According to coach Steve Michalek, the jump from age 9 to 10 is as big as when it comes to Little League baseball as a greater understanding of the game is required.
For the Nutley American Little League 10U team Michalek coached, this summer showed just how well they handled the leap and how much improvement they showed in the process.
“We just had a good core group of kids that played hard and really improved as the season went on, and especially in all spots,” Michalek said.
That hard work was rewarded with a District 8 championship when Nutley American defeated Caldwell-West Essex, 3-1, in the final on July 11 at Caldwell, avenging a loss to the same team two days earlier.
As Michalek pointed out, for many on his team, it was their first championship against competition outside of town.
“What’s interesting is that probably about half the kids of the team had excellent regular seasons and the other half, had more average regular seasons,” said Michalek. “(In the postseason), all of them were playing at a really high level. We had contributions from everybody on the team, from pitching to hitting to field to base running.”
Leading the charge was Dominic Wos, who served as Nutley American’s ace pitcher and No. 3 hitter.
“He was our best pitcher. He was our opening game starter and was our pitcher in the championship game against Caldwell, pitching six innings,” Michalek said. “He got big hits and was just a great player, a great kid who comes from a great family.”
While Wos was a hard thrower who could overpower opposing hitters, Nutley American’s No. 2, Matthew Suto, was the exact opposite, exhibiting rare control at this age level.
Luke Kandola and Christan Van Saders also provided valuable innings over the course of the tournament run.
At catcher was Vincent Ritacco, one of the youngest players on the team.
Brandon Molinari, who hit cleanup, was the primary first baseman with Michael Verhasselt, who had a big hit in the title game, also getting time at first.
Wos and Suto shared the second base spot, with Ryan Fealey playing shortstop.
“Fealey was our No. 2 hitter and probably our most consistent hitter,” said Michalek. “He has a nice, easy swing and he’s a tremendous shortstop. He’s probably the best defender on the team overall.”
Van Seders led off and played third base for Nutley American.
In left field was Michalek’s son, Stephen, who hit fifth in the order and had a five RBI game against Caldwell-West Essex early in the District tournament.
The versatile Suto was the main center fielder and Sal Olivo was in right field. Christian Chieffo was another, who made an impact offensively for Nutley American.
Ron Van Saders and Bryan Verhasselt served as the assistant coaches.
After going 4-1 in District 8, Nutley American moved on to the regions, where it saw its title hopes end with two losses to Rutherford. While the run came a couple wins short of a regional title, Michalek believes this run helped create a winning culture for this group as it continues to grow and improve.
“I think that this sets the foundation for continuing to play well together into the future and staying together as a group,” Michalek said. “I think they’ve got a tremendously bright future.”
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)