2008 MCT CHAMPIONS | BASEBALL TEAM | INDUCTED: SEPTEMBER 12, 2014 A team with great resolve and a never-say-die attitude, the 2008 Varsity Baseball Team finished the season with a record of 18-6, and captured the first and only Mercer County Tournament Championship in Nottingham history. In the first round, the Northstars beat WWP-North 5-3 as Matt Chotkowski doubled in two runs. Jake Schwartz pitched seven innings to achieve his sixth straight win. Sophomore pitchers Matt Patterson and Mike Mimmo combined for a 2-1 win against Hamilton West in the second round. Pete Kelly then faced second-seeded Allentown in the semifinal round and came away with a 2-1 win thanks to Jon Krecicki, who had two RBIs filling in for the injured Brandon Martin. In the championship game at Waterfront Park, Jake Schwartz’s complete-game 7-6 victory over Notre Dame earned him MVP honors. The 'Stars come-from-behind victory included two great bunt singles by Gary Mattia, a key base on balls by Chris Pierfy, and a bases-clearing double by Jason Ricciardi. The Northstars went on to defeat Hamilton West in the second round of the CJ Group III State Tournament. Seniors Schwartz and Kelly combined for the win. Although they lost to Monmouth Regional 5-3 in the State semifinal game, the team looked back on a most successful season which also included a Valley Division Championship. Among those who received post-season honors were Schwartz and Pierfy [First Team All-CVC]; Kelly, [2nd Team All-CVC]; and Chotkowski.[Honorable Mention]. Pierfy led the team with a .492 batting average, Eric Patterson hit .381 with 11 RBIs; Chotkowski hit.315 with 14 RBIs; Kelly hit .327, Steve Debonis batted .313 with 11 RBIs, and Louis Alvarez chipped in with 11 RBIs. Sophomore Jordan Guest led the team with 18 stolen bases. Other members who contributed to the success of the team included Gary Carmona, Ricky Moore, Mike Ricciardi, Eric Patterson, Dan Chiapetta, Josh Rodriquez, and Mike O'Bryne. Team statisticians were Kelly Connell, Erica Eisenbiel and Meghan Levandowski. RETURN TO THE HALL OF FAME MEMBERS PAGE