Nutley Legion Baseball Begins State Tournament Play
• First Game Tomorrow (Saturday) in Richfield Park
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Enlarge This Photo | Photo by NJHometown |
Mark Gualtieri has been tapped as starting pitcher in Saturday's double-elimination American Legion State Tournament game.
Jul 16, 2010 – Nutley's American Legion baseball team begins competition tomorrow (7/17) in a double-elimination tournament for the N.J. State American Legion Championship. Game time is 5:45 p.m. at Oberpeck Park in Richfield Park where Nutley will be facing Waldwick.
Nutley qualified for the state tournament after capturing the Essex Title a week ago. The competition starting tomorrow, however, will be particularly challenging Nutley will likely face a team that includes college and other specially recruited players.
The uneven matchup results from the Legion's Essex League's makeup of 15-17 year old players. The state Legion organization, however, permits teams with players who can be recruited and may include 18 and 19-year-old.
"That's because in Essex, nearly all of the teams are closely affiliated with the local high school varsity programs," Nutley coach Phil Agosta explained. In Essex, for example, the head coaches at Millburn and Belleville also coach the Legion team. In Nutley, Agosta is an assistant coach with the high school varsity.
"I could bring in 10 experienced college kids right now but the Essex County schools have chosen instead to develop a program that gives our players the added experience of a summer program."
Coach Agosta says his Nutley players are "excited, very loose and ready to play."
Mark Gualtieri, who will be entering his senior year at Nutley High this September, will be the starting pitcher in Saturday's game with Waldwick.
The Legion schedule calls for the loosing team tomorrow to play again at noon Sunday in the double-elimination tournament.
The Nutley them played a make-up game this past Sunday in the Essex County league. Nutley had already captured the Essex title when the team dropped a 5-3 decision to Montclair. Nutley led 3-0 in the earlier innings but Montclair came back to score 3 runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth for the win.
