Spring Sports Preview: Baseball

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Senior Akhil Penkala, who has 36 career hits and contributed two hits, one walk, and one RBI in the GMC Finals, steps into his swing.

BY JAMIE HAZEL
Coming off a highly successful 20-9 season, the baseball players expect to continue the legacy they began last season by going 20-9, becoming the first Old Bridge baseball team to win a State Championship, earning a Top 20 State ranking, and winning the Greater Middlesex County tournament for the first time since 2019.

Since 2019, the team has gone 22-7 in the post season, and they have not had a losing season since 2021. The boys expect to continue the success, “I would like to see our team thrive and win the county championship back-to-back years,” said senior John Smith.

“We are going to have a lot of new pitching this year,” said junior Matthew Levitt, who threw 95 pitches last season. Multiple key pitchers, including three of the top four, graduated. Senior Justin Hascup, the strikeout leader, will come back and work with new players who now must step up as pitchers.

Senior Noah Balbuena stands in the box and waits for the pitch during the Greater Middlesex County Tournament Final against South Plainfield.

Graduation left the team missing ten contributors and searching for a new starting catcher, center fielder, and left fielder. Luckily, these spots will have solid replacements. “Everyone is excited for how the team will shape up, and the players fighting for those spots all put in a lot of work in the offseason,” said senior Akhil Penkala, who finished last season with the second greatest amount of hits for a total of 31.

In the offseason, the boys had team workouts after school and indoor training consisting of hitting and throwing once a week. “We work on situational hitting with a different focus for every situation. On the fielding side, we work on double plays and relays from the outfield,” said Junior Christopher Crosta, who tied for the third most runs last season with 12.

Senior John Smith, who led the team in runs with 18, makes it to first base at the Greater Middlesex County tournament finals against South Plainfield.

The boys started their season in St. Peterburg, Florida. On March 21, they again left for this spring training trip. “Last year we were given the chance to play IMG and it was a great experience for us to play one of the best teams in the country. These trips allow us to really improve our team chemistry as we hang out with each other for a week while also preparing ourselves for games,” said Penkala, who had the highest batting average on the team last season, .443.

The boys will open their season at Fred Cole field on April 1 at 4pm against East Brunswick, who they defeated 7-2 at home on April 13 and again 4-0 away on April 16 last season.

  • Junior Chris Crosta, who had 17 hits as a sophomore on varsity, takes his lead off of second base and looks for an opportunity to advance.
  • Senior Justin Hascup, a varsity pitcher since his freshman year, keeps his eyes on the ball before his swing.

Posted on 3/27/25

Photos by Kaylee Weingarten and Caitlin La Flower