Colts’ busy season ends with three titles
Buffone and Sclafani lead
CBA baseball to 3 titles and a 26-4 record
By tim morris
Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN — "I think this was a great team," said Coach Marty Kenney, summing up Christian Brothers Academy’s 2000 baseball team.

Kenney will get no argument from the Shore Conference where the Colts ruled supreme, winning three championships: the Shore Conference A North Division, Monmouth County Tournament and Shore Conference Tournament championships. The Colts’ bid for their fourth title in 2000 was crushed by nationally ranked Gloucester Catholic, 11-0, in the South Jersey Parochial A final last Wednesday. The loss ended CBA’s title run and season at 26-4.

The Colts were bidding to become the first Shore area team to win four championships in a season.

"It’s hard to win all four, there’s no question of that," said Kenney, whose team came very close. "We ended the season playing seven games in nine days and we were a very tired team against Gloucester. That’s not to take anything away from them. They’re very good. They are nationally ranked and play on another level."

CBA played its own level for much of the season as well, and that can be attributed to its pitchers. Last year CBA was 20-8, but didn’t enjoy the championship success it has this year. The team is much the same as ’99 but the difference was the improvement of the pitching staff which went from being a weakness to a strength. If it hadn’t, there’s no way they could have survived the late season string of seven games in nine days.

"Our pitchers gave us a legitimate shot at winning championships," he said. "Last year we were giving up too many walks and hits. They learned from last year and made quality pitches this year. They made calling games easier."

Without a doubt, right-hander Mike Sclafani was the big difference-maker. He was 7-2 in ’99, but that was more the product of his offensive support. Not the case in ’00 as he went 14-1 establishing a new single-season record for wins — besting the old mark of 10 — and he authored not one, not two, but three no-hitters.

"The big difference in Mike was his control," said Kenney. "He could throw three pitches, his fastball, curve and charge-up, for strikes. He also had a hard curve that acted like a slider that was very effective."

Sclafani was 21-3 over the last two years. He is headed for Rowan University.

Jerry Heffernan was the team’s second starter and he lost just once while winning six.

Matt Cangialosi and Rob Acampora added to the Colts’ pitching depth and were critical to CBA’s tournament wins.

"They came up big in the tournaments for us; they gave us innings that we needed," said Kenney.

Catcher Anthony Buffone was at the head of the class for the Colts, cementing himself as one of the school’s greatest players. The backstop with a howitzer for an arm and a home run swing is off to the University of Maryland.

"Anthony is as good as any player I’ve had," said Kenney. "He’s one of only three players to come up as a freshman and play.

"When he came up he was a second baseman," he added.

Buffone made the switch to catcher as a sophomore. He always hit for power and average from the left side and that would be enough to catch any college scout’s attention, but that wasn’t enough for Buffone. Last summer he worked on his defensive skills, most notably his arm, and came back this spring as perhaps the best in the state.

"Anthony worked hard on his defense," Kenney pointed out. "Most players work hardest on their strengths not their weaknesses. That’s what makes Anthony different from everyone else. He worked hard on improving his defense.

"He has the best arm of any catcher I’ve had," added the Colts head coach. "His ability to throw runners out was very important."

Indeed it was. Buffone all but canceled the opposition’s running game.

While working on his defense, Buffone’s hitting did not suffer. He was as scary as ever. This year he set a school single-season record for RBI, an astonishing 56. He tied for the Shore lead in home runs with 10 and batted .467.

Centerfielder Jeff Baker, who is off to Lehigh University, had a big year as well. He set a school record for batting averages in a season with his impressive .589. He had 37 RBI and stole 15 bases.

"He’s the complete package," said Kenney. "He hits for power and average and has speed."

As the lead-off hitter, Jeremy Suarez did the table-setting. The second baseman batted .347 and started many a Colts’ rally.

Paul Tscherednikov batted .327 and had a penchant to come up with the big hit for the Colts. In the final of the Monmouth County Tournament his home run broke a 5-5 tie against Keyport and led to a three-run inning that lifted CBA to the title, 8-5. He was the MVP.

Chris Contrino played superb defense at shortstop for the Colts and batted .365. He had four home runs and 28 RBI.

Among the highlights of the season for Kenney were the Colts’ 8-5 win over Keyport in the Monmouth County final after Keyport had seized momentum late with a three-run rally that knotted the score at 5-5, and the unforgettable 3-2 eight-inning win over Middletown North in the SCT final.

"The Keyport game was as good as we played all year," Kenney pointed out. "They tied it at 5-5 and we responded by scoring three runs.

"The last two innings of the Middletown North game were incredible," he added. ‘We went from a game that was getting away from us to pulling it out."

In both games, the Colts got help from everyone, which was a microcosm of their season.

"This team was very unselfish," said Kenney. "Everyone accepted their role. They understood what it means to be a team. I think this team was great."