Host West Deptford Ready For Task At Eastern Regional

One look down the list of previous champions of the Senior League Eastern Regional Baseball Tournament is all it takes to see which state has been the superior.

For the last decade only one state has claimed the title, and it’s New Jersey.

And while the winners of the tournament continue to come from the state, this year there are hopes that the champion will be even more local.

West Deptford hopes to be a serious contender as the to it plays host to the Senior League Eastern Regional Baseball Tournament for the 21^st consecutive year. All games will be played at Union Field.

West Deptford, who is representing District 15, will be making its 11th appearance, and its first since 2009. It has yet to claim a title, but has held its own, going 17-20 in its 10 previous showings.

While West Deptford has managed to float around the .500 mark, the New Jersey state champions have been impossible to defeat.

Competing against teams from New York, Maryland, Delaware, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Maine, the New Jersey champion has gone 34-0 over the past 10 years.

This year, Freehold represents the state, and the city knows a thing a two about titles. Teams from Freehold won the regional in 2004, 2005 and 2007. To get to this point, Freehold beat East Vineland/North Vineland; South Vineland won the tournament the previous two years.

Comfort level could be a factor this year, and though West Deptford and Freehold should be in their element over the next few days, the rest of the teams may have to overcome some early jitters. Each of the eight other squads are making their first trip to Union Field.

Even though West Deptford is playing in its own backyard, the odds are still stacked against them. Because they are the hosts, West Deptford only needed to win a district title, while the rest of the teams had to win a state championship.

While the local boys clearly have a tough task ahead of them, the team is coming off a sensational week in the District 15 tournament. West Deptford ran the table and only allowed two runs–and just one earned–in six games. West Deptford won five of those contests by mercy rule, and has a lineup full of players who played vital roles in helping West Deptford High School win a Group II South Jersey title in the spring.

The team also believes the home crowd can give them an extra boost.

“It gives us a lot of confidence knowing we will have a lot of fans behind us. because we are home,” said Danny Riley, one of a half dozen starting pitchers West Deptford has at its disposal. “It feels good to have that.”

“It motivates us,” added Joe Pinto.

West Deptford will be in action tonight in the tournament’s second game. Quincy, MA will take on Stony Point, NY in the opener at 5 p.m., while West Deptford follows against Wyoming, PA at 8 p.m.
If West Deptford wins it will face Felton-Harrington, DE on Saturday at 5 p.m. If it loses Friday night, it will fall into the loser’s bracket and compete Sunday at 11:30 a.m.

“The guys are excited about this and they're confident,” West Deptford manager Marty Roselli said after the District 15 title win.