The South Brunswick U-11 baseball team has been in many championship games in the past. The thing that's different about this year is the results of those games.
"This team has been together for a while," South Brunswick Manager John Klemas noted. "In the past we got into some championship games, but we always seemed to come in second place."
Not this year. South Brunswick has already won the championships of the Central Jersey Baseball League, the Montgomery Tournament and the South Brunswick Tournament.
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"This has been a great year for us," Manager Klemas said.
Back in June, South Brunswick defeated Montgomery, 8-1, to earn the Central Jersey Title. On July 10, South Brunswick beat the host team, 15-5, to win the Montgomery Tournament. On July 15, South Brunswick defeated Flemington, 8-2, to win the tournament it hosted.
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"We are definitely breaking out some championship wins this year," Manager Klemas said.
The members of the team are Jaime Klemas, Nikhil Bagle, Alex Chen, Ryan Stadler, Troy Sweeney, Kunal Thakral, Brandon Warick, Jason Seliger-Braun, Adam Britton, Kevin Reyes and Chris James.
According to Manager Klemas, the majority of this team has been together since they were 8-years-old. And with all the tournaments on the schedule, they have gotten a chance to get even closer -- and become better players.
"I have definitely seen a big improvement from year to year," Manager Klemas said. "The team has even improved as this year has gone along. All the hard work they have put in has definitely shown."
That work included practices that started in the winter. That work has resulted in numerous titles thus far this year.
Souith Brunswick could be adding some more titles. On July 17, the team played Mount Olive in the semifinals of the Bridgewater Tournament. If it won, it would play the title game right afterwards.
South Brunswick placed second in district play, losing to East Brunswick in the title game. The second-place finish was enough to qualify South Brunswick to play in the state tournament, which will start this upcoming week. Also this week, South Brunswick is scheduled to open play in tournaments in North Brunswick and Hillsborough.
"It takes a big commitment from the players and their parents," Manager Klemas. "On the nights that we're not play, we're usually practicing."
With three titles already, however, the payoff is also big.
"It's been a fun ride," Klemas said. "No doubt about it."
