It’s not about how you start, but how you finish in baseball.
While Bridgewater-Raritan High School’s squad had a rocky start to its 2026 season, its annual journey throughout one of New Jersey’s toughest schedules has prepared it for the part of the year that matters the most.
Trophy season – a time of the year the Panthers are very familiar with.
Riding a timely three-game winning streak on the eve of cutoff date for games played towards state tournament seeding, despite what its deceiving record may indicate, Bridgewater-Raritan is still a massive contender to win the county, sectional, and state championship trophies it famously hoisted just two years ago.
Friday evening also marked Senior Night for the Panthers, who honored their eight graduating Class of 2026 seniors in Bridgewater-Raritan’s first such senior tribute since the debut of its newly renovated home ballpark. A large number of their supporters, particularly scattered throughout the Panthers’ grandiose bleachers behind home plate, were in attendance to celebrate seniors Joey Confalone, Michael D’Elia, Kellan Komline, Michael Lobosco, Josh Moore, Stephen Pikulin, Connor Price, and Colin Ricciardi.
“They were behind some really good players, but they waited their turn, and we’ve turned it around after a bit of a rough start,” reflected of his team’s senior class by Bridgewater-Raritan head coach Max Newill, who notably guided the Panthers to a sweep of the division, county, sectional, and state titles en route to a program-best 30-3 record and Coach of the Year honor in 2024. “Kellan was one of the players that got to play on that 2024 team, but he was really the only one of this year’s seniors that was a full part of it. A couple of the other guys were on the state championship roster, but they didn’t really play. With our schedule, inexperience is sometimes going to get you, and it did a little bit early.”
“They’re figuring out that it’s a seven-inning game against the competition that we play, and they’re taking that to heart.”
All eight of these graduating seniors were honored with their families during a pregame ceremony.
“My freshman year, our upperclassmen taught me a lot,” Komline said of the Panthers’ 2023 season, when Bridgewater-Raritan posted its most victories in program history at the time, advanced to the state sectional finals for the first time in 13 years, and tallied a 23-7 record to set the stage for the Panthers’ most accomplished season to date in 2024. “They taught me how to be a leader, how to have fun playing baseball, but also how to work hard.”
“That carried itself over into the following year, but I’m grateful for every team I have been a part of.”
Notably, Lobosco took the keys behind the plate from Class of 2025 graduate J.R. Rosado, who earned All-State honors after Bridgewater-Raritan’s 2024 campaign.
He picked up right where Rosado left off to the tune of a .276 batting average, including a team-high 22 RBIs, while commanding a growing Bridgewater-Raritan pitching staff with eight players throwing a double-digit amount of innings through mid May.
“J.R. is a phenomenal catcher and one of the best catchers I have ever seen play,” praised about Rosado by Lobosco, who will take his baseball talents to Wilkes University after graduation from Bridgewater-Raritan High School. “Learning from him and taking stuff from his game has helped me a lot with my game and getting better.”
“Always having competition is going to make you better no matter what.”
In addition to Lobosco signing to Wilkes University on the Panthers’ National Signing Day ceremony back on November 14, Komline and Price signed to play baseball at Babson College and Alvernia University, respectively, on this date, while Moore committed to Raritan Valley Community College shortly afterwards.
With a target on its back as a reigning champion in 2025, Bridgewater-Raritan posted a record of 7-18, but continued to battle despite an unfortunate injury bug along with 13 losses by just three or fewer runs. This included its matchup at arch-rival and top-seeded Ridge High School in the second round of the state tournament to conclude last season, but that followed a first-round upset of eighth-seeded Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School by the Panthers, who were seeded No. 9.
While it suffered six straight losses and sat eight games below a .500 record just one week ago, Bridgewater-Raritan has steered the ship at the perfect time in 2026. After their pregame ceremony on Senior Night, it was then business as usual for the Panthers.
There were some desserts present in the Panthers’ postgame celebration, but their Senior Night opponent was no cupcake.
As a further testament to the annually challenging schedules orchestrated by Newill, his team drew a matchup against reigning Group 2 state finalist West Morris Central High School for the Panthers’ final test before state tournament seeding day.
Even despite some early adversity, the Panthers passed it with flying colors.
