Hamilton Becomes ‘Field of Dreams’ for
State High School Baseball This Weekend

‘If you build it, they will come’…and this weekend they come to Hamilton.

Thanks to the town’s complete renovation of Veterans Park’s Bob DeMeo Field, Hamilton will host this year’s NJSIAA State High School Baseball Tournament.

“We are proud to host this year’s state tournament, as well as to welcome visitors from all across New Jersey to our community this weekend,” says Hamilton Township Mayor Kelly Yaede.  “It will be a great weekend for high school baseball and for our local businesses, which will benefit from the many visitors we will host.”

Matchups Draw Best Teams from Across the State    

While neighboring Allentown High School – which boarders Hamilton to the east – will enjoy the shortest commute to DeMeo Field, teams from across the state will come to Veterans Park to battle for New Jersey’s four public and two non-public state titles this week.

Games will host teams from as far north as Park Ridge (Park Ridge High School) and Montvale (Pascack Hills High School) in Bergen County and Wayne (DePaul Catholic) in Passaic County to as far south as Glouscter City (Gloucester Catholic) in Camden County and Buena Vista (Saint Augustine Prep) in Atlantic County.

Saturday, June 9, 2018

• 1:00PM – State Group 1 Championship Game – Park Ridge High School vs. Middlesex High School
• 4:00PM – Non-Public B Championship Game – DePaul Catholic High School vs. Gloucester Catholic High School
• 7:00PM – Non-Public A Championship Game – Saint Augustine Prep School vs. Delbarton School

Sunday, June 10, 2018

• 10:00AM – State Group 3 Championship Game – Somerville High School vs. Allentown High School
• 1:00PM – State Group 2 Championship Game – Pascack Hills High School vs. Raritan High School
• 4:00PM – State Group 4 Championship Game – Westfield High School vs. Hunterdon Central High School

In the event weather causes games to be rescheduled, updates will be available at www.njsiaa.org

A Field of Dreams in Honor of a Local Star

Veterans Park’s DeMeo Field is dedicated to the memory of former Hamiltonian and Steinert High School baseball alum, Bob DeMeo.  DeMeo was a prospect in the Philadelphia Phillies minor league organization who later became the Phillies triple-A affiliate manager; however he was tragically killed by a drunk-driver in the early 1980’s.  Following his death, the Hamilton Township field was named in his honor.

Recent upgrades to DeMeo Field included the reseeding the grass field, installing new bleachers, fencing and a scoreboard.  Last year, the field was officially rededicated by Mayor Yaede and Township officials during a ceremony that included DeMeo’s former wife, family members and one of DeMeo’s former coaches.

Location and More Information

DeMeo Field is located inside the Kuser Road entrance to Veterans Park in Hamilton, NJ.  For directions, visitors can use the address (2200 Kuser Rd, Hamilton Township, NJ 08690).

You can find out more about some of the town’s other recent upgrades to the fields inside Veterans Park  here – link:http://www.hamiltonnj.com/news/?FeedID=2022

CAPTION: From left to right, Hamilton Director of Economic Development Martin Flynn, Hamilton Mayor Kelly Yaede, NJSIAA Assistant Director Tony Maselli and Hamilton Director of Recreation Jeffrey Plunkett stand in front of the DeMeo Field scoreboard in Veterans Park, as Hamilton Township undergoes its final preparations as the host of this year’s state high school baseball tournament, which takes place this weekend.

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