Montclair, NJ – The Montclair State baseball team hosts Kean University in the quarterfinals of the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship.


ON THE AIR
YouTube – Red Hawk Sports Network (Jack Barteck and Jon Kociban)
 

THE TEAMS
The Red Hawks (19-8) fell to the fourth seed in the tournament after getting swept in a doubleheader by Rowan Saturday afternoon. Montclair State had climbed to as high as the second seed after knocking off William Paterson Thursday, but ended up as the fourth seed. The Cougars (15-12) dropped a doubleheader to TCNJ Saturday to drop to fifth.
 

ALL-CONFERENCE:
Both teams were well represented on the All-NJAC teams, with a combined 11 players getting chosen. For MSU, PETER COSENTINO was named First Team, becoming the first Red Hawk to gain First Team honors since 2015. MICHAEL MURPHY was tabbed to the Second Team, while ANDREW OLLWERTHER, JOE NORTON, ANTHONY GUARINO, and JASON MOORE were chosen as Honorable Mention. For Kean, Christian Pellone and Tim Huxen were First Team, Phil Marcantonio was named Second Team, and Justin Diefenbach and Frank LoGuidice were Honorable Mention.

 
THE COACHES:
Dave Lorber – Montclair (3^rd season / 2^nd at MSU): 27-12 at Montclair State
Neil Ioviero – Kean (24^th season): 714-311-2

 
KEY PLAYERS:

Montclair State
PETER COSENTINO (Jr., 1B/OF, Whitehouse Station, NJ)
.447 batting average, 46 hits, 39 runs scored, 31 RBI, 12 doubles, eight home runs
 
MICHAEL MURPHY (Fr, OF, Cranford, NJ)
.363 batting average, 37 hits, 30 runs, 31 RBI
 
ANTHONY GUARINO (Sr., C, Hackensack, NJ)
.361 batting average, 26 hits, 10 runs, 18 RBI, 10 runners caught stealing
 
Kean
Christian Pellone (Fr., UTL, Jackson, NJ)
.417 batting average, 35 hits, 20 runs, 17 RBI
 
Tim Huxen (Sr., OF, Elizabeth, NJ)
.388 batting average, 33 hits, 21 runs scored, 13 RBI, nine doubles
 
Justin Diefenbach (Jr., P, Barnegat, NJ)
3-1, 2.70 ERA, 34 strikeouts

 
PLAYOFF HISTORY:
The Red Hawks are looking for their seventh NJAC Championship and first since 2001. The team also won nine New Jersey State Athletic Conference Championships and shared the 1978 crown with Rowan. Montclair State last qualified for the NJAC Tournament in 2016, advancing to the Championship Game before falling to Rowan. MSU last hosted a playoff game in 2014 when they faced off against Kean. The Cougars are also looking for the seventh NJAC title, last winning in 2015.

 
BRACKET:
Top-seeded Rowan faces off against eighth-seeded Stockton, second-seeded William Paterson hosts Rutgers-Camden, and third-seeded Ramapo hosts sixth-seeded TCNJ. The Rowan/Stockton winner faces off against the MSU/Kean winner, while the Ramapo/TCNJ victor faces the winner of William Paterson/Rutgers-Camden winner.

 
SERIES HISTORY: (MSU leads 95-44)
The Red Hawks hold a big edge in the series, but have dropped eight of the last 10 meetings. The Red Hawks and Cougars split a series earlier this season. Kean scored the final five runs of the Thursday matchup to win 7-5 before MSU responded with a 15-8 win at home the next day. JOE NORTON went 4-for-5 in the win, while MICHAEL MURPHY drove in three with two hits.
 
LAST 5 MEETINGS:
4/23/21: MSU 15, KU 8
4/22/21: KU 7, MSU 5
4/18/19: KU 9, MSU 7
4/17/19: KU 23, MSU 8
4/13/18: KU 9, MSU 8