RBC baseball gets fourth straight SCT title and Hausmann’s 300th win all at once
May 25, 2023 at 3:59 p.m.
A record-setting championship win, a milestone and a payback all in one.
That’s what the Red Bank Catholic baseball team got May 21 at Lakewood’s Shoretown Park when it took a 2-0 victory over No. 1 state-ranked Ranney, Tinton Falls, in the Shore Conference Tournament championship game.
In the process, fifth-ranked RBC became the first school to win four consecutive SCT titles, coach Buddy Hausmann gained his 300th win and the Caseys avenged a 6-5 loss to Ranney in the Monmouth County Tournament final.
Hausmann’s understatement was “It was a nice night.”
The veteran skipper knew he was going for his 300th but it slipped his mind after he got it.
“Word started traveling kind of fast, and I thought ‘Oh, somebody remembered,’” he said. “But I had forgotten after we won.”
They won against a team that beat RBC in walk-off fashion 11 days earlier. Ranney’s 25-1 mark entering the game did not intimidate the Caseys.
“Maybe our (21-5) record wasn’t quite as good as theirs, but my guys were like, ‘We should have won that first game and we’re gonna win that second game,’” Hausmann said. “It wasn’t like ‘We have to play the greatest game of our life to have a chance.’ It was ‘We are just as good or we’re better.’”
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Alex Stanyek allowed four unearned runs in six innings in the loss to Ranney. It was unsure if he would be ready for another shot at the Panthers as a back issue hindered him.
“He was crippled after the Monmouth County game, he was in bad shape,” Hausmann said. “He sat a game or two after and he was like, ‘I can’t play (against Ranney).’”
As the week went on, Stanyek improved and Hausmann eventually discovered (through reporters, of all things) that the senior would pitch the final. He certainly was ready, allowing two hits and five walks while striking out 11 in 6.2 innings. Ethan Marzo got the final out on a strikeout.
“He always rises to the occasion,” Hausmann said. “He doesn’t throw bullpens; he doesn’t practice pitching. He only throws in games … We didn’t agree at all on it last year, and I had to just sit back and let it work. If that’s the effort you’re gonna give every time, I’ll take it.”
RBC’s runs came in the sixth when sophomore Dylan Passo delivered an RBI double and scored on junior Matt Brunner’s double.
“The two of them had real good tournaments,” Hausmann said. “Passo had a good tournament last year, that was where he started to grow. Matty … struggled offensively, but now he’s starting to grow as a hitter.”
The one flaw in winning it all is that RBC had little time to prepare for its May 26 state tournament opener with Pingry.
“This was the most condensed Shore Conference Tournament we’ve ever had,” Hausmann said. “It’s a lot mentally and physically. Now we’re practicing for the state tournament. It’s not like ‘Oh let’s keep celebrating.’ That’s over. Now there’s another goal.”
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A record-setting championship win, a milestone and a payback all in one.
That’s what the Red Bank Catholic baseball team got May 21 at Lakewood’s Shoretown Park when it took a 2-0 victory over No. 1 state-ranked Ranney, Tinton Falls, in the Shore Conference Tournament championship game.
In the process, fifth-ranked RBC became the first school to win four consecutive SCT titles, coach Buddy Hausmann gained his 300th win and the Caseys avenged a 6-5 loss to Ranney in the Monmouth County Tournament final.
Hausmann’s understatement was “It was a nice night.”
The veteran skipper knew he was going for his 300th but it slipped his mind after he got it.
“Word started traveling kind of fast, and I thought ‘Oh, somebody remembered,’” he said. “But I had forgotten after we won.”
They won against a team that beat RBC in walk-off fashion 11 days earlier. Ranney’s 25-1 mark entering the game did not intimidate the Caseys.
“Maybe our (21-5) record wasn’t quite as good as theirs, but my guys were like, ‘We should have won that first game and we’re gonna win that second game,’” Hausmann said. “It wasn’t like ‘We have to play the greatest game of our life to have a chance.’ It was ‘We are just as good or we’re better.’”
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Alex Stanyek allowed four unearned runs in six innings in the loss to Ranney. It was unsure if he would be ready for another shot at the Panthers as a back issue hindered him.
“He was crippled after the Monmouth County game, he was in bad shape,” Hausmann said. “He sat a game or two after and he was like, ‘I can’t play (against Ranney).’”
As the week went on, Stanyek improved and Hausmann eventually discovered (through reporters, of all things) that the senior would pitch the final. He certainly was ready, allowing two hits and five walks while striking out 11 in 6.2 innings. Ethan Marzo got the final out on a strikeout.
“He always rises to the occasion,” Hausmann said. “He doesn’t throw bullpens; he doesn’t practice pitching. He only throws in games … We didn’t agree at all on it last year, and I had to just sit back and let it work. If that’s the effort you’re gonna give every time, I’ll take it.”
RBC’s runs came in the sixth when sophomore Dylan Passo delivered an RBI double and scored on junior Matt Brunner’s double.
“The two of them had real good tournaments,” Hausmann said. “Passo had a good tournament last year, that was where he started to grow. Matty … struggled offensively, but now he’s starting to grow as a hitter.”
The one flaw in winning it all is that RBC had little time to prepare for its May 26 state tournament opener with Pingry.
“This was the most condensed Shore Conference Tournament we’ve ever had,” Hausmann said. “It’s a lot mentally and physically. Now we’re practicing for the state tournament. It’s not like ‘Oh let’s keep celebrating.’ That’s over. Now there’s another goal.”