Cumberland County College Gets South Jersey Help in Winning National Baseball Title
South Jersey talent was on display in the NCAA Division III junior college baseball championship. It was an all-South Jersey final when Cumberland County beat Rowan College of Gloucester County, 11-7.
Not all the players on the national champions were from South Jersey, but some major contributors were. Some standouts were from Southeastern PA, another great hotbed for baseball.
Freshman DH Christian Lutz, a graduate of Philadelphia’s Father Judge, led the way in the title game, going 2 for 4 with two runs scored, a home run and three RBI.
Cumberland County ended with a 47-5 record
The Dukes had two sophomore righthanders selected in the recent MLB first-year player draft.
Jose Rodriquez, a sophomore from Vineland High, was drafted in the 20th round by the Cincinnati Reds. Michael Miles, a sophomore from St. Augustine, was drafted in the 28th round by the Reds.
Rodriguez was 8-2 with a 2.98 ERA. He made 20 appearances, including nine starts. In 54 1/3 innings, he struck out 65 and walked 31 Rodriguez also had a save.
Miles went 12-0 with a 1.84 ERA. He made 17 appearances, including six starts. In 93 innings he struck out 114 and walked 39. Like Rodriguez, he also saved one game.
Miles, who transferred from Barry University in Florida, enjoyed a strong College World Series.
He threw a complete game victory in the Dukes World Series opener against Minnesota’s Century College. Miles then earned a one-out save against Rowan of Gloucester County.
Then pitching on three days rest, Miles threw a complete game victory in the 11-7 national championship win against Rowan of Gloucester County.
That performance earned him the World Series MVP.
Miles was also NJCAA Region XIX Pitcher of the Year and earned first-team all-American honors.
Dylan Scaranda, a sophomore infielder from Absegami, hit a team-high .426. He also led the team in doubled (22) and RBI (65). Scaranda also added six home runs and had an OPS of 1.211. Scaranda was named a second-team junior college all-American.
The team home run leader was sophomore second baseman Ryan McIssac, a graduate of Millville. McIssac led the Dukes with 76 runs scored. He also hit 11 home runs, along with 55 RBI while .368. He struck out just 17 times I 209 at-bats. McIssac earned third-team all-American honors and he will continue his education and baseball career at Division I High Point in North Carolina.
Vincent Napolitano, a sophomore from Wilson Park, New York, hit .304 with 12 home runs and 55 RBI.
Jarrett Quinn, a sophomore from King of Prussia who attended Upper Merion, was 7-1 with a 2.58 ERA. Anthony Masselli, a freshman pitcher from Highland, appeared in 21 games and was 4-1 with a save and a 2.98 ERA. He struck out 83 and walked 35 in 53 1/3 innings.
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Coach Keith Gorman took a program that was struggling and in his eight seasons has built a champion. Before coming to Cumberland County, he was the coach for seven years at Holy Spirit. In the four years before his arrival at Cumberland County, the Dukes won a total of just 25 games, which shows how much impact he has had in building a national champion from the bottom up.
© SouthJersey.com 2019. All rights reserved. This article or parts thereof may not be reprinted or reproduced by any other party without the express written consent of SouthJersey.com. For more information, please call 856-797-9910.
For more Local Sports features, visit our South Jersey Sports page.
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Coach Keith Gorman took a program that was struggling and in his eight seasons has built a champion. Before coming to Cumberland County, he was the coach for seven years at Holy Spirit. In the four years before his arrival at Cumberland County, the Dukes won a total of just 25 games, which shows how much impact he has had in building a national champion from the bottom up.
© SouthJersey.com 2019. All rights reserved. This article or parts thereof may not be reprinted or reproduced by any other party without the express written consent of SouthJersey.com. For more information, please call 856-797-9910.
For more Local Sports features, visit our South Jersey Sports page.
Author: Marc Narducci
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