By: Matt Rothman
J.P. Taravella baseball’s remarkable run in the postseason came to an end in the Reginal Final.
The Trojans fell 2-0 to Christopher Columbus High School Saturday afternoon despite JPT outhitting their opponent. JPT finished the year with 19 wins, which also happened to be the number of the late Head Coach and Athletic Director Jason Stein, who died in 2020 from COVID-19.
Head Coach Joe Giummule was proud of his team for the obstacles they went through all season.
“I think it’s fair to say Taravella will have a target on its back next year,” said Coach Giummule. “It will not be easy to repeat what we did this year, but anything short of making it to States will be a disappointment, in my opinion.”
Chris Scinta, who pitched in the Regional Final, was tremendous all year as he finished with six wins and an ERA under 1.00. The University of Miami commit also hit .359 and had one of the teams two home runs this season.
Colby Lipovsky also was fantastic on the mound this season. He finished with five wins and was the winning pitcher in the Regional Semifinals. Logan Plasencia recorded three wins, while Brandon Metivier had a pair of saves.
Offensively, Luis Rodriguez led the team with a .446 batting average. Matt Rubin also hit over .400 while Vincent Samuel had a team-high 24 runs batted in. He also hit a home run and had eight doubles and a triple.
Saturday’s game was also the final one for the 2021 senior class. Justin Rivera, Matt Zeff, Luis Rodriguez, Tony Sanders, Hunter Zeltner, Lipovsky, and Dalton Juden are expected to graduate this spring.
The Trojans will still return a talented group of players in 2022, including a pair of sophomores and a freshman.
“I expect the guys to work harder than ever to take the next step, which is a trip to states,” Giummule added.
J.P. Taravella baseball honoring Jason Stein before their first game of the season. {@ApStein}
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