Another strong season for St. Augustine baseball

St. Augustine’s baseball program has set such high standards that this season at least, anything short of a state championship was going to be disappointing.

While the Hermits fell to Don Bosco Prep, 5-0 in the NJSIAA sNon Public A state championship, this was an outstanding season.

St. Augustine, which last won a state title in 2018, went 27-2 and won multiple championships.

First up was the Joe Hartmann Diamond Classic, which consisted of 16 of the top teams in South Jersey. The Hermits beat Lenape, 4-2 in the championship game.

St. Augustine was the regular-season champion in the Cape Atlantic League American Division. After earning that title, the Hermits then beat Mainland, 9-4, in the Cape Atlantic League tournament championship.

Then came a 5-2 win over Christian Brothers Academy in the South Jersey Non-Public A title game.

That was the sixth straight year that the Hermits won a sectional title.

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Considering that South Jersey Non-Public A is usually among the best sections in the state, that is quite an accomplishment.

So even though the loss to Don Bosco Prep stung, the players should look back at a highly successful season for coach Mike Bylone’s team.

St. Augustine’s only other loss was a 5-2 defeat to Vineland, a team the Hermits beat in the rematch, 1-0.

The Hermits were hands down, the No. 1 team in South Jersey.
They were ranked No. 1 in the state before the state final.
Among the other key wins was a 12-0 triumph over one of the Philadelphia area’s best teams, La Salle.

There was a 4-3 win over eventual South Jersey Non-Public champion Gloucester Catholic.

St. Augustine beat both teams that played in the South Jersey Group 4 championship, defeating eventual champ Cherokee, 4-3, and Kingsway, 7-4. Both of those wins came in the Diamond Classic.

Christian Brothers were ranked No. 20 in the state when St. Augustine beat the Colts in the South Jersey Non-Public A final.

Winning the close games was the key for St. Augustine, which was 5-0 in one-run games.

In addition, St. Augustine tied the school record for wins in a season. The 2011 team, which won a state championship, also had 27 wins.

Junior right-hander Marco Levari was among the key pitchers. An Old Dominion commit, Levari was the winning pitcher in the South Jersey Non-Public A championship win against CBA.

He finished 5-1 with a 1.97 ERA with 58 strikeouts in 49 2/3 innings.
Senior middle infielders Ryan Weingartner and Ryan Taylor led the offense. Weingartner batted .457 with 31 RBI and Taylor hit .411 with 33 RBI.

This was a strong senior class for St. Augustine, but Bylone has continued to keep the program among the top in South Jersey and next year should be no exception.

Author: Marc Narducci