St. Thomas Aquinas baseball team ascends with first sectional title in 18 years

Tom D’Agostino remembers when he declared during an introductory speech eight years ago as St. Thomas Aquinas’ new head baseball coach that he knew the school could build a winning program because there was a strong foundation and support system.”

I didn’t know how long it was gonna be,” said D’Agostino, a former player and proud 2002 graduate of the school when it was called Bishop Ahr. “You have to learn how to win, and that was the biggest thing for these guys.”

The Trojans have developed depth and grown with experience since that initial 2017 season, and they took a monumental step this past spring by winning the NJSIAA Non-Public B North championship. It was only the program’s second sectional title and the first since 2006.“We felt like coming into the year that we had a great group of kids ... some new guys, returning guys and incoming guys,” D’Agostino said. “We just felt like it was kind of just the perfect storm for us as far as talent-wise. “With a thrilling 5-3 victory over Rutgers Prep in the sectional final on June 1,St. Thomas Aquinas won 19 games for the first time under D’Agostino.

“This year we really clicked as a whole team,” said sophomore Louis Rizzolo, an Iselin native who aspires to play baseball at the next level. “We all cared about each other, we all loved each other. We were just one big family.”

In other years the Trojans might have mentally checked out at some point during the season. Or, as Rizzolo recalls from stories that the coaches have told, there were days early in the program’s rebuilding process when some players knew little about the sport and could barely catch a baseball.

Those days are long gone. St. Thomas Aquinas now features a plethora of talented, high-character kids from freshmen through seniors, and it’s a team that has earned respect across New Jersey with at least 15 wins in three straight seasons after totaling 33 in the previous four seasons. “It just shows the dedication that our coaches have for baseball and our school and the sport, and they really wanted us to get there and win that {sectional title},”Rizzolo said.

Senior Gavin Sansone set the tone as an outfielder and a pitcher with .352batting average, 22 RBI, 48 innings pitched, 69 strikeouts and a 2.04 ERA. Fittingly, the Long Island University baseball commit stroked a game-winning three-run homer in the sixth inning of the sectional final.

Freshman Nikash Patel (1.19 ERA in 41.1 innings) and Rizzolo (1.74 ERA in 48.1 innings) also dominated on the mound in that game and throughout the season, while each batting over .300.

“Nikash as a freshman did a heck of a job coming in and just giving us innings and then turning the ball over toa sophomore, Louis Rizzolo, and giving us a shot to win the game, and ultimately with Sansone’s home run, that place was electric,” D’Agostino said of St. Thomas Aquinas’ championship performance on its home field.

Senior Benji Pabon (Georgian Court University baseball commit) was another crucial pitcher out of the bullpen with a1.83 ERA. Meanwhile, junior Will Bet-hea belted a team-high four home runs and sophomore Hunter Krainski had a team-high .361 batting average.
While D’Agostino has had his brother Frank, and two other assistants for basically his whole tenure, he hired three fresh voices onto his staff this sea-son including Nick Dini, a former professional player.

“When we showed up to practice, it seemed like we wanted to be there and we worked hard,” Rizzolo said. “While we were working hard and putting in work, we were also having a lot of fun doing it. We added a few guys to our coaching staff, and they joined in and gave it all they had. We bought in and we liked everything they said. We listened and we executed what they taught us, so that really helped.”

One trait that stood out to D’Agostino this spring was his team’s ability to grind out at-bats so that it was never easy for opponents to record 21 outs.

That level of focus stemmed from determined players who remembered the exact date when they had lost to Gill St. Bernard’s in last year’s Non-Public B North quarterfinals – May 26, 2023 –when pitchers and catchers first reported to practice this past March.

“I give all the credit to the coaches and the players because throughout the course of the year, the chemistry, the bond that they built and coming together for a common goal,” D’Agostino said. “It was a magical year for these guys and something that they’ll always love.”

St. Thomas Aquinas ultimately lost the Non-Public B state championship game to powerhouse Gloucester Catholic, but the future looks bright as the standard keeps rising.
Rizzolo believes in being a vocal leader because energy translates to a more fun environment. And the Trojans had plenty of fun during a historic spring filled with diverse experiences.“

Throughout the whole season it really built character for our team, and I think that the chemistry and the family environment that we had really made this season something special,” Rizzolo said. “It showed in us playing.”