Baseball team takes third in division

It was a season of firsts, a season of milestones and ultimately a winning season for the Sparta High School baseball team.

The Spartans finished with an overall record of 13-9 and went 6-4 in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference’s National Division, good for third place.

“Throughout the entirety of the season, the team and coaching staff prioritized competing on that day to the best of our ability to get the win,’’ said first-year head coach Justin Matyas.

“Some games that were memorable from the season were the opening day 3-2 victory over Morristown as it was my first victory as head coach of the program and showed that what we are trying to build works.

“Another quality win was on the road against Caldwell, who was also undefeated at the time and coming off a huge victory over perennial powerhouse Millburn.

“Outside of those two victories, I would also cite our Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex quarterfinal comeback win against Warren Hills, 13-12, in nine innings, and our Senior Day victory over Morris Hills where senior Diego Marte collected his first two varsity hits.’’

Leadership was pivotal to the success of the Spartans this year.

“Our team captain showed himself early on through his work ethic and dedication to the team’s success,’’ Matyas said. “Junior Braden Schappert took on the role, and there are not enough positives that I can say about him as a baseball player and as a young man.

“His work ethic, attention to detail and willingness to do whatever it takes for the team to succeed are admirable traits. We look forward to having him back next season and building upon this season’s successes as well as learning from our shortcomings.’’

Improvements were seen across the roster.

“At the start of the season, the coaching staff asked the athletes what their goals were for the season, and we challenged them daily to get into the best possible position to achieve those goals,’’ the coach said. “Although we may have fallen short of our ultimate goals of an H/W/S title and a deep state tournament run, it was not due to a lack of dedication by the athletes.’’

The Spartans lost in the semifinal round of the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament and in the first round of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group 3 tournament.

“Sparta baseball received its first home state game since the 2013-14 season,’’ Matyas said. “Sparta baseball received the No. 2 seed in the H/W/S Tournament, which gave us a two-round bye, which has not been done for numerous seasons. The team finished 6-4 in the division which is the best in division finish for the team since we switched to the NJAC National in 2018-19.

“Senior Josh Brancy finishes his career with 121 hits, which is good for second all-time in Sparta history, and ends his career with 89 stolen bases, which is the most in Sparta history.

“Brancy was selected to the NWJAC Senior All Star Game and sophomore Shane Hoover and junior Braden Schappert were selected to represent Sparta in the NWJAC Under-Class All Star Game.

“I would also like to take a moment to thank my coaching staff, which included varsity coaches Nick Cilenti and Thomas Darling along with JV coach Frank Marchiano, for their continued dedication and support throughout the entirety of the season.’’

The 2025 season should prove to be another productive one for Sparta baseball.

“The team will be returning seven of its regular nine starters, including our team captain,’’ Matyas said. “Although we will feel the loss of our seniors Josh Brancy, John Langeraap, Diego Marte, Connor Sumowski and Evan Breitfeller, the team and coaching staff are confident that our non-graduating athletes can make significant strides over the off-season and prime the program for continued success.

“We are also very excited to continue evaluating our JV program as they continue to develop their talents and contribute at the varsity level soon. Additionally, having the first year under our collective belts will allow us to hit the ground running come March and to build upon the foundations that were laid in this inaugural season.’’