Kittatinny baseball earns double-digit wins, reaches sectional tournament

Teamwork paid off with double digit wins and a playoff berth for the 2026 Kittatinny High School baseball program.

B.J. Hough, the knowledgeable head coach for the Cougars, recalls some of the most memorable wins from this recently ended season.

“At one point we won five of seven games this season,’’ Hough said. “We had great wins versus Jefferson, Parsippany Hills, Dover, North Warren and Sussex Tech. It was a positive stretch of games for us where we showed a lot of resilience.”

Not only through their winning ways, but in all circumstances, leadership was at a premium for the Cougars this spring.

“The six seniors (Aiden Prtorich, Brendan Leahy, Jonny Diani, Mason Dube, Gage Ingalls and Tommy Tosti) showed tremendous leadership the entire season,’’ Hough said. “They represent the team on and off the field.

“We were very well respected by umpires, opponents and their coaches and we received the Sportsmanship Award for the (Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference) Freedom Division this season.’’

Tosti was among the most improved student athletes on the roster for Kittatinny this year.

“Tommy Tosti either won or kept us in the games when on the mound this season,’’ Hough said. “He was our team Most Valuable Player and did a tremendous job. He recorded his 100th career strikeout this season.

“Keegan Monahan again recorded 20 or more hits in a season, had three home runs, 19 RBI’s, eight doubles and eight stolen bases. Shane Weiss finished with 22 hits this season and played a great first base.’’

The Cougars posted 10 overall victories and advanced to the NJSIAA North 1 Group 1 Sectional Tournament as the No. 12 seed and were defeated by fifth seeded Pequannock.

The excitement for the 2027 season is real for Kittatinny baseball.

“I have high hopes for next season,’’ Hough said. “We again qualified for States, made a strong showing and played in one of the best Divisions in the area and held our own. Our out of conference schedule was competitive and we ended up with a 9-3 record in those games.

“Although we are losing some quality seniors, the returning core has some good varsity experience. We have Easton Konar returning on the mound along with Tyler Coombs and Toby Pilger. We have some current sophomores like Ricky Lopes, Zander Dennis and Owen Beck, who already have and are ready to make an impact at the varsity level. We want to continue to play the right way, be competitive and meet our goals next season.’’