/national tournament banner before their Nov. 13 game against Bergen CC. They’re also expected to unveil a new set of green road uniforms, designed by Green, during their picture day.
“The talent level is high,” Green said. “Now, we just have to get these guys to buy in like we did last year and get them trusting each other.”
SALEM CC BASKETBALL SIGNEES Lenar Anderson, 6-2 SG, Wilmington, Del. (McKean) Kamari Brasher, 6-5 F, Roslyn, Pa. (Abington/Northampton) Zy’Aire Gibson, 6-3 SG, New Castle, Del. (William Penn) Paul Glants, 6-4 G, Abington (Abington) Nayeem Johnson, 6-3 G, Philadelphia (CMS/E. Stroudsburg/Montco CC) Saadi Lee, 6-0 PG, Philadelphia (West Catholic) Jarrell Little, 6-3 G, Philadelphia (Dobbins) Taavi Mateen, 6-3 G, Philadelphia (Cheltenham/Wood/Camden) Idris Rines, 6-6 F, Upper Dublin (Upper Dublin) Quadeair Smith, 6-4 F, Philadelphia (Audenried) Nasseem Wright, 6-6 SG, Philadelphia (Lincoln/Girard)
SALEM CC RETURNEES Xavier Brewington, PG, 34 GP, 10.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 45-145 3FG, 47 steals, 99 assists Julian Jones, PG, 12 GP (inj.), 3.4 ppg, 21 assists Stefan Phillips, F-C, 27 GP, 5.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 45-73 FG, 45-51 FT
Photo: Salem CC basketball coach Mike Green talks with his team at the end of a recent summer workout.
After scoring a huge opening-round upset, Salem CC swept out of Region 19/North Atlantic District tournament
REGION 19 TOURNAMENT At Rutgers-Camden Friday’s Games Brookdale 12, Salem 2 (5 inns.) RCSJ-Gloucester 16, Salem 0 (5 inns.) Saturday’s Games RCSJ-Gloucester vs. Brookdale, noon Second game, if necessary, 3 p.m.
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CAMDEN — You might be able to sneak up on the best teams in the country every once in a while, but unless something magical is in the works it’s not going to happen two days in a row.
The Salem CC baseball team was brimming with confidence after knocking off the No. 1 team in the country in the opening round of the Region 19/North Atlantic District Tournament. But the second day back against two of the top three teams in JUCO Division II just wasn’t the same.
The Mighty Oaks were five-inning run-ruled out of the tournament at Rutgers-Camden, losing to No. 3 Brookdale in the winner’s bracket 12-2 and then getting eliminated 16-0 by the No. 1 RCSJ-Gloucester team they knocked off the day before.
“I don’t know if we recovered from yesterday,” coach John Holt said. “We were feeling pretty good and might have been too overconfident. We’ve got to play clean baseball against good teams and we didn’t do that. I think we can play with both of those teams, we didn’t have enough gas today to get through it.”
“I think it was the energy; that’s really it,” sophomore centerfielder Demetrius DeRamus said. “The energy was just low and brought everything down.”
“We tried to keep the energy up, but there was only so much in the tank for us,” corner outfielder Yen Rodriguez said.
It probably didn’t help their mindset that the Brookdale game started more than two hours after its scheduled noon start time due to storms that blew through the area shortly after the Mighty Oaks arrived at the facility. With the teams evacuated from the field — and Salem in the middle of batting practice — the Mighty Oaks waited out the entire delay in the cramped comfort complex on the concourse with players reportedly falling asleep in the stalls.
“When our guys are stuck in a men’s bathroom for over an hour, standing like that, and we were warmed up already,” Holt said, “(outfielder) Jay LaBold may not get hurt if he doesn’t tighten up for an hour and a half. Obviously, that effects the game pretty big. I had to leave (starting pitcher Jared) Vandersteur in longer than I wanted to (127 pitches) because we had pulled the DH. I think it had a little bit of an impact, but we’ve got to be able to overcome that. We were thrown off.”
