Eagles run at Group title falls a bit short
BY SHAWN LAYTON
Staff Writer

EDISON - A 13-5 loss to Randolph in the NJSIAA Group 4 semifinals last week marked the end of a great season for the township high school baseball team.

The Edison ballclub finished the 2007 season 19-8 with a sectional title, its first since 1995, and the GMC Red Division crown under its belt.

The Eagles were in a good position to advance to the Group IV finals with a 4-2 lead heading into the sixth inning against Randolph. Unfortunately, Edison ace Gary Thompson ran out of gas and Randolph took advantage.

"Gary definitely got a little tired," Edison head coach Vin Abene said. "Randolph is a very good team and they can hit the ball. Gary started getting a little high in the zone, and once Randolph got hot it was difficult for us to stop the bleeding."

Edison shortstop Kevin Ryan was perfect at the plate in the loss with a 4-for-4 performance with a run scored. Outfielders Alberto Ruiz and Jared Shukis each had two hits, while Phil Okner and Shawn Renner each drove in a run.

With the loss, Edison said goodbye to 10 seniors from this year's team, including Okner, Ryan, Thompson, Julian Laguna and Cal Costanzo. Ryan and Okner plan to continue their playing days at Kean University in the fall, while Laguna and Costanzo are off to Middlesex County College and Monmouth University respectively.

"All 10 of our seniors contributed to the success of the program in a significant way," Abene said. "We took a lot of pride in winning our first Red Division title since 2001 and winning our first North Jersey sectional title. All previous sectional titles had been in Central Jersey."

Although the first-round loss in the GMC Tournament was a setback for the Eagles, the team showed tremendous resolve to rebound from the loss and counter with a sectional crown.

"The kids put their cleats back on after that disappointing loss in the opening round of the tournament and talked about coming together and winning as a family," Abene said. "The seniors showed tremendous leadership and really paved the way for the underclassmen."

Replacing such a talented group of seniors will be no short order for the Eagles next season, but a healthy mix of talented returnees should have the team ready to defend its Red Division title.

Renner's 6-foot-3-inch, 263-pound frame on the hill should be a definite starting point. In his junior year this season, Renner went 4-1.

"We'll look for Shawn to replace Gary Thompson's production on the mound," Abene said. "Our right fielder Jared Shukis really established himself offensively this season, and we'll need him to continue his hot hitting."

Hitting in the No. 4 slot in the lineup this year, Shukis finished with a .443 batting average with 31 RBIs and 39 hits.

"He had a monster year," Abene said. "His numbers were impressive but even more so considering the competition he went up against."