WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – The Monmouth baseball program and head coach Dean Ehehalt have announced the addition of 10 players to the program for the fall of 2015. Kyle Ajjan, Max Hawkins, Benjamin Hoffmann, James Kelly, Clay Koniencki, Tyler Ksiazek, Mike Lahoud, Alex Mastando, Jordan McCrum and Joe Molettiere make up the Monmouth Baseball Class of 2019.
“I am very pleased with our incoming class,” said coach Ehehalt. “It is a group of fine young men that will join our program. We are very anxious to get started in September.”
Kyle Ajjan | Pitcher | Chester Springs, PA | Downingtown East
Kyle Ajjan is a pitcher from Chester Springs, PA where he played baseball at Downingtown East High School. Ajjan was a three-year varsity starter for the Cougars, hitting .324 in his three seasons. As a junior, he helped lead the team to a league title before posting a 5-1 record on the mound as a senior, leading the squad in hits and batting average. He was First Team All Ches-Mont League in 2015, and was named 2015 Perfect Game Honorable Mention.
Max Hawkins | Outfielder | Manasquan, NJ | Manasquan
Max Hawkins played outfield locally at Manasquan and was a three-year varsity starter. As a senior, he hit .350 with 15 stolen bases and a .520 on base percentage while serving as a captain for the Warriors. He was named First-Team A Central.
Ben Hoffmann | Pitcher | Berlin, NJ | Eastern Regional | Gloucester CC
Ben Hoffmann is a right-handed pitcher who comes to Monmouth from Eastern High School after a stop at Gloucester County College. At GCC, he helped lead the team to the NJCAA World Series in Kinston, NC after winning a Region 19 championship. He was tops on the team with 13 appearances, posting a 3-1 record with 30 strikeouts and a 2.74 ERA. At Eastern, Hoffmann was a member of the 2013 New Jersey Group IV State Championship team.
James Kelly | Pitcher | Oceanport, NJ | Shore Regional
James Kelly is a local pitcher from Shore Regional High School, and helped lead the Blue Devils to the 2014 Group I State Championship. In 2014, Kelly was named to the Perfect Game All-Tournament Team at the WWBA World Championships, and was chosen to play in the Perfect Game Sunshine Northeast Showcase. He struck out 48 batters in 45 innings on the mound as a senior, while hitting .313.
Clay Koniencki | Catcher | Schwenksville, PA | Malvern Prep
Clay Koniencki is a catcher who lettered for three years at Malvern Prep. As a junior, Koniencki was named Inter-Ac Honorable Mention before earning First Team accolades as a senior. He helped Malvern Prep to Inter-Ac titles in all three seasons, and hit .500 in the 2014 state tournament. At the WWBA National Championships, Koniencki was a member of the All-Star Baseball Academy and hit .440 during the trip to Atlanta.
Tyler Ksiazek | Pitcher | South Abington Township, PA | Abington Heights
Tyler Ksiazek enters as a right-hander pitcher from Abington Heights HS. As a senior in 2015, he posted a 9-1 record with a 0.79 ERA in 61.2 innings. He allowed 20 runs, just seven of them earned with 78 strikeouts. In the batters box, Ksiazek hit .472 with 34 hits, 17 runs scored, and 14 runs driven in. He was named First Team All-League, and was named the Regional Player of the Year. The Prep Baseball Report of Pennsylvania also named Ksiazek Player of the Year, as he helped his team to a second place finish in the state playoffs. He fanned 16 in the district semifinals to win District Championship Athlete of the Week for the third consecutive time.
Mike Lahoud | Catcher | Egg Harbor Township, NJ | Egg Harbor Township
Mike Lahoud, a catcher from Egg Harbor Township, NJ, was a two-time Cape Atlantic All-Conference selection while backstopping the Eagles. He was named a Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American in 2013 and 2014, and earned 2015 All-Northeast Region Honorable Mention by PG. Lahoud also played in the 2014 Power Showcase.
Alex Mastando | Pitcher | Lyndhurst, NJ | Don Bosco Prep
Alex Mastando is a right-handed pitcher from Don Bosco Prep, leading the Ironmen to back-to-back county championships. He was a 1st Team All-Big North selection as a junior and a senior, earning 2nd Team All-County and All-State as a junior and honorable mention in those same categories as a senior. He went 13-0 in his final two seasons at Don Bosco, recording four saves.
Jordan McCrum | Pitcher/Infielder | Dallas, PA | Dallas Senior
Jordan McCrum is a dual-position athlete from Dallas Senior High School, where he helped lead the Mountaineers to a conference championship in 2014. McCrum is a Perfect Game Atlantic Region Honorable Mention, and was a 1st Team All-Conference selection as a junior and a senior. He played in the Wyoming Valley Senior All-Star Game, and led the conference with 55 strikeouts in 38 innings on the mound, posting a 1.60 ERA. At the plate, McCrum led his team in doubles, triples, and runs scored, hitting .371 with four triples, 23 RBI's and 28 runs scored in his career at Dallas Senior.
Joe Molettiere | Pitcher | Sellersville, PA | Pennridge
Joe Molettiere is a right-handed pitcher from Pennridge High School, where he was a member of the American-Continental Conference Carpenter Cup Team as a junior and a senior, while also earning Suburban One Continental Conference All-League honors in both seasons. In 2013, he helped lead the Rams to a state semifinal, and was named a 2015 Perfect Game Atlantic Region Honorable Mention. PG named Molettiere a 2014 Underclass Preseason All-America Honorable Mention.
“This class should be a group that will contribute immediately,” added Ehehalt.
MU opens fall practice in mid-September, concluding with the Annual Blue/White World Series in October. For the full schedule and updates on Monmouth Baseball, follow @MUHawksBaseball on Twitter.
