CHS Baseball Stars Receive All-County Recognition

As expected when you win four championships in one season, there were seven members of the CHS varsity baseball team who were honored on the All-Union County teams selected by the statewide Star-Ledger newspaper.

The All-County baseball team was comprised of four first-teamers, including seniors Nick Cook and Nick Pace, along with juniors Eric Walano and Greg Matlosz.

Cook, a southpaw lefthander, finished with 5-1 record with three saves and a 1.80 ERA. Offensively, the left-handed batter slugged four home runs, with ten doubles and 29 RBI's to his credit while batting .333.

Pace roamed centerfield with speed and confidence, and while his defensive prowess was important, his offensive statistics were impressive, batting .410 while churning out a team-leading 34 hits. He stole 29-of-30 bases and scored 37 runs. He was also valuable because of his patience at the plate, where he walked 20 times.

Matlosz, who split time between designated hitter and first base, finished with a .397 average, connecting on 31 hits with 36 runs batted in. The cleanup hitter came through with nine doubles, three triples and 26 runs scored.

And then there was junior Eric Walano, who added to his hardware collection with three more championships after winning the county and conference crowns with the boys' soccer team in the fall. Walano finished with a .410 batting average, posting 22 RBI and a team-high 38 runs scored. His play in rightfield was also stellar, but the plans are to move him behind the plate for his senior season.  

Second-team honors went to sophomore righthander Kurt Rutmayer, who was promoted from the junior varsity squad early in the season and became the starter in the biggest games of the spring.

And leftfielder Mark Osofsky was also named to the second-team. The junior had a number of clutch hits in helping the Cougars enjoy one of their finest seasons ever.

Freshman lefthanded hurler Ryan Williamson showed the poise of a senior this past season, and for his eye-popping performances, he was named to the Star-Ledger third-team. H was joined there by senior second baseman Rob Ghiretti, who will continue his career at Ramapo College.

Cook will play in the fall at Widener, while Pace will roam the diamond at Brookdale.

Cranford finished # 1 in Union County and # 4 in the final state rankings.