By NJ Advance Media baseball staff 

GROUP 1

FIRST TEAM
P-Ohjiro MotokiCresskill, Sr.
P-Graeme CarrollKinnelon, Jr.
2B-Brendan HughesPark Ridge, So.
DH-Joe CarmosinoEmerson Boro, Sr.

SECOND TEAM
P-Brendan PattermannEmerson Boro, Jr..
UT-Michael AvilesNew Milford, Jr.

THIRD TEAM
P-Sean DeMarcoMidland Park, Jr.
C-Eric DrotosWood-Ridge, Sr.
UT-Drew PackenWood-Ridge, Sr.

 

GROUP 2

SECOND TEAM
THIRD TEAM
NON-PUBLIC
SECOND TEAM

NJ.COM PLAYER OF THE YEAR: A right-hander with the strength of a thoroughbred and the heart of a lion, St. Mary (Ruth.) senior Kenny Quijano is the NJ.com NJIC Player of the Year.

Rider University has themselves a jewel in Quijano, who took the ball in every big game against noted North Jersey powers each of the last three seasons.

Quijano was the winning pitcher in the Non-Public A final against Gloucester Catholic when he struck out 12 — none of those were looking. Showing power and craftiness when needed, Quijano worked around and out of trouble against the 19-time group champions and gave St. Mary its first group title since 1998.

Quijano went 9-2, threw 58.5 innings for the Gaels this spring with 86 strikeouts and 26 walks. He allowed 38 hits and 12 earned runs.

Quijano was also a force as a hitter. Quijano batted .357. He had 23 runs batted in with three doubles and two home runs.

Kenny Quijano of St. Mary (Ruth.) is the NJIC Player of the Year for 2019((Scott Faytok | For NJ Advance Media))

TEAM OF THE YEAR: The team that proved in really isn’t over until the final out is in the books, Emerson Boro.

Emerson Boro was down, 5-0, to Glassboro going to the top of the seventh inning when it exploded for eight runs and won the Group 1 title going away, 8-5. Emerson Boro closed the season with seven-straight victories and finished with a 23-7 record.

Emerson finished third in the NJIC Patriot Division behind Midland Park and Cresskill, however, the Cavaliers got hot when it counted most.

The Cardiac Cavaliers rallied from a 4-0 deficit for a 9-8 win over New Providence in the Group 1 semifinals and then staged an unforgettable comeback in the state final.

COACH OF THE YEAR: The coach with the best, head-first slide in New Jersey, St. Mary (Ruth.) head coach Dennis Hulse.

Hulse celebrated his team’s Non-Public B win over Gloucester Catholic with a head-first dive into home, much to the delight of the St. Mary players and fans.

St. Mary finished with a 21-9 record and was ranked No. 17 in the final NJ.com Baseball Top 50.

St. Mary was well-prepared for a playoff run. Hulse put together a challenging schedule that featured powerhouse programs like (Group 4 champion) Ridgewood, (Group 2 champion) Pascack Hills, Don Bosco Prep, Bergen County Tournament champion St. Joseph (Mont.) and Bergen Catholic. It also played Group 1 champion Emerson Boro during the regular season.