Monroe 8U team is rolling through summer

The summer of dreams continues for the Monroe Township 8U baseball all-stars as they head into the Cal Ripken State Championships, beginning July 20, in Edison.

The Monroe 8s just won the Cal Ripken District 9 Championship on July 1, going 5-0, by beating East Brunswick American in the championship game, 21-2. Rob Cocorikis, one of Monroe's two 7-year-olds, pitched three innings, while Eric Heatter and Robbie Peto pitched two and one, respectively. The defense was led by shortstop Joey Filiano, who made several outstanding plays, and by Stephen McCann at first base, who made an inning-ending diving play to thwart one of East Brunswick's rallies. The hitting stars included Matt Horn, Mike Granda, Matt Sorrento, Thomas Fleites and R.J. Dreyfuss. Also contributing with several walks and runs scored were Brian Nichols and Andy Lombard.

To get to the final game, Monroe had to beat Colonia (13-2), North Brunswick (13-2), Edison (9-0) and East Brunswick National (19-0). In total, Monroe outscored their opponents 75-6 in the five games.

The Cal Ripken District 9 title is one of many championships for this young all-star team. Just recently, Monroe won the South Plainfield Father's Day Tournament, going 4-1, and the Marlboro Memorial Day tournament, going 4-0. In addition, many of these youngsters also played on Monroe's United States Amateur Baseball League 8U team, which went 10-1 to win the league championship. With all four venues combined, the young Monroe 8U All-Stars are 23-2, with the state championships, the East Brunswick Tournament and the Monroe Tournament still left to go.

According to manager Mike Peto, who coached St. Peter's High School varsity program in the late '80s, "Many of these kids playing for us started at 6 years of age. Back in 2005 we had problems fielding a second 8U team, so rather than send several kids home for the summer, we decided to try and find some kids to play, which happened to be several 6-years-olds and one 5-year-old. That year our team was comprised of only three 8-year-olds, four 7-year-olds, five 6-year-olds and one 5-year-old.

"We finished the season 2-16, but got better each and every game as we took our lumps by the more talented and stronger 8U teams. But that experience helped us get better. Last year, with many of those players back, now at 7 years of age, the team went 19-6-1. And now that these kids have finally reached their eighth year of age, the team is on a roll in the 8U division."

"These kids have worked hard, stayed focused, learned the fundamentals of the game and have become great friends and teammates over the past several years," added coach Jim Heatter. "We teach and drill them on the proper fundamentals, make sure they are good sportsmen, and most importantly, that they are having fun."

Peto credits his coaching staff and the kids' work ethic for the team's success.

"I couldn't ask for a better group of coaches to be associated with, such as Jim Heatter, Lou Granda, Kirk McCann, Kevin Horn and Gerry Fleites," Peto added. "We each know our roles and responsibilities to get these kids prepared for both practice and games, and we collaborate well together. When you have a team as talented as we have, you sometimes forget they are only 8 years old. Sometimes we have to pinch each other to remind ourselves of that."

The players are Stephen McCann, Matt Sorrento, Brian Nichols, Mike Granda, Rob Cocorikis, Thomas Fleites, Nicky Lombard, Joey Filiano, R.J. Dreyfuss, Matt Horn, Robbie Peto, Eric Heatter, Kyle Daly and Andrew Isola.