Former Hackettstown slugger Jake Hall has gotten off to a blazing start with the Essex Cubs of the Atlantic Baseball Collegiate League.

After the first 11 games, as of Wednesday, he was leading the league in home runs with six and runs batted in with 17. Also, he was batting .444, which is among the top five in the league.

A Baltimore Orioles’ scout came to watch him play over the weekend. Anyone who saw him play for Hackettstown coach Gary Poyer, knows that Jake looks good in  Orange and Black. He is, arguably, the best power hitter the Tigers ever had.

After his Hackettstown career, Jake broke hitting records with County College of Morris. 

Shayne Fontana of CCM recently got drafted by the Orioles in 2019. The CCM program is “on the radar” in birdland, as the Orioles try to regain the prominence the franchise enjoyed 50 years ago.

After 12 marvelous seasons at CCM as their head baseball coach, Brian Eberly recently was hired to lead the baseball team at Drew University starting with the 2022 season.

Eberly consistently had CCM in the national junior college rankings. His teams captured the Garden State Athletic Conference championship in 2017, 19 and 21. The 2017 team reached number four in the national rankings before “falling” to number eight with a final record of 41-8.

The CCM program has produced several major league players, including Adam Riggs and former New York Mets fan favorite “Super Joe” Mc Ewing.

Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.