Baseball COACHES

Jerry Riporti

John F Kennedy High School class of 1983
Scotch Plains Terrill Middle School Head Coach (2008-2012)
USSSA softball hall of Fame of 2018
Union county softball Hall of fame 2019
Baseball U North NJ Owner and head coach 2016-2022
Garden State Naturals Owner and head coach 2022- Current
Coach Riporti is a member of two national softball Hall of Fames and competed nationally in the softball circuit
Coach Riporti is an Assistant Coach at Saint Joseph High School in Metuchen who has helped the Falcons with two GMC titles, a state sectional final appearance, and two division titles in five seasons at Saint Joe’s
As the father of a Division I athlete, Coach Riporti is also invaluable working with families through the recruiting process
Coach Riporti managed and roves as a coach at several Baseball U levels spanning the top and bottom of our age groups, having managed our college-bound team and our 11U team.

jason Weisholtz

Education:
  • BS Accounting Albright College
Playing:
  • High School:  1st Team All State 3b Non-Public B…1987
  • High School:  Non-Public B State Champ…1987
Coaching:
  • Rutgers Certified
  • SPFYBA: Head coach house league in Scotch Plains from 2003-2008…ages 5u-10u
  • Scotch Plains Tournament and Travel Team Head Coach; 2009-2010 ages 9u/10u
  • 2009 (9u) Cal Ripken District 12 Champion
    1. 2010 (10u) Battle of the Boulevard (Elkridge, Maryland) Champion
  • Garden State Knights Baseball Club Assistant and 1st base Coach; 2009-2011 ages 9u-13u
  • Numerous tournament and league wins including (but not limited to) championships at:
    • USABL
    • Central Jersey Baseball League
    • Sports At The Beach (Rehoboth Beach, Delaware)
    • Cal Ripken Baseball (Aberdeen, Maryland)
    • ECTB (Reading, Pennsylvania)
    • Triple Crown Sports (Richmond, Virginia)
    • Cooperstown Dreams Park (Cooperstown, New York):104 Team Field.  Wins over top teams in Texas, Florida, and California. Reached Final 8 before falling to eventual tournament champion
  • North Jersey Hobos Baseball Club Assistant and 1st base Coach; 2012-2013 ages 14u-15u
  • Assisted Chris Reardon, Queens College Head Coach (DII)Education:
    • BS Accounting Albright College
    Playing:
    • High School:  1st Team All State 3b Non-Public B…1987
    • High School:  Non-Public B State Champ…1987
    Coaching:
    • Rutgers Certified
    • SPFYBA: Head coach house league in Scotch Plains from 2003-2008…ages 5u-10u
    • Scotch Plains Tournament and Travel Team Head Coach; 2009-2010 ages 9u/10u
    • 2009 (9u) Cal Ripken District 12 Champion
      1. 2010 (10u) Battle of the Boulevard (Elkridge, Maryland) Champion
    • Garden State Knights Baseball Club Assistant and 1st base Coach; 2009-2011 ages 9u-13u
    • Numerous tournament and league wins including (but not limited to) championships at:
      • USABL
      • Central Jersey Baseball League
      • Sports At The Beach (Rehoboth Beach, Delaware)
      • Cal Ripken Baseball (Aberdeen, Maryland)
      • ECTB (Reading, Pennsylvania)
      • Triple Crown Sports (Richmond, Virginia)
      • Cooperstown Dreams Park (Cooperstown, New York):104 Team Field.  Wins over top teams in Texas, Florida, and California. Reached Final 8 before falling to eventual tournament champion
    • North Jersey Hobos Baseball Club Assistant and 1st base Coach; 2012-2013 ages 14u-15u
    • Assisted Chris Reardon, Queens College Head Coach (DII)
  • Coach Murray led the Falcons to the 2021 GMC tournament championship and was named NJ.com and Home News Tribune Coach of the Year for Middlesex County
  • During the missed 2020 COVID-19 year, Coach Murray founded and ran the NJ Last Dance World Series, a 222 team tournament held statewide
  • In Coach Murray’s second season leading the Falcons, the Falcons won the GMC Tournament Championship, had a twenty win season, went 17-3 against GMC opponents, and had eight players earn All-GMC Accolades and two All-New Jersey members. Kyle Angel was named GMC Pitcher of the Year and joined on first team by Ross Maertz and Brandon Warick. Jot Sot and Angel were named to com‘s All-State teams. In Coach Murray’s second season, the offense raised their team batting average 59 points and slugged 19 HR’s, an increase from one in the 2016 campaign. Coach Murray was named the 2017 GMC Red Division Coach of the Year and the NJ.com GMC Coach of the Year.In Coach Murray’s first season as Head Coach, the Falcons won 16 games and advanced to the semifinals of the Greater Middlesex Conference tournament. The team finished in a tie for 3rd in the Red Division with a 9-7 league record. During the 2016 campaign, The Falcons defeated then #1 team in the state, Steinert, 3-0 in the Autism Awareness Classic. During the 2016 season, the Falcons defeated two state champions from the season prior (Old Bridge, Cranford). The Falcons will return 6 position players and the three wins leaders on the mound from the 2016 campaign.
  • Coach Murray was a 2012 Union County Tournament Champion and 2013 North II, Group IV State-Sectional Champion while Assistant Varsity Coach at Westfield High School.
  • Coach Murray played in the San Francisco Giants organization from 2010-2012 where he was named Northwest League Player of the Month, Northwest League All-Star, and was a Northwest League 1st team All-League selection in 2011. Coach Murray finished his professional career with a .331 career batting average. Prior to his stint with the Giants, Mike played at Wake Forest from 2007-2010 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Coach Murray Captained the Demon Deacons and was a three-year starter at Catcher. During his collegiate summers, Coach Murray won championships in the Valley Baseball League and the New England Collegiate Baseball League. In 2009, Mike was a Cape Cod League All-Star and All-League selection playing for the Chatham Anglers.
  • Coach Murray was a four-year starter at Westfield HS, twice being named 1st team All-State and was an All-American as a Senior in 2006. He is a 2016 inductee to the Westfield High School Athletic Hall of Fame. He is Westfield High School’s All-Time leader in hits (155), at-bats (331), home runs (19), RBI (145), and extra-base hits (59). Coach Murray hit a school record (.560) as a SR, and is the record-holder for lowest strikeout percentage, striking out in just 12 of his 331 varsity at bats.
  • Coach Murray comes from a coaching family, his dad Mike Sr. was a youth coach for more than 20 years in Union County after a playing career in the Chicago White Sox system. Mike’s younger brother A.J. (Georgia Tech) and sister Brittany (Maryland Softball) also captained their Division I teams.

Mike Murray

Rob Lukachyk

Lukachyk was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 10th round of the 1987 MLB Draft out of Brookdale Community College in New Jersey. After that, he signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles (1993) and Detroit Tigers (1994) before joining the Expos organization.
Originally a corner infielder and outfielder in the minors, Lukachyk made two appearances as a pinch-hitter for Montreal.
Lukachyk eventually moved on to play for the Somerset Patriots of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. After his playing days were over, he moved on to work in their front office.
In a 12-season minor league career, he posted a .267 batting average with 104 home runs and 586 runs batted in in 1,185 games.

Joe HUGhes

-Pitcher and Infielder for Bishop Ahr High School, Rutgers-Newark University and TCNJ’s Nationally Rank Club Baseball
-Rapsodo and Drive line Hitting and Pitching instructor.
-4 + Years coaching experience

Tyler Kovalewich