On April 21, the Edison varsity baseball team participated in the Autism Awareness Challenge, playing against Barnegat High School. Edison emerged victorious to bring their seasonal record to 8–2.
The Eagles played for a greater and global cause during the match-up. With each inning, the Eagles raised awareness about autism and helped spread understanding as it is not a disability but rather a unique ability.
To claim the victory, Edison showcased their prowess in their ability to hit, pitch, and field, resulting in a final score of 14–6 in favor of Edison. Major contributions towards the fourteen runs were made in the first and fourth innings, where Edison acquired four runs in each. This significant victory can be credited to Edison’s fifteen hits in comparison to just four for Barnegat. Edison’s performance in this match was led by several standout players.
Shaun Garland ‘27 led the charge with four runs, and Brody Ferrer ‘25 closely followed with three runs of his own, contributing majorly to Edison’s victory. The game marked Garland and Ferrer’s season-high runs, respectively, in a single game.
“We’re looking forward to the county and state tournaments; our goal is to be playing our most competitive baseball come tournament time. The guys have been working hard for a long time to reach this goal.”
— Mr. Vincent Abene
Ferrer once again showed his might in his performance in hitting, acquiring three hits—his career high. Darren Tirado ‘26, also acquired three hits, tying with Ferrer for the most number of hits in this game. Jaxon Appelman ‘24, Robert Roma ‘26, and Garland played a crucial role in the offensive effort, hitting one home run each, marking the first time Garland and Roma achieved this accomplishment in their careers. Although Roma was the only pitcher for the entirety of the game, he delivered perfectly under pressure. Roma acquired eight strike-outs and only allowed Barnegat to score a minimal number of six runs from a total of 104 pitches.
“It was a fun game overall, and I thought it was cool that the special needs kids got to go on the field and throw the game’s first pitch,” said Raymond Tavarez ‘27. “I really liked the concept and hope we do similar things in the future.”
In addition to their victory against Barnegat in the autism awareness challenge, the Edison boys have had many other memorable games and moments throughout the season, such as their opening game against Perth Amboy on April 4.
Starting Edison’s season with a bang, the Eagles swept Perth Amboy with a 7–0 win. This victory was due to Edison’s eight hits compared to Perth Amboy’s four. There were many notable efforts from the offensive effort, including Edison’s prowess in obtaining runs and hits. The attack was led by Roma and Ferrer, who each contributed two runs toward Edison’s final score. Tirado also assisted with two hits and two stolen bases. The defensive effort was once again led by Roma, who acquired nine strike-outs in his spell of 84 pitches. Roma allowed no runs and only three hits, resulting in a 0.00 earned run average.
The Edison boys maintained their strength through two back-to-back clean sweeps against archrivals J.P. Stevens, on April 15 and April 16.
In their first game against J.P. Stevens, the final score read 11–0 in favor of Edison. Appelman and Anthony Calantoni ‘25 guided the effort with two runs each. The game saw eleven hits from Edison; the team high of two runs ended in a four-way tie between Appelman, Calantoni, Roma, and Ferrer. Once again, the pitching effort, led by Roma and Noel Chipoco ‘24, allowed no runs. Roma obtained ten strike-outs in his ninety pitches, and two strike-outs were made by Chipoco in his fourteen pitch spell.
Outdoing their first victory against the J.P. Stevens, Edison once again swept the rivals, acquiring two runs more than their previous game. Out of the thirteen runs made by the team, three were acquired by Garland, and Tirado and Dom Innocenti ‘26 made two runs each. Moreover, Innocenti took on the job of being the pitcher this time, obtaining a career-high ten strike-outs in a matter of 82 pitches.
“We’re looking forward to the county and state tournaments; our goal is to be playing our most competitive baseball come tournament time,” said Head Coach Mr. Vincent Abene. “The guys have been working hard for a long time to reach this goal.”
Currently, the record of Edison’s varsity baseball team stands at 10–4. Edison stands as the second seed in the White Division of the 2023-2024 GMC Standings. The Eagles look to carry their momentum to their game and prevail against Old Bridge on May 1.
Seasonal statistics can be found at NJ.com.
