Student Athletes Recognized at Zoned Sports Academy Signing Event

More than 30 high school athletes from northern and central New Jersey realized their college dreams on March 4, 2021, as they were recognized during Zoned Sports Academy’s Annual Signing Day celebration. Buoyed by their proud but socially distant parents, these talented high school seniors walked, signed certificates commemorating their college admittance and posed for pictures in turn and will go on to represent their chosen colleges on the baseball or softball diamond.

For parents, it was the culmination of countless hours spent bringing their children back and forth to ball fields, supporting their athletic endeavors emotionally and financially, and cheering them on from chilly or sun-baked bleachers, in the hope that their communal sacrifices would pay off in the form of college scholarships. Some of these athletes aspire to play professional ball.

To date, Zoned Sports Academy student-athletes have earned over $16 million in college scholarships. This year’s class came from Bridgewater-Raritan High School, Hillsborough High School, Seton Hall Prep, Freehold High School, Notre Dame Academy, Middlesex High School and many others, and will attend Penn State, Widener University, Rutgers University, Montclair State University, Rowan University, Post University and Harvard University, among others.

“It is our ultimate goal to see our kids play collegiately, and we take pride in seeing so many of our student-athletes enter the next chapter in their academic and athletic careers. Some of these kids have trained with us for over 10 years and we are so proud to see them move on,” said Zoned Sports Academy owner Duke Baxter, himself a former professional baseball player.

Each year, thousands of new faces walk through the doors at Zoned Sports Academy with the hopes of playing baseball or softball in college and making it to the big leagues. Staff embark on the journey alongside these young athletes in hopes of developing them both on and off the field, and helping them find the right academic fit.

During the Signing Day ceremony, each student walked the “turf carpet” and received a “Certificate of Excellence” to recognize the hard work and effort that brought them to that moment, to the applause of family. Recognized this year were:

1. Jason Arrigo, Ridge High School, Salve Regina University
2. Autumn Barge, Union Catholic Regional High School, Widener University
3. Briant Bazydlo, Governor Livingston High School, Morris County Community College
4. Ava Calabrese, Summit High School, Muhlenberg College
5. Alex Cameron, Easton High School, Penn State - Hazelton
6. Luke Crawford, Hillsborough High School, Morris County Community College
7. Ricky Erbeck, The Hun School, Fairfield University
8. Vincent Esposito, South Plainfield High School, Morris County Community College
9. Jessica Forte, Middlesex High School, University of Hartford
10. Ethan Goldman, Easton High School, Chatham University
11. Karson Harcourt, Seton Hall Prep High School, Rowan University
12. Jake Hendershot, Bridgewater – Raritan High School, Northampton Community College
13. Alyssa Hughes, Notre Dame Academy, Post University
14. Justin Johnson, Easton High School, Coppin State University
15. Kristin Lee, Freehold Township High School, Massachusetts Inst. of Technology
16. Matt Kalinak, Gill St. Bernard’s High School, Clark University
17. Priyanka Kaul, West Windsor-Plainsboro South H.S., Harvard University
18. Dante Mack, Easton High School, Albright College
19. Kaya Mahy, Jonathan Dayton High School, Muhlenberg College
20. Matt Murowski, Governor Livingston High School, St. Petersburg Junior College
21. Maddie Murphy, Summit High School, Gettysburg College
22. Ben Petrone, The Hun School, Lafayette College
23. Jack Pires, Governor Livingston High School, Rutgers – Newark
24. Aaron Santos, Bridgewater – Raritan High School, Eastern University
25. Jake Sempervive, Gill St. Bernard’s School, Rochester Institute of Technology
26. Michael Shaffer, Governor Livingston High School, Montclair State University
27. Brandon Shine, South Plainfield High School, Rowan University
28. Joe Skapinetz, Gill St. Bernard’s School, Lafayette College
29. Matt Smoke, Bridgewater – Raritan High School, Raritan Valley Community College
30. Keegan Stem, Easton High School, Ursinus College
31. Ryan Vollmer, Middlesex High School, Mercer County Community College
32. Raiden Yost, Middlesex High School, Misericordia University

About Zoned Sports Academy

Duke Baxter broke the NCAA’s single-season Doubles’ Record (31) in his senior year at the University of North Florida and went on to play professional baseball for three years finishing with the Somerset Patriots of the Atlantic League. In 2002, he founded Zoned Sports Academy as an indoor baseball and softball training facility built on the belief that every person who walks through its doors will be given the tools to be the best he or she can be. As a result, Zoned trains athletes on both the mental and physical aspects of sports, and employs professionals that know what it takes to educate, motivate, and inspire players to exceed their goals and dreams. Baxter, who holds two U.S. Patents for baseball training devices, is a life-long resident of Bridgewater, N.J., where he still resides with his wife and four children. For more information about Zoned Sports Academy, call 732-537-1770 or visit www.zonedinc.com.