The Mighty Oaks beat Gloucester in the tournament’s opening game 6-5 in 12 innings Thursday. It gave them enormous confidence going into Day 2, but it also lit a fire under the Roadrunners. Gloucester has outscored its two opponents since the loss 28-1 and given up just five hits in 10 innings.
The Runners must beat Brookdale twice Saturday to win the championship and earn the district’s automatic bid to the national tournament. As the No. 1 team in the country you’d expect them to get the one at-large bid to the national tournament if Brookdale takes them down.
“We were really disappointed in ourselves the way we played yesterday and we felt to be honest we handed the game away,” Roadrunners coach Rob Valli said. “And to be honest, they woke us up. They allowed it to turn from us being mad at ourselves to getting woken up and being ready to perform today.”
Gloucester (49-5) jumped on Salem for four runs in the first inning, then broke it open with eight in the second. Second game Salem starter Seth McCormick had four straight batters in 1-2 counts in the first inning, but all four reached base and either scored or drove in a run. “It just comes down to execution,” McCormick said.
The Mighty Oaks (28-26) were held to one hit in the elimination game, Matt Murphy’s leadoff double in the second inning. They loaded the bases with three walks in the fifth, but Gloucester got Demetrius DeRamus to end the game.
DeRamus, who hit a game-saving two-run homer in the ninth inning of the first Gloucester game, was in a position to close his Salem career with a hit to give him 100 career RBIs.
Brookdale walked off the winner’s bracket game with five runs in the fifth. The walk-off run scored on a bases-loaded wild pitch.
The Mighty Oaks took a 1-0 lead in the visitors first when Yen Rodriguez scored on Tyler Hacker’s bases-loaded walk. Ball four on the walk was a wild pitch and DeRamus tried to score from second but was out at the plate that at first glance looked like he slipped a foot on the dish before contact with the pitcher covering.
DeRamus’ 98th career RBI got the Mighty Oaks to within 7-2 in the top of the fifth.
While the losses brought a disappointing close to the Mighty Oaks’ season, there was a lot to remember.
Their 28 wins were a single-season school record against arguably the most challenging schedule in program history. They hosted and won a playoff series and won a game in the district tournament. They beat the Nos. 1 and 14 ranked teams during the season and played No. 2 close in two games with one of the losses decided on a controversial walk-off balk. Holt scored his 400th coaching victory and 100th at Salem during the season and four of the sophomores collected the 100th hits of their career.
“Hindsight, it’s a good year,” Holt said. “We’ve played a challenging schedule to prepare us for this weekend and it paid off. We were able to give Gloucester its first conference loss; that’s always a plus. We hung with the best teams in the country all year long. For a program that’s only been around for five years that says something. I think this thing is in the right direction. I think we’re building something here that could end up being special. We just have to work to improve every year.
“Last year we made the playoffs, this year the playoffs was the expectation and then the goal was to make some noise and I think we did that. Going into next year it’s continue to take a step forward with the program. I’m proud of this team. I think this group has had a lot of heart, a lot of guts. This is going to be a bunch that sticks with me regardless of how long I coach.”
Salem
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WP: Tyler Mendez. LP: Jared Vandersteur. HR: Gary John Perone (B)
Mighty Oaks give a performance for the ages, stun No. 1, two-time reigning national champs in opening round of Region 19 D3 Final Four
REGION 19 TOURNAMENT Thursday’s Games Game 1: Salem 6, RCSJ-Gloucester 5 (12 inns.) Game 2: Brookdale 9, RCSJ-Cumberland 8 (10 inns.) Game 3: RCSJ-Gloucester 12, RCSJ-Cumberland 1 (5 inns.) Friday’s Games Game 4: Salem vs. Brookdale, noon (winner to championship) Game 5: RCSJ-Gloucester vs. Game 4 loser, 3 p.m. Saturday’s Games Championship (2 if necessary), noon
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CAMDEN — John Holt had one simple message for his blue-collar Salem CC baseball team before it boarded the bus for the trip up 295 for the Region 19 tournament.
We just have to win three, fellas.
Now they just have to win two – as long as they keep winning.
The Mighty Oaks shocked everyone in the JUCO baseball world except themselves Thursday when they stunned top-ranked, top-seeded and two-time reigning national champion RCSJ-Gloucester 6-5 in 12 innings at Rutgers-Camden.
The benefit of the win was to happily go back home early without having to play another game today and will play second-seeded No. 3 Brookdale Friday at noon. Jared Vandersteur, the region’s leader in ERA, is expected to draw the start for the Mighty Oaks (28-24) with Seth McCormick slated for their third game, which could be Friday’s 3 p.m. elminational game or Saturday’s championship game.
The win was Salem’s record 28th of the season and 401st of Holt’s coaching career. The Roadrunners fell to 47-5; they hadn’t lost to a Region 19 opponent since last May.
The Mighty Oaks (28-24) won despite striking out 21 times in the game.
“Our boys showed up today,” Holt said. “They played their hearts out, they really did. I’m as proud as I’ve been of a group in almost my entire career. These guys laid it all out there today. They played a tough game against a great team and they just out-toughed them today.”
It was the second time the Mighty Oaks have knocked off a No. 1-ranked team under Holt, the last being RCSJ-Gloucester in 2021.
The Mighty Oaks were defeated handily by the Roadrunners during the season, but they showed they could play with the best teams in the nation by hanging with now No. 2 SUNY-Niagara twice on their Florida trip in mid-March.
“Great that we get to go home early, enjoy the rest of the day, chill out, get ready to come back tomorrow,” third baseman Chris Kelly said. “It means a lot.
“It means everything, from 1 through 28, including the coaches, coming out here beating the No. 1 team in the country. No one else thought we could do it. We believed 1 through 28. We came into this weekend thinking we know we got it, we’re going to come in, dominate, and we did it. We did what we had to do.”
Heroes were plentiful, with Demetrius DeRamus and Matt Murphy at the top of the list.
Kelly brought Angel Velez home from third with the winning run on a two-strike sacrifice fly in the 12th.
DeRamus was down to the Mighty Oaks’ last strike of the game, but gave them life with a two-out, two-run homer over the park’s version of the Green Monster in right to tie it 5-5 in the visitors’ ninth. He had three RBIs in the game, leaving him three shy of 100 for his career.
Cole Dawson got the rally started with a one-out single, then stole second and went to third on a passed ball.
“I’ve been in that situation so many times, it’s just routine at this point,” said DeRamus, who hit a two-run game-tying homer in the 11th inning of a 12-inning win over RCSJ-Cumberland earlier in the season. “We work on it a lot in practice, two-strike approaches. I think it’s just something about RCSJ in general that lights the fire in me. I’m just lost for words right now, just happy we get to go to the next game.”
Jon Gambone gave the Mighty Oaks six strong innings as the starter, throwing 115 pitches on the heels of a 133-pitch effort in his previous tournament start. Pat Seitzinger pitched 4 2/3 shutout innings through the 11th and Murphy, pitching for only the second time in college, closed it out like a veteran in the 12th.
“We knew the last time we played them that wasn’t our team,” Seitzinger said. “I didn’t do good (in that series), but I did good today and that’s what matters more.”
Murphy had pitched only one Inning previously in his college career (March 8), but he had been getting up to 90 in his bullpens and Holt thought that velo in that situation with Murphy’s closer mentality was just what they needed. The head coach shifted the day’s lineup to put Murphy at DH – with Yen Rodriguez in rightfield and Jason LeBold in left (his first action since April 13) – for just such a circumstance.
The sophomore righthander worked through the 12th on 15 pitches. He ended the game on a double-play grounder that shortstop Dawson took himself to second and then fired to first to set off a raucous celebration in the dugout.
“I’ve been telling coach all year I’ve wanted to pitch,” said Murphy, whose last extended pitching appearance was June 1, 2022, at Eastern Regional High School. “He’s been telling me to get ready every series. I’ve been ready every series, I’ve just been waiting for it. He gave me the call and I did the best that I could. I was doing it for my team.
“All day we were picking each other up. I didn’t want to let my teammates down so I went in there, gave it all I had and a great outcome happened.”
Demetrius DeRamus reaches the plate after his game-tying two-run homer in the ninth inning. (Screenshot from Gamechanger video)
Salem CC shortstop Ella Hayes repeats as Region 19 Player of the Year; Mighty Oaks land 4 on all-region team
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – Ella Hayes did not rest.
After bursting on the scene as the best player in the region last year as a freshman, the Salem Community College shortstop easily could have settled in for a comfortably productive second season as she progressed towards the next level. But she wanted more.
HAYES
She elevated her approach to the game and in many ways had an even better year that paid off even bigger dividends.
For the second year in a row, Hayes was named the Region 19 Division II softball Player of the Year, a feat rare if not unprecedented.
“It’s definitely an honor and I’m super grateful,” Hayes said. “I worked hard. I may not have had the exact same stats as last year, but I improved on a lot of things. My goal was to be better than I was last year and I feel like I accomplished that for the most part.”
The sophomore from Kansas City may not have reached her ambitious goal of hitting .700, but she still led the region in batting for the second year in a row (.577) – she was fifth nationally – as well as hits (79) and stolen bases (23-of-24). She was second in the region in extra-base hits and fourth in RBIs.
While her batting average dipped a few points, she still had more runs (60), hits (79), doubles (22), triples (4) and stolen bases than the year before. And once again she was like Tony Gwynn to strike out, fanning only twice in 168 plate appearances.
“She had the kind of year that we were hoping to get out of her,” Mighty Oaks coach Angel Rodriguez said. “One thing about her freshman year, no one knew who she was; the teams we were playing were getting to know her for the first time. Her talent showed a lot, getting Player of the Year last year, and this year they all knew who she was so they pitched to her differently, they approached her a lot differently, so you weren’t able to hide.
“This year she was a returning player who threw these great numbers up and that’s what she continued to do. It’s always hard to want to be your best and do better than you did the year before. I know for her it was like a battle she had with herself, a little self-competition, but she gave us everything she’s always given us. Her dedication to the game is unmatched. She was always a hard out and that’s what she continued to be.”
It all can be tied to her desire to be “quite a bit” more aggressive in every aspect of the game. That didn’t mean being a risk-taker, just being aggressive. Attacking pitches, stealing bases, reading the field to take the extra base when presented.
“I told Coach Angel I was going to be more aggressive this year,” she said. “I told them this year I was really going to hit hard and prove that I can play at the higher level of D-I or D-II and compete at that level, too. I don’t think there’s a better way to show it than laying out for everything.”
Hayes was one of four Mighty Oaks named to the all-region teams. Sophomore catcher Callie Rozak (.434, 7 HRs, 40 RBIs) joined Hayes on the first team, while freshmen Bella Rappa (.372, 39 runs, 32 RBIs) and Chantelle Haskie (.327, 26 RBIs) were second-team picks. They were the Mighty Oaks’ top four hitters.
“For us it was good,,” Rodriguez said. “Callie had a little more of a larger role this year, taking on a majority of our catching, and she handled that really good. We get two freshmen on the list for second team. It’s always good, especially building that confidence heading into next year and also for the returning players, too, to see that hard work is noticed and putting in the effort goes a long way. It was nice to see the recognition they deserve.”
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of May 12-17; events start at 4 p.m. unless noted
MAY 12 BASEBALL Salem vs. Bridgeton, Doubleday Field, Cooperstown, N.Y., 10 a.m. Clayton at Woodstown Pennsville at Glassboro Wildwood at Penns Grove SOFTBALL Glassboro at Pennsville Penns Grove at Wildwood Schalick at Salem Woodstown at Clayton GOLF Salem Tech vs. West Deptford, River Winds, 3:30 p.m. Schalick vs. Pennsville, Sakima CC, 3:30 p.m. Schalick girls vs. OLMA, White Oaks GC, 3:30 p.m. Woodstown vs. Haddon Heights, Town & Country, 3:45 p.m. TENNIS Penns Grove at Pitman Pennsville at Schalick Timber Creek at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m. TRACK Schalick at Penns Grove Salem at Deptford, 5 p.m. GIRLS LACROSSE Maple Shade at Woodstown
MAY 13 BASEBALL Woodstown at Delran GOLF Schalick vs. West Deptford, River Winds, 3:30 p.m. TENNIS Pennsville at Glassboro, 3:30 p.m. Woodstown at Collingswood, 3:45 p.m. TRACK Pennsville at Woodstown LACROSSE Woodstown at Clearview, 5 p.m. VOLLEYBALL Washington Twp. at Salem Tech, 3:45 p.m. MAY 14 BASEBALL Glassboro at Woodstown Penns Grove at Overbrook Pennsville at Salem Schalick at Cumberland SOFTBALL Cumberland at Schalick Overbrook at Penns Grove Salem at Pennsville Woodstown at Glassboro GOLF Woodstown vs. Pitman, Pitman CC, 3:45 p.m. Schalick girls vs. Delsea, Centerton CC TENNIS Pitman at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m. Schalick at Penns Grove Woodstown at Delsea, 3:45 p.m. LACROSSE Rancocas Valley at Woodstown, 4:15 p.m.
MAY 15 BASEBALL Buena at Schalick Pennsville at Triton SOFTBALL Schalick at Buena Triton at Pennsville GOLF Schalick vs. Hammonton, Pinelands GC, 3:30 p.m. Woodstown vs. Sterling, Town & Country, 3:45 p.m. TENNIS Woodstown at Highland, 3:45 p.m. Glassboro at Pennsville GIRLS LACROSSE Woodstown at Eastern VOLLEYBALL Timber Creek at Salem Tech, 3:45 p.m. COLLEGE BASEBALL Region 19 Final Four, Rutgers-Camden Salem CC vs. RCSJ-Gloucester or Brookdale, TBA MAY 16 BASEBALL Pennsville at Cedar Creek SOFTBALL Salem at Cape May Tech Triton at Woodstown GOLF Pennsville vs. Millville, Sakima CC, 3:30 p.m. TENNIS Woodstown at Overbrook, 3:45 p.m. Schalick at Wildwood, 4:15 p.m. TRACK NJSIAA Sectionals LACROSSE Woodstown at Millville VOLLEYBALL Salem Tech at Cape May Tech, 3:45 p.m. COLLEGE BASEBALL Region 19 Final Four, Rutgers-Camden, TBA
MAY 17 BASEBALL Schalick at Paulsboro, 11 a.m. TRACK NJSIAA Sectionals COLLEGE BASEBALL Region 19 Final Four, Rutgers-Camden, TBA
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.
Salem CC pulls down No. 4 baseball tournament seed, first home playoff series since revival of the program
REGION 19 DIVISION III TOURNAMENT Saturday’s Games No. 8 Montgomery County (14-17) at No. 1 RCSJ-Gloucester (45-4) No. 5 Middlesex (30-18) at No. 4 Salem (25-24) No. 6 Camden (26-15) at No. 3 RCSJ-Cumberland (29-15) No. 7 Northampton (21-18) at No. 2 Brookdale (35-8)
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – In the end it was all about the numbers and the extra game made all the difference for the Salem CC baseball team.
The Mighty Oaks left last weekend’s series with the fourth-best record in region play, but because of a quirk in the schedule were uncertain where they’d fall in the Division III region tournament seedings.
The tournament committee made it easy, seeding straight down the line based on winning percentage regardless of the number of games played. It installed the Mighty Oaks as the No. 4 seed in the tournament, their first home playoff date since the revival of the program in 2019.
They will host fifth-seeded Middlesex (30-18) and open the tournament with a noon nine-inning doubleheader Saturday at the Carneys Point Rec Complex. A sweep sends them to the Final Four at Rutgers-Camden starting May 15, a split forces a decisive Game 3 Sunday at noon. The Mighty Oaks took two of three from the Colts in early April.
“It’s exciting,” Mighty Oaks coach John Holt said. “I wasn’t anticipating it. Now we just have to take advantage of it.”
“I’m just excited for John and his team that they earned the opportunity to host,” athletics director Bob Hughes said. “It’s a testament to the work John has done for the last several years and what the team did this year to be in a position to be in the top quadrant of the region. It’s a great thing for the institution. It’s another sign of the progress that’s been made in Salem athletics.”
The Mighty Oaks finished 25-24 overall and 18-13 in region play, the 31st region game the result of unbalanced schedule created by two teams opting out of the master schedule after it had been established and agreed upon.
They were alone with 18 wins, but among four teams with 13 losses. If the committee seeded off the 13 losses, the Mighty Oaks would have opened the tournament on the road.
“You hope you can control what you can control in the variables but at the end of the day when we didn’t get the job done this weekend we left it up to the committee to make the decision,” Holt said. “We were obviously worried about that, not sure what was going to happen.
“We won 18 games, there’s got to be something to be said about that.”
“Winning percentage is the top priority and we had the best winning percentage (among the 13-loss teams),” Hughes said. “Ultimately our winning percentage won out.”
Because they are the host team, the Mighty Oaks will be the home team in all the games played this weekend. They were 11-10 at home this season, 22-18 over the last two years. Last season they opened the playoffs on the road and lost the series to Northampton two games to one.
“I think we play better at home,” Holt said. “Home field advantage is a real thing in baseball. Our guys call it ‘The Treehouse’ for a reason; they feel a certain kind of way about where they play. Hopefully they’ll be excited to host a playoff game and have that little bit of extra energy because of it.”
Middlesex has won 30 games for the fourth year in a row. They have one of the top power pitchers in the country in right-hander Ryan Rzepinski (5-1, 4.20 ERA, 79Ks/45 IP). He beat the Mighty Oaks on April 5, fanning 10 over six innings. The Colts earned by fifth seed by virtue of their series win over Camden, the sixth seed.
The Mighty Oaks will attack them with a lineup that includes the four Centurions – four batters with 100 career hits (Yen Rodriguez, Demetrius DeRamus, Matt Murphy and Angel Velez) – and the region’s second-leading RBI producer in Division III (Murphy) and the region leader in ERA (projected Game 2 starter Jared Vandersteur, 2.98)
“We’ve got to play better baseball than we’ve bene playing, bit I think these three days off is what we needed to kind of reset and get back at it,” Holt said.
Here are the results of Monday’s Salem County sports action
BASEBALL Pennsville 14, Clayton 6: Luke Wood 5 RBIs; Jeff Wagner, Logan Streitz each 2 hits, 2 RBIs; Pennsville can claim a share of TCC Classic Division with win over Pitman Wednesday Schalick 4, Overbrook 2: Lucas D’Agostino scattered six hits, fanned nine in six innings, Luke Pokrovsky fanned two in his closing inning, passed 300 career Ks; Ricky Watt, Pokrovsky 3 hits each; Schalick can claim TCC Diamond Division title with win over Woodstown Tuesday at Elmer LL Glassboro 12, Penns Grove 1: The Bulldogs took a no-hitter into the fifth. Alex Paz drove in Penns Grove’s run. Pitman 10, Salem 0: Two pitchers combined on one-hitter; Nick Watson HR, Hudson Rue 4 RBIs.
SOFTBALL Pennsville 20, Clayton 4: Lily Edwards 4 hits, 4 RBIs; every starter had at least one hit in Eagles’ 21-hit attack. Glassboro 24, Penns Grove 9: Scarlett Saicic 3 doubles, 6 RBIs. Penns Grove had a season-high runs Pitman 14, Salem 1: Jess Bretz’ grand slam highlighted Panthers’ 14-run second inning; Isla Bohn 3 hits for Salem. Schalick 12, Overbrook 8: Cougars erupt for nine runs in last two innings. Cloe Elliott 3×5, 5 RBIs; Maddie Brown 5×5, 3 RBIs.
GOLF Schalick’s Jaxon Weber posted a 6-over-par 78 and finished tied for seventh in the South Jersey Group I sectional, but didn’t finish high enough to advance to the state group championship. The Cougars finished 12th as a team (365). Woodstown was 13th (375). Jack Bucksar and Erich Lipovsky had Woodstown’s low rounds (86).
Triton 194, Salem Tech 226
TENNIS Deptford 3, Woodstown 2
LACROSSE Egg Harbor Twp. at Woodstown
VOLLEYBALL Highland 2, Salem Tech 0 (25-18, 25-18)
Riverview Sports News 