Bridgewater-Raritan (10-14) sent all nine of its batters to the plate in the bottom of the first inning and scored three times against West Morris (15-7), which immediately capitalized on a two-out error in the top of the second inning to get all three runs back and tie the game. But on his Senior Night, catcher Michael Lobosco brought home the go-ahead run as part of a two-run bottom of the second inning for the Panthers.
Ultimately, Bridgewater-Raritan responded with the game’s final six runs to punctuate a symbolic 9-3 Senior Night victory against West Morris Friday, May 15, in Bridgewater.
“It’s always great to get a win on Senior Day,” Newill said after the game about his team, whose four-game winning streak is its longest since its historic 2024 season. “I think we came out and swung the bats well and had good at-bats early. The intensity was up, which is nice to see, because [the day before at Rutgers Preparatory School] was draining physically, mentally, and was a tough game. For them to respond and come out early was great. We kind of let our guard down in the second inning to let them back in the game, but we came right back in, had some more quality at-bats, extended the lead, and continued to extend the rest of the day. We made defensive plays when we needed to and kept them off the board.”
“It was a great effort overall, especially after the emotional win, because it’s hard to come back sometimes from that.”
That is exactly what Bridgewater-Raritan did on Friday evening.
Just under 24 hours earlier in the quarterfinal round of the Somerset County Tournament at fourth-seeded Rutgers Prep, the Argonauts registered the game’s first four runs and kept the fifth-seeded Panthers off the scoreboard through three innings. Over the next three innings, Bridgewater-Raritan rallied for five of the game’s next six runs, which included a three-run homer by senior Stephen Pikulin to tie the game.
Classmate Josh Moore produced the go-ahead double in the top of the eighth inning, where fellow senior Komline drove in one more run on a sacrifice fly.
Lobosco then broke the game open with the Panthers’ second three-run blast of the game en route to a 10-5 upset victory over Rutgers Prep.
Afterwards, the Panthers not only went on to defeat West Morris and win their fourth game in a row. They now await top-seeded and reigning county champion Immaculata High School (17-4): New Jersey’s eighth-ranked team overall, in the semifinal round of the Somerset County Tournament next at 4 p.m. Monday, May 18, at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater.
“It shows the state and our team itself how resilient of a team we are,” Komline assessed of the Panthers’ current hot-streak and what lies ahead in the final weeks of the 2026 season. “We battled back from losing four straight games last week by one run, and then earlier in the week getting walked off by a [Rutgers Prep] team who we just beat. It really shows that if we just keep the energy up and work hard together as a team, the sky is the limit, and we can push through a really far run in the county and state tournaments.”
“I’m very confident in the squad that we have.”
The winner of this showdown between the last two county champions will advance to the finals at 6 p.m. in this venue Wednesday, May 20, against the winner of Monday’s 1 p.m. semifinals matchup second-seeded Watchung Hills Regional High School (13-6) or third-seeded Ridge High School (14-8).
Earlier in the regular season, Immaculata rolled to a 13-3 home victory over the Panthers on April 14. While Bridgewater-Raritan fell again to the Spartans at home on April 16, they only fell by a score of 5-2 with Wake Forest University baseball bound senior Ryan Auten on the mound for the Immaculata, which is in line to potentially start Auten again on Monday evening.
But after another strong showing against West Morris on Senior Night, Bridgewater-Raritan clearly showed that it is a different team than it was in that loss one month ago, and the Panthers will head into the Somerset Patriots’ home venue with a wave of confidence and momentum.
That is especially true given the Panthers surged up to the presumptive No. 5 spot out of 16 teams in the upcoming NJSIAA North New Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 Baseball Tournament, which will give the Panthers a guaranteed first-round home game when the state playoffs begin Wednesday, May 27.
Against West Morris, senior starting pitcher Michael D’Elia (one inning pitched, zero hits, zero earned runs, two walks, one strikeout) set the table by retiring the Wolfpack in order in the top of the first inning. Komline (one hit, three runs, one walk, one hit-by-pitch, two stolen bases), who was stationed at center field, then was plunked by the fifth pitch of his leadoff at-bat.
This was only the beginning of a massive bottom of the first inning for the Panthers.
