A closer look at S.J. baseball first-teamers

Inquirer South Jersey Player of the Year Nick Favatella of Washington Township and Bishop Eustace catcher Greg Brodzinski are the two repeat first-team selections on the all-South Jersey baseball team.

Brodzinski batted .510 this season with 11 home runs and 47 RBIs. For his career, he has 34 home runs, 173 hits and 162 RBIs. Brodzinski has earned a scholarship to the University of South Carolina.

Seneca junior righthander Kevin Comer, a second-team selection last season, heads a group of five pitchers. Considered a prime draft prospect for next year, Comer went 6-3 with a 1.46 ERA. In 522/3 innings, he recorded 100 strikeouts, a school single-season record. This year, he struck out 13 batters three times.

The other first-team pitchers are Washington Township senior lefthander Adam Warburton, Clearview senior righthander Shane Taylor, Pitman senior lefthander Steve Schuler, and Gloucester Catholic junior lefthander Cody Brown.

Warburton went 9-3 with a 2.11 ERA for the South Jersey Group 4 champions. He had 71 strikeouts in 661/3 innings pitched. He also batted .313 with seven home runs and 31 RBIs. For his career, he was 14-6 with a 2.87 ERA. Warburton will attend Philadelphia University of the Sciences.

Clearview's Taylor went 5-3 with four saves and a 2.15 ERA. He had 76 strikeouts in 52 innings, and had playoff wins over Toms River South and Egg Harbor Township. A North Carolina recruit, Taylor ended with a 6-1 career playoff record, 18 total wins and 225 strikeouts.

Schuler, a Philadelphia University recruit, struck out 13 in Pitman's 5-0 win over Whippany Park in the state Group 1 final. He went 10-1 with a 1.27 ERA. In 66 innings, he struck out 109. Schuler won four games in the postseason, including two by shutout.

Brown went 9-1 with a 2.31 ERA. He won all four playoff games during Gloucester Catholic's run to the Non-Public B state championship. In 662/3 innings, Brown struck out 75.

The first baseman is Bishop Eustace senior Scott Carcaise. He batted .440 with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs this year. A patient hitter, he also drew 29 walks. Carcaise, who has 24 career home runs, is an Elon recruit.

Besides Favatella, the other two first-team infielders are Bishop Eustace shortstop Jim Yezzo and Millville junior Chet Godfrey.

Yezzo, who is headed to Delaware, led South Jersey with 16 home runs. He batted .473 with 57 RBIs and finished his career with 26 home runs, 114 RBIs and 126 hits.

Godfrey was a two-way threat. The junior third baseman batted .407 with nine doubles, eight home runs, and 28 RBIs. On the mound, he was 9-2 with two saves and a 2.70 ERA.

The outfielders are three seniors: Egg Harbor Township's Chris Knott, Cherokee's Tyler Powell, and Pennsauken's Rolando Gautier.

Knott was among the most improved players in South Jersey. After hitting one home run as a junior, he batted .513 with 15 home runs and 56 RBIs. He walked 23 times and had a .651 on base percentage. East Stroudsburg is among the schools he is considering.

Cherokee's Powell was also a first-team Inquirer all-South Jersey selection in football. This season, he batted .387 with six home runs and 33 RBIs. He had an on-base percentage of .459. Powell will attend Delaware as a preferred walk-on in baseball.

Despite missing the first nine games because of an elbow injury, Gautier batted .628 with five doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 24 runs, 21 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases. He has earned a scholarship to Austin Peay.

Holy Cross junior catcher Mark Zagunis is the team's designated hitter. Zagunis batted .587 with 12 home runs, 50 RBIs, and 28 stolen bases. A converted infielder, Zagunis already has 103 hits, 109 runs and 110 RBIs in his career.