RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J. – One looks to follow a breakthrough spring with an equally outstanding summer at the plate. The other aims to make a strong first impression on his new college coaches by ringing up punch-outs.

Both Shane Woelfel and Cory Heitler will soon have a chance to prove their points on the league’s biggest stage, leading a group of seven Eagles named to the Kaiser Division All-Star team for Thursday’s ACBL All-Star Game at Palisades Credit Union Park.

After hitting .336 as an everyday outfielder at Bloomsburg University, Woelfel has maintained his hot streak as the Eagles’ leadoff hitter, owning ACBL pitching to the tune of a league-best .411 batting average. The Mahwah native has also swiped 16 bases as a cog in North Jersey’s speed machine.

Heitler has been just as unrelenting on ACBL hitters, sporting a 4-1 record with a 1.97 ERA and a league-leading 52 strikeouts. Deciding this summer to transfer to Ramapo College, the soon-to-be Roadrunner displayed his big-game ability in a July 9 start against Lehigh Valley, striking out nine in a masterful one-hit performance.

Joining Woelfel and Heitler at this year’s summer showcase is a quintet of standout Eagles, including left-handed pitcher Dan Wirchansky, infielders Tyler Benson, Matt Krupa, and Bobby Shannon, and designated hitter Luis Amaro.

Teaming with Heitler for a one-two punch atop the rotation, Wirchansky’s identical 4-1 record features a dazzling eight-strikeout, complete-game win against Allentown, the Eagles’ first triumph over the Railers in three seasons. The southpaw from Rockland County Community College ranks among the top five ACBL pitchers in starts (7), strikeouts (43), and WHIP (1.13).

Woelfel’s classmate at Bloomsburg, Benson has similarly slugged and sprinted his way to the top of the league leaderboards, standing in first with 14 extra-base hits and 21 stolen bases.

Krupa has flashed the same offensive and defensive prowess that earned him first-team All-NJAC honors as a sophomore at Kean University last spring, posting a .365 batting clip and a .990 fielding percentage at the corner infield spots.

Shannon has been a workhorse for North Jersey, manning the shortstop position for all 260.2 innings of Eagles baseball this summer. The Ramapo junior rides a .311 average and 20 RBIs into the final two weeks of the regular season.

Another season as the Eagles’ heavy hitter has equaled a second straight All-Star nod for Amaro, whose team-leading four homers and 22 RBIs are also among the top five on the ACBL charts. After filling the spring stat sheet with a .431 average and 56 RBIs at Frank Phillips College in Texas, the Roselle Park native is set to team up with Krupa at Kean for their final two collegiate seasons.

The seven Eagles representatives will also be joined by Eagles broadcasters Drew Casey and Dom Savino, who will be live at 7:00 p.m. from Palisades Credit Union Park with the call of the ACBL All-Star Game. Listen to the broadcast online at mixlr.com/northjerseyeagles.

By:

Dom Savino