The 2026 high school baseball season proved to be one that players, coaches, teams and fans will remember for quite a long time.
Action in the NJIC proved to be exciting and competitive from Opening Day until the final game. Park Ridge/Lodi, Glen Rock, New Milford, Rutherford, and Bectonwon their respective division titles.
Pompton Lakes won a section championship in North 1 Group 1.
St. Mary (Ruth.) took home a section title in Non-Public B North.
There would be plenty of outstanding moments and terrific individual performances throughout the spring. Whether they were standout pitching efforts, big days at the plate or defensive gems, memories were created that will last a lifetime.
The NJ.com baseball staff followed all the action throughout the 2026 season, taking note of the top-notch brand of baseball played throughout the state. Now it’s time to honor those who stood out a little bit above the rest.
We’ve gone back through the games, studied stats and asked questions leading into our postseason selections. It’s not easy and plenty of time and energy has gone into what we believe is a standout group of award winners.
Check out our selections below for the Player, Pitcher, Coach and Team of the Year in the NJIC as well as our final rankings, stats leaders for the season and coaches’ division all-star selections.
Player of the Year
Sean Spitaleri, Glen Rock, Sr.
For the third time in four years, a Glen Rock player has earned NJIC Player of the Year honors (Owen Litvany, 2023; Evan Lagemann, 2025).
This season, Spitaleri was a dominant force on both sides of the ball. He led the conference with 92 strikeouts on the mound, and also led the NJIC with 51 hits, a .560 batting average, and 15 doubles.
After missing two seasons of pitching to recover from Tommy John surgery, the St. Bonaventure commit went 9-1 with a 1.80 ERA. He struck out 10 or more batters six times, including his first three outings of the year.
At the plate, he recorded 17 multi-hit games, eight multi-RBI games, and eight multi-run games.
Sean Spitaleri’s career numbers
- AVG: .484
- Hits: 135
- RBI: 109
- Runs: 86
- 2B: 33
- 3B: 2
- HR: 9
- BB/HBP: 76
Pitcher of the Year
Andrew Erickson, Rutherford & Tyler Herman, Lyndhurst
There isn’t much separating the two college commits.
Erickson (TCNJ commit) and Herman (Manhattan commit) each won six games this season. They both had a pair of starts with 10 or more strikeouts. They were both workhorses, logging 60 or more innings. They each threw a complete game in the state tournament.
Herman finished the year with a 1.40 ERA, firing three complete games with 75 strikeouts. He also went six innings in four other starts. In the state tournament, Herman struck out 10 batters in a complete-game effort in a win over Bernards, surrendering one unearned run in the victory.
Erickson finished the 2026 season with a 1.36 ERA alongside 76 punch-outs and two complete games. He also had five more starts reaching six innings.
In the state tournament, Erickson threw a complete game against Passaic Valley, striking out seven batters.
Final career stats
- Andrew Erickson: 202 strikeouts, 1.23 ERA, 170.1 IP
- Tyler Herman: 183 strikeouts, 1.31 ERA, 144 IP
Coach of the Year
Mike Riordan, Pompton Lakes
Following a 4-4 start to the season, Pompton Lakes finished the year winning 18 of its last 22 contests.
Riordan led the Cardinals to a sectional championship in the North 1 Group 1 tournament as the fourth seed with appearances in the Passaic County Tournament semifinals and the Group 1 state championship.
Pompton Lakes also showed a calmness in the state tournament. They won two playoff games by one run, as well as two more in 3-0 tallies. They either won close, or they shut out the opposition.
After winning the Group 1 state championship in 2024, Pompton Lakes won 13 games in 2025. Riordan got his program back on top this season, finishing 22-8.
Team of the Year
St. Mary (Ruth.) (17-12-1)
The Gaels were on a heater in the state tournament. En route to winning a sectional championship in Non-Public B North, St. Mary outscored the competition, 35-8 in three games.
St. Mary defeated Montclair Kimberley, 12-1; Morristown-Beard, 12-1; and St. Thomas Aquinas, 11-7.
St. Mary reached the Non-Public B state championship for a second time in four seasons. They batted .354 as a team, averaging nearly 4.5 stolen bases per game.
Final St. Mary stats leaders
| Name | Average | Hits | Runs | RBIs | XBH | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andres Bracho | 0.333 | 27 | 16 | 25 | 8 | 10 |
| Romeo Cabrera | 0.321 | 25 | 25 | 11 | 5 | 10 |
| Jakhi Gale | 0.422 | 35 | 37 | 27 | 11 | 27 |
| Jeremy Irizarry | 0.329 | 25 | 27 | 12 | 3 | 12 |
| Jeffrey Paulino | 0.379 | 33 | 12 | 27 | 6 | 7 |
| Roysell Rivera | 0.447 | 38 | 20 | 42 | 13 | 17 |
| Sebastian Santana | 0.479 | 45 | 52 | 30 | 9 | 27 |
| Name | ERA | Strikeouts | IP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logan Bartley | 2.65 | 53 | 37 |
| Gavin Kauffman | 3.55 | 23 | 21.2 |
| Ayden Vargas | 4.04 | 40 | 34.2 |
| Xavier Vargas | 4.2 | 28 | 26.2 |
Final rankings
- 1-Glen Rock (22-6)
- 2-St. Mary (Ruth) (17-12-1)
- 3-Pompton Lakes (22-8)
- 4-Waldwick (16-14)
- 5-Rutherford (18-11)
- 6-New Milford (20-7)
- 7-Park Ridge (23-4)
- 8-Cresskill (11-14)
- 9-Lyndhurst (16-13)
- 10-Wood-Ridge (16-14)
