West Essex and Caldwell H.S. Baseball Players Appear in Quad-County All-Star Game

NORTH BRUNSWICK, NJ -- Three members of the West Essex High School baseball team, and one from Caldwell High School, took part in the Quad-County Underclassmen All-Star Games last Friday at Community Park in North Brunswick.

Infielders Joe Panzarino and Max Garcia and outfielder Jack Epstein represented West Essex -- though Epstein was injured and unable to play in the game -- and Marco Sozio represented Caldwell. All four players just completed their junior years. They were on the Essex County roster for its game against Union County.

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Panzarino, a shortstop, batted .375 with 28 runs batted in as a junior. In the all-star game against Union County, he singled, stole second and scored a run in the second inning. Garcia, a second baseman, batted .347 with 23 stolen bases and 32 runs scored in 2024. He singled in his second at-bat in the all-star game.

Epstein batted .397 with 10 extra-base hits and 17 RBI in the 2024 season.

Sozio, a right-handed pitcher, threw two innings in the all-star game. He posted a 2.13 earned-run average in 2024 for the Chiefs with 58 strikeouts in 49 1/3 innings pitched.

Union defeated Essex County, 22-9, and Middlesex and Hudson counties played to a 5-5 tie in the two all-star games on adjacent fields.

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