Basking Ridge Rookie Lugnuts Wrap Season After Spring of Firsts, Fast Growth

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — The Rookie Lugnuts closed out their Basking Ridge baseball season on Saturday, after a spring that began March 28 with players in winter coats and ended on a hot day in shorts.

The team brought together 10 boys and girls in kindergarten and first grade from different schools, many of them learning the basics of the game for the first time.

Over the course of the season, the group changed from what Coach Pete Edelson described as a "ragtag mixed bag of individual players" into a team of friends and teammates.

The season account says players rooted for one another and even learned each other’s middle names as the weeks went on.

For some players, the season marked several firsts, according to Edelson.

It was their first time on a baseball field, first time wearing cleats, first time swinging a bat, and first time throwing a pitch.

Other players returned to the Basking Ridge fields to keep building on skills from earlier seasons.

The season was marked by growth and development across the roster, according to Edelson.

Players worked on pitching, catching in full gear, learning the creep and the drop step, improving batting stance, and understanding sportsmanship, while also having fun.

Edelson also described the games as full of strong defensive plays and aggressive base running.

Families and coaches watched as players took instruction from the coaching staff and applied it during games, creating what Edelson called "a real treat" for parents, siblings, extended family members, coaches and the players themselves.

The season ended with another relay race win for the Rookie Lugnuts, a point of pride at the close of their spring schedule. The source says the team took pride in the journey from opening day to the final game.

Looking ahead, some of the players are expected to return to the Rookie Division next season, while others will move up to the Minors.

Edelson says all of them finished with a season worth remembering, and supporters will be watching to see how they continue to grow in the coming years.

The Team:

The Coaches:

• Pete Edelson
• Jeff Laux
• Mike LeFante
• Chris Paulsworth