Komline stole second base on the ensuing at-bat by freshman left fielder Andrew Schmieder (one hit, three RBIs, one stolen base). With one out, Lobosco (one hit, two RBIs, one walk) got Bridgewater-Raritan on the board with a single, which gave Komline his first of a game-high three runs. Junior second baseman Nick Spirra (two hits, one RBI, one run, one walk) then drew a walk before classmate Kevin Kelly (two hits, two RBIs) brought home fellow junior Branden De Matos (two runs): Lobosco’s courtesy runner, to give the Panthers a quick 2-0 lead.
Senior first baseman Connor Price (one hit, one RBI, one walk) then followed suit with a first-pitch RBI single, which scored Spirra to give Bridgewater-Raritan a 3-0 lead. With two outs, classmate Josh Moore (two hits, one run, one walk) singled to load the bases and give the Panthers a chance to break the game open.
West Morris junior starting pitcher (one inning pitched, three hits, five earned runs, four walks, one strikeout, one hit batter) ultimately got out of that jam. This included a pop-out to senior second baseman Kelly Morgan, who coincidentally was one of just three pitchers to register a victory against Bridgewater-Raritan’s 2024 championship squad when he was a sophomore for the Wolfpack.
Not only did his visiting squad defeat Bridgewater-Raritan in Chester last season, 7-3. At Bridgewater-Raritan’s field on April 19, 2024, West Morris rallied from a five-run deficit with 10 consecutive runs to stun the Panthers, 11-7, and hand Bridgewater-Raritan its first loss nine games into its 2024 season.
In the top of the second inning, West Morris went on another rally in its first trip to Bridgewater-Raritan since that day.
With West Morris trailing 3-0, junior catcher Matt Zisa (one hit, one walk) and senior left fielder Cole Wormann (one run, one walk) worked back-to-back walks to bring the tying run to the plate for the Wolfpack. Junior Jack Braswell (W, three innings pitched, four hits, zero earned runs, four strikeouts, one hit batter) then took the mound for Bridgewater-Raritan in relief of D’Elia. While senior Liam Costello (one run, one HBP) got hit with a pitch to load the bases with nobody out for West Morris, Braswell registered back-to-back strikeouts and looked to be in line to escape unharmed after a ground ball to third base.
A bobbled ground ball into a wide throw plated two runs for West Morris, which then tied the game, 3-3, on a two-out single by sophomore shortstop Cooper North (two hits, one RBI, one stolen base).
Braswell answered with a strikeout to win the inning’s final at-bat against Morgan, but it was a new game for Bridgewater-Raritan.
But not for long.
Komline and Schmieder worked consecutive walks to open the second inning at the top of the Panthers’ order. A ground ball into a fielder’s choice by Lobosco was enough for the go-ahead run, and with two outs, Kelly bounced back from his aforementioned error at third base with another RBI, which scored De Matos.
This gave Bridgewater-Raritan a 5-3 cushion after two innings it never relinquished.
With two runners on and nobody out for West Morris in the top of the third inning, Moore caught a line drive at right field, Schmieder caught a first-pitch fly ball at left field, and Braswell produced a strikeout to keep the Wolfpack off of the scoreboard.
Leading 5-3 in the bottom of the third inning, the Panthers capitalized a one-out single by Moore, which blooped onto the left-field line behind the Wolfpack’s infield. Sophomore shortstop Cody Rible (one hit, two runs) then avoided a double-play on a ground ball, which led to a single by Komline.
Schmieder then smacked a two-run single to double Bridgewater-Raritan’s lead to 7-3 after three innings, and after a scoreless fourth inning, Braswell handed the ball to sophomore Justin Nardi (two innings pitched, one hit, zero earned runs, one walk, two strikeouts, one hit batter): Bridgewater-Raritan’s third of four pitchers used on Senior Night.
He retired the Wolfpack in order in the top of the fifth inning, while Moore and Rible both collected back-to-back singles to start the bottom of the fifth inning for Bridgewater-Raritan.
A one-out sacrifice fly by Schmieder capped off his three-RBI day at the plate, and Spirra’s two-out single extended the Panthers’ lead to 9-3 to round out the game’s scoring.
While one swing by Morgan nearly changed that in the top of the sixth inning, Schmieder had other ideas for the Panthers.
After Nardi produced two quick outs, including his second strikeout, junior third baseman Jack Gumersell (one walk) worked a four-pitch walk, junior center fielder Brendan Dwyer was hit by a pitch, and North loaded the bases with a two-out single for West Morris to bring Morgan to the plate.
He launched a ball to left field towards Schmieder, who made a leaping catch in front of the fence to rob Morgan of a potential bases-clearing double and keep it a 9-3 game after six innings.
“The future is in great hands with people like Andrew Schmieder,” declared Komline of what lies ahead for Bridgewater-Raritan, including its lone regular freshman varsity starter. “He’s a phenomenal ball player, and you rarely see a freshman make almost no bad decisions. He’s always got his head in the game and makes the right play.”
“On the offensive side, he can swing the bat really well and is a great hitter.”
Fittingly, Lobosco ended Senior Night with the ball in his hands in the top of the seventh inning.
Junior Robert Welsh (one inning pitched, zero earned runs, three strikeouts): Bridgewater-Raritan’s fourth and final pitcher of Senior Night, struck out the side on just 14 pitches in the top of the seventh inning, which ended with a swing-and-a-miss directly into the glove of Lobsoco.
And of course, directly into the Panthers’ much-deserved postgame celebration in the patio area of the newly-remodeled John Basilone Memorial Field.
“I know their best pitches and know what they are going to throw for strikes,” praised Lobosco of his four pitchers on Senior Night. “They do it so well. I have complete trust in them, and they have complete trust in me. You’ll rarely see people shake me off, because they know that I know what hitters like and what hitters don’t like. Even after an error, we come back into the dugout and make a bunch of hits. We’re just a great team overall.”
“As long as we stay in the game at all times and have all of that energy we had these last two games, I think we can go far.”
Prior to opening round of the state tournament on Wednesday, May 27, Bridgewater-Raritan (10-14) will turn its immediate attention to the aforementioned Somerset County Tournament semifinals, which will pin the fourth-seeded Panthers against top-seeded and reigning county champion Immaculata (18-4) at 4 p.m. Monday, May 18, at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater.
The winner will advance to the finals at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 20, at this venue.
Barring any schedule adjustments, the Panthers’ regular-season finale will be at Montgomery High School (9-15) at 4 p.m. Thursday, May 21, in Skillman. As reigning North 2, Group 4 state sectional champion Westfield High School (12-11) was defeated by Union Catholic High School, 5-2, in the semifinals of the Union County Tournament on Saturday afternoon, Bridgewater-Raritan will head into the North 2, Group 4 seeding ranked No. 5 in these Power Points standings over the Blue Devils.
For the state sectional playoffs, Bridgewater-Raritan (10-14) will therefore be projected to launch its bid to return to New Jersey’s mountaintop against 12th-seeded Plainfield High School (14-4) Wednesday, May 27, in Bridgewater. The winner of this game will advance to the state sectional quarterfinals against either fourth-seeded J.P. Stevens High School (15-7) or 13th-seeded Ferris High School (7-17) Friday, May 29.
Top-seeded Ridge High School (14-8), second-seeded Bayonne High School (18-7), and third-seeded Watchung Hills Regional High School (13-7) will be the remaining teams presumptively seeded above Bridgewater-Raritan in the North 2, Group 4 playoffs.
Bridgewater-Raritan dropped both of its regular season games against Immaculata and Watchung Hills but split its meets with Ridge as part of a loaded Skyland Conference Delaware Division.
As a further testament to the strength of the aforementioned division, Ridge and Watchung Hills will also square off in the first Somerset County Tournament semifinals game Monday evening before Bridgewater-Raritan and Immaculata follow suit at TD Bank Ballpark.
No matter what happens the rest of the way, its seniors will certainly make the most out of their final weeks in Panthers uniforms, especially with Bridgewater-Raritan peaking at the right time in a baseball postseason where anything can happen.
“First off, I want to thank all of our coaches and all of our players who have been with me on this journey,” concluded Komline of his four-year career for Bridgewater-Raritan. “It’s honestly been the greatest thing I have ever been a part of, whether through all of the comradery, hardships, and celebration.”
“It’s taught me a lot about baseball and life in general, so I’m very thankful to be a part of this program.”