Atlantic Shore 13U Reaches Babe Ruth World Series

The Atlantic Shore 13U baseball team is heading back to the World Series.

Many of you who listen to the show over the years know I have been coaching the Atlantic Shore Babe Ruth baseball programs for about as long as I have hosted The Sports Bash on 97.3 ESPN.

Regional Championship Recap

This year's team has qualified to play in the Babe Ruth World Series in Jamestown, NY, from Aug. 15 to 23 after going 5-0 at the Middle Atlantic Regional tournament in Old Bridge, NJ, last week.

Heading Back to Jamestown

The 13-Year-Old team in 2021 won the Babe Ruth World Series in Jamestown, NY, for the program's first-ever title at the 13-year-old level. The team has reached the Babe Ruth World Series in 2011, 2017, 2021, 2024, and now again in 2026.

The program also won the state championships in 2011, 2013-18, and 2020-2022.

This year's team defeated Broomall-Newtown, PA, 6-5 in the semi-finals and Wayne, NY, 12-3 in the regional final on Saturday.

Local Talent Across Atlantic and Cape May Counties

The team is comprised of players from Atlantic and Cape May counties, with this year's group coming from Absecon, Northfield, Ocean City, Upper Township, Middle Township, Egg Harbor Township, Galloway, and Egg Harbor City.

The team consists of

Nick Gelegonya, Leo Schaffer (Ocean City)
Grayson Zacchi (Absecon)
Phillip Zanes, Declan Bridgeman, Joey Gonzalez, RJ Scattone (Egg Harbor Township)
Joey Gaynor, Landon Gracia (Upper Township)
Liam Higginbottom, Cole Leusner (Middle Township)
Gavin Colon (Egg Harbor City)
Owen Perez (Galloway)
Reid Grasso (Northfield)

Key Standouts: Plate & Mound Leaders

Leading the way for Atlantic Shore at the plate was Cole Leusner of Middle Township, hitting .750 during the regional tournament. Owen Perez (.643), Nick Gelegonya (.533), and Landon Gracia (.500) also had big regional tournaments.

On the mound, it was Grayson Zacchi (two wins, 2.65 ERA), RJ Scattone (two wins, a save, and a 2.52 ERA), Declan Bridgeman (0.00 ERA), and Owen Perez (0.00 ERA).

Tournament MVP Performance

Scattone was named the MVP of the tournament, picking up two wins on the mound and a save, while hitting .385 at the plate and playing a stellar third base.

What’s Next: World Series Schedule & Support

The team will practice for the next two weeks, host a fundraiser this weekend, and is accepting donations to help with travel expenses; check back for details.

The team will report to Jamestown on Thursday, August 13, with their first game tentatively scheduled for Saturday, August 15 against Puerto Rico.

Atlantic Shore represents the Middle Atlantic region; view the full Babe Ruth World Series schedule here.