By CAMERON CARMEN
Correspondent
Baseball is in full swing in South Jersey this time of year. In years past, that meant the Atlantic County Baseball League, but in 2021 that league disbanded and a new league was formed by Northfield Cardinals coach Joe Bunting.
Bunting launched the South Jersey South Shore Baseball League in 2021, a league primarily designed to showcase players ages 16 to 25.
For the past four years, the league has helped players get noticed and earn spots on college teams at everything from junior colleges all the way up to NCAA Division I programs. The league partners with Game Changer and records each game so that players can pluck highlights from the film to send to prospective coaches.
The league started with a handful of teams — some of which came over from the ACBL — and now has blossomed to a 13-team league playing in both Atlantic and Cape May counties. Teams include Somers Point, Ocean City, Northfield, Galloway, Egg Harbor Township, Egg Harbor City, Buena, Hammonton, Absecon, Ventnor, the South Jersey Surf (which play out of Northfield), Margate and the newest team, the Cape May Whalers, which began play this summer.
The teams each have a home field, but for people who want to watch their home team play in other towns — or if you want to watch a game while on vacation — once a week SJSSBL games are streamed on YouTube thanks to a partnership with BFA Productions, a local livestreaming company.
The wood-bat league has become very competitive, with the Surf being dethroned as two-time champion last summer by Margate, coached by former Mainland Regional High standout Jason Law. Teams play about 22 games before three rounds of playoffs that end with a grueling five-game series that is played Monday through Friday the first week of August.
Some players who have already graduated from college still try to find ways to fit the game into their schedule because they love it so much, and find so much appreciation for how competitive the league has become.
“Last year was the first time I did it with the commute,” said Northfield Cardinals shortstop Justin Epifanio, a former Egg Harbor Township High star who played at Montclair State and now works as a manager at Rivers Casino Sportsbook. “It’s definitely tough, it’s a lot of hours commuting on weeknights. Usually I get out of work around 5 p.m., change real quick and just get going. It’s definitely a grind and (working all day) might take a little bit away from the pre-game routine, but it’s a part of my life now and I have make it work.”
None of the players or coaches get paid. Like Epifanio, they’re all doing it for the love of the game. And the competitive balance throughout the league means players and coaches have to work hard to have a chance to win a championship.
“I’ve been coaching in this league for four years now and each year we’ve gotten a little better,” said Somers Point Captains coach Dave O’Sullivan, a former Division II second baseman at Pfeiffer University in North Carolina. “It’s a really tough league, every team has guys who can beat you on any given night, so you really have to construct a roster that is not only talented, but can be flexible. One thing I really like about this league is that guys have an opportunity to play different positions and show their versatility.”
“Since the SJSSBL began, I think each year the talent pool has gotten better and better. I think just with the word getting out there more we have added some new teams and there’s just a lot more room for good players to come around. The talent in this league has always been great,” Epifanio said. “I played in the NJAC (New Jersey Athletic Conference) in college, which is one of the most competitive conferences in Division III, and this is right up there with that. It’s definitely very good talent. We have guys who have played professional ball, Division 1, D2 guys, D3 guys, guys still in high school — all kinds of different talent. It’s a wide range, but guys bring it. It definitely brings the best out of you when you see a guy across from you who may have just gotten out of the minor leagues a few weeks ago.”
Kevin Roach, skipper of the new Cape May Whalers, is one of the few player-coaches in the league, and he’s making a name for himself as one of his team’s top hitters while also making out lineup cards, deciding on pitching matchups and doing everything else a manager has to do.
“A lot of it is preparation,” he said. “Before every inning, I talk with a few people and let them know if this happens or if that happens, stay loose and stay ready. I also have two great assistant coaches who do a lot for me behind the scenes. It’s really good that I have people I can rely on and a lot of these guys I have known for a long time.”
The league’s growing popularity and player testaments are proof of the success it’s having. Each year the league adds new things, and this year a “Coaches vs. Cancer” week was introduced, featuring multiple live-streamed games as the league raised money for cancer research. There’s also the very popular All-Star Weekend, which was held on June 29 at Northfield’s Birch Grove Park. This year the league is added a Babe Ruth All-Star Game prior to the Home Run Derby to give the youngsters a chance to show their stuff in front of a big crowd.
“I’ve been involved with a lot of baseball leagues in my life, and this one is really run well,” O’Sullivan said. “The schedule is well tailored to be as competitive as possible, the umpiring is solid, and it really means something if you can be successful in this league. It really benefits the high school players to be able to go up against college pitchers and hitters. They get a chance to see what it takes to be successful at the next level.”
