Heading the list of inductees on the All-Area Baseball Team are the individual honorees.
The Hudson Reporter Player of the Year is St. Peter’s Prep senior outfielder Mike Lang, who batted a robust .448, but collected an astounding 13 homers and had 38 RBI. Lang delivered three homers in a game against Delbarton and had two in a game against state-power Christian Brothers Academy and St. Raymond’s of New York. It is the best power display by a Hudson County player in the last 25 years.
The Pitcher of the Year is Damian Seguen of North Bergen, who won seven games this season en route to becoming a late-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Phillies. Seguen had two memorable performances back-to-back against perennial powers St. Peter’s and Memorial, where Seguen combined to strike out 37 batters and allowed just three hits in the two games.
The Most Valuable Player is Hoboken pitcher/outfielder Devon Inhulsen, who won nine games as a pitcher, including leading the Red Wings to their second consecutive HCIAA Seglio and NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group I titles. He also pitched the Red Wings to the overall Group I title game, the school’s first appearance in an overall Group championship game in 13 years.
When he wasn’t pitching, Inhulsen was a top-flight centerfielder and was among the Red Wings’ top hitters as well.
Among the baseball honorees, six are repeat honorees, namely Danny Arocho of Hoboken, Joey Cabret of Ferris, Jeison Camilo and Yoken Castro of Emerson, Ramon Feliz of Memorial and Ed Rosado of St. Mary’s.
Arocho, Feliz and Castro are honorees for the third straight year. Gabe Ramirez of North Bergen earns All-Area honors for a third time, but he earned honors in 2004 as a freshman and 2005 as a sophomore and returns this season.
The Hudson Reporter Baseball Coach of the Year is young Danny Suarez of Hudson Catholic, who took over the Hawk program right before the first day of practice and led the Hawks to the HCIAA Coviello Division crown. Only 25 years old, Suarez has a bright future as a high school baseball coach.
Among the softball honorees, Cassandra Chenet of North Bergen earns the Player of the Year nod. The slugging Bruin first baseman was tops in northern New Jersey with 13 homers and 57 RBI, setting new school records in the process.
The Pitcher of the Year is High Tech freshman Erica Colon, taking right up for former two-time Pitcher of the Year and former Lasercat April Jacob. As a rookie, Colon won 18 games and dazzled Hudson County opponents with her array of pitches, leading the Lasercats to the HCIAA Seglio Division title.
The 2007 Hudson Reporter Softball Most Valuable Player is Danielle Gaffey of County Prep. As a batter, Gaffey batted .558 with four homers and 33 RBI for County Prep, which finished the season with a brilliant 22-3 record. But it was on the mound where Gaffey made the biggest impact, posting a 21-3 record with a ridiculously low 0.19 earned run average, collecting 280 strikeouts and walking just 30 batters. She surrendered just 45 hits and incredibly just four earned runs all season.
It might be the best all-around season by one player in Hudson County softball history.
Gaffey is one of three players to now have the distinction of being an All-Area honoree four times. The others are Tiara Smith of North Bergen and Cory Roesing of Secaucus. They join a list of only four girls to have ever earned the honors all four years of high school.
Grace Keller of Holy Family Academy, whose season ended early when she broke her ankle in a game, earns the honors for a third straight year. She will get the chance to become a four-year honoree next year. Gaffey, Smith, Roesing and Keller head a list of 11 players who are repeat honorees from last year’s All-Area squad, joining Victoria Perez of St. Dominic Academy, Leslie Gonzalez and sister Johanna Gonzalez of North Bergen, Nicole Jimmerson of High Tech, Caitlin Veverka of Holy Family Academy and Player of the Year Chenet of North Bergen.
Justine Mateo, who earned All-Area honors last year playing for Hoboken, repeated this year as a member of the High Tech Seglio Division champs.
The Hudson Reporter Coach of the Year is Gaffey’s coach, Tim O’Donnell, who took over the program this year and led the Hurricanes to their best season ever, winning 22 games. – Jim Hague