Jersey Baseball Show - powered by NJ College Baseball Nation

Jersey Baseball Show - powered by NJ College Baseball Nation

by Michael H Olshin

News Commentary Sports News Baseball

Season 1

JBS - Circling the Bases with South Jersey's JOEY LOPERFIDO

SUBSCRIBE - youtube.com/NJCollegeBaseballNation FOLLOW - Instagram @ nj_collegebaseballnation; Twitter @ NJCollegeBSBNat ACC Tournament MVP leading Duke to its first conference title in 60 years. 7th Round draft choice of the Houston Astros. Three different starting positions on three NCAA Tournament teams in three seasons of college baseball. Big time MLB prospect. Former South Jersey star. We can describe Haddonfield's Joey Loperfido in many ways. And we try to circle the bases by touching on as many as we can during our time with Joey Loperfido, one of college baseball's star names in 2021 and now getting ready for his first full professional season in the Houston organization. We talk about all that - and learn about THE RIG - on this packed edition of the Jersey Baseball Show. It was especially awesome to talk with Loperfido in the middle of our GENERATION NEXT SERIES - while we're talking with a bunch of guys ready to make an impact in college baseball, we also talk with someone who just made a VERY significant one. Enjoy this weekend's special JBS!

JBS - GENERATION NEXT - TOMMY FINNEGAN stands tall for Ocean City

SUBSCRIBE - youtube.com/NJCollegeBaseballNation Follow - instagram @nj_collegebaseballnation, twitter @NJCollegeBSBNat, redstormsports.com/sports/baseball Ocean City's Tommy Finnegan quite literally came up big for the Red Raiders last spring. The 6-foot-7 RHP won three games in the postseason as Ocean City - always a perennial powerhouse - won its first ever baseball state title, capturing the Group 3 crown with an epic 14-inning win over Pascack Valley in June. Now the big righty focuses on a repeat and gets ready to play his college baseball at St. John's for one of the great programs here in the Northeast. Finnegan has a future as big as his frame and works hard to be one of the best in New Jersey. We sit down with Tommy here for another great episode of JBS GENERATION NEXT!

JBS - GENERATION NEXT - JESSE SPECTER - Mr. Intensity gets ready for what's next

SUBSCRIBE - youtube.com/NJCollegeBaseballNation FOLLOW - Instagram @ nj_collegebaseballnation; Twitter @ NJCollegeBSBNat; www.shupirates.com/sports/baseball Jesse Specter may not be the prototype tall RHP, but that's never meant much to this Moorestown HS senior, who has given his verbal commitment to Seton Hall and is one of New Jersey's best pitchers - and fiercest competitors. Closing in on 90 with his fastball, Jesse has a filthy changeup and some other great secondary offerings and that ability to throw it by batters AND keep them off balance AND thrive in pressure situations makes him someone to watch carefully headed into his senior year and beyond as he prepares for future BIG EAST battles. We had a lot of fun sitting down with Jesse and hope you enjoy this edition of the Jersey Baseball Show GENERATION NEXT series.

JBS - GENERATION NEXT - CHASE TOPOLSKI rockets up the charts

SUBSCRIBE - youtube.com/NJCollegeBaseballNation Follow - IG @ nj_collegebaseballnation; Twitter @ NJCollegeBSBNat richmondspiders.com/sports/baseball Arms Week continues on Generation Next with a look at rapidly rising Lenape HS senior Chase Topolski. The big RHP consistently sat in the low 90s over the summer and fall and is working hard to achieve bigger goals. Chase is a verbal commit to the University of Richmond, comes from an athletic family, and shares his story with us today. In addition, Chase shares some from the heart advice for younger players and provides insight into his own experience as one of Burlington County's premier players. Topolski wants to push himself into the mid 90s before finishing high school and he's certainly building himself into a pitcher who can get there. We can't wait to follow Chase this year and beyond! Hope you enjoy this edition of JBS Generation Next!

JBS - One Last Ride on an Amazing Road for TCNJ's CHRIS COTE

SUBSCRIBE - youtube.com/NJCollegeBaseballNation TCNJ graduate student Chris Cote has been one of our favorites for quite some time. From playing JV as a junior at Steinert, to waiting until the very last second to get the opportunity to play college baseball at Mercer to a Summer and Fall 2020 Sandlot Legend to becoming a two-year captain at TCNJ, Chris has handled it all by working hard, being incredibly coachable and versatile, and being one of the ultimate team players. He got an incredible opportunity at the end of the summer - the opportunity to spend the last two weeks of the season with the Trenton Thunder in the MLB Draft League - sharing the same clubhouse once used by guys like Derek Jeter, Aaron Judge, and many more Yankees greats. Best of all, Chris is using the extra COVID year to graduate with a Master's in Marketing from one of the top schools in the state! Chris joins us for a great JBS - gives us the scoop on some awesome Draft League experiences and offers AMAZING advice for our Uncommitted guys who are starting to question their worth - you have to see this!

JBS - GENERATION NEXT - BRYCE MECCAGE keeps reaching for the stars

SUBSCRIBE - youtube.com/NJCollegeBaseballNation FOLLOW - instagram @nj_collegebaseballnation; twitter @ NJCollegeBSBNat One of the top players nationwide in the Class of 2024, Pennington School's Bryce Meccage has a great skillset and even better story. As a pitcher, the University of Virginia commit has the following arsenal - a fastball up to 91.6 mph with 2650 spin rate and 24 inches of vertical movement, a slider at 79-80 with up to 2900 spin, a two-seamer at 90 with 2200 of spin, a 12-6 with 2700 spin, and a changeup at 82-85 with over 15 inches of horizontal movement. Did I mention he doesn't turn 16 until March? Or that at the plate his max EV is 109.4. His father, Jeremy, was a star pitcher at the University of Iowa and longtime pitching coach at Princeton, while uncle Justin is a coach with the Pittsburgh Pirates. But there's MUCH more to Bryce's story - the business he started at age 9, his entrepreneurial streak - bottom line is that in reaching for the stars, Bryce always seems to be pushing his horizons higher! It all adds up to an awesome edition of JBS GENERATION NEXT!

JBS - GENERATION NEXT - MAX MARTIN with the summer to remember

SUBSCRIBE - youtube.com/NJCollegeBaseballNation FOLLOW - twitter @NJCollegeBSBNat; instagram @nj_collegebaseballnation FOLLOW - scarletknights.com/sports/baseball Part 4 of our 12-part series of high school baseball podcasts with New Jersey's top players, Moorestown's Max Martin pushed himself into national prominence with an amazing summer of performances at major events. He is an integral part of Rutgers head coach Steve Owens' 2022 recruiting class, as the Scarlet Knights are keeping the state's elite players home for the first time in recent memory. Learn more about Max and his story on this edition of JBS GENERATION NEXT!

JBS - GENERATION NEXT - TREVOR COHEN wants to keep winning in New Jersey

SUBSCRIBE - youtube.com/NJCollegeBaseballNation FOLLOW - IG @nj_collegebaseballnation; Twitter @NJCollegeBSBNat FOLLOW - https://scarletknights.com/sports/baseball Holy Spirit outfielder Trevor Cohen is used to winning in New Jersey. He just wants to do it in college as well. Cohen has a pair of state titles in football as a highly regarded quarterback and another in baseball, where he's widely considered the top high school outfielder in New Jersey. Cohen has made a verbal commitment to Rutgers and according to Prep Baseball Report, he is the highest ranked NJ player to stay in state for college baseball since at least 2014, likely longer. Our guest on today's GENERATION NEXT episode, Trevor talks about the awesome 2022 recruiting class for RU head coach Steve Owens filled with so many great local players, as well as his journey and the lessons he's learned from such a key leadership role in football. We're excited to be able to watch Trevor for years to come - so make sure to learn more by watching this episode of JBS GENERATION NEXT!!!

JBS - GENERATION NEXT - DREW WYERS slugs his way to Florida

SUBSCRIBE - youtube.com/NJCollegeBaseballNation Follow - instagram @nj_collegebaseballnation; twitter @ NJCollegeBSBNat gohatters.com/sports/baseball; In part 2 of our 12-part Generation Next series, we look at New Jersey's top returning HS power hitter, Drew Wyers of Northern Burlington, who hit 8 HR and drove in 40 during a COVID-shortened 2021 junior season. We talk recruiting, US Elite, Photoshoots, goals, and much more with one of the state's best high school players. It's a great edition of Jersey Baseball Show's GENERATION NEXT!

CLEAN LEATHER - TRENTON THUNDER GM Jeff Hurley on the MLB Draft League and Bat Dogs

Subscribe - youtube.com/NJCollegeBaseballNation Follow - instagram.com/NJ_collegebaseballnation, www.trentonthunder.com You'd understand if Trenton Thunder GM Jeff Hurley needed a breather. But he won't take one. In a crazy 11-month span the Trenton Thunder - Lost the AA Yankees affiliated team to Somerset, began preparations to be part of the inaugural MLB Draft League, found out the AAA Toronto Blue Jays needed a home for most of 2021 for COVID-related reasons, put together an entirely new plan to host the Blue Jays squad, ran both the minor-league and Draft League teams simultaneously (the Draft League played at Rider), saw the AAA team move back to Buffalo at the start of August, and brought the draft leaguers back to Trenton to finish the season. I'm tired just from typing all that. But Hurley continued - as the Thunder GM does his part to keep baseball alive in the county where he grew up and starred (Steinert HS state champ, Hamilton Post 31 Legion World Series). We talk to Hurley (one of only 2 Mercer County Pitchers to win a Legion World Series game since 1948) about all that and more on this edition of CLEAN LEATHER! And yes, we talk about bat dogs as well!

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