By Sean Reilly
His name is Ben Weninger, but to many around the NJ Rising Rebels 2028, he’s known as Big Ben.
As a 14U player who stands 6-4 and weighs 240 pounds, it’s easy to see why.
And as a recent addition to the team, