The 2018 high school baseball season has arrived and the Middletown North Lions are looking to make their mark on the Shore Conference this year.  The Lions, which are led by Head Coach Justin Nathanson, return an experienced lineup that compiled 14 wins last year in the highly competitive B-North Division.  With a great blend of Division 1 caliber pitching and a solid offensive approach, the Lions are favored by many to win or place at the top of the Shore Conference by season’s end.  The talented B-North Division features seven other talented teams besides Middletown North including: Wall, Ocean. Monmouth Regional, Long Branch, Manasquan, Red Bank Catholic and crosstown rival Middletown South.

The talented pitching staff is led by seniors Tyler Ras, Garrett French and Chris Price.  Ras, a Division I – University of Alabama commit, features a 93+ MPH fastball and has been a varsity starter since his sophomore campaign. Ras earned 2017 All B-North Division and 2nd Team All Shore Selection during his junior campaign. Rutgers University bound French, features an array of pitches that led to him being selected as a 2017 All B-North Division and 3rd team All Shore Selection.  Chris Price was a surprise to many in the Shore last year as he kept hitters off balance all season, while earning the respect of many of his opponents through his methodical approach and pinpoint control.Chris will be attending the University of Maryland in the fall. 

Brendan Doherty will look to lead the the Lions offensive attack this season.Vincent Gregorio and Brian Quinn.  Coach Nathanson will also look for some talented underclassmen to make an impact as well. Sean Gardiner, Brandon Sansone, Michael Roditis and Dan Frontera will get an opportunity contribute on on this senior laden team.  Coach Nathanson is confident in this year’s squad and believes that this is a special group led by the pitching staff. “It all starts with the pitching. We are very fortunate to have Tyler, Garrett and Chris returning in 2018.  These three have been very strong components to our success and we will lean on them to give ourselves a legitimate shot at winning the B-North Division crown as well as the Monmouth County Tournament, Shore Conference Tournament and NJSIAA State Tournament.  I believe that this group, along with the pitching that we have in place has an opportunity to win many games” says Nathanson

The Middletown North Lions Varsity Baseball Program will kick off their season on Saturday March 31, 2018 at 1:00 pm.  The Lions will host Middletown High School South at Rich Veth Field during the annual Rich Veth/Walter Woods Trophy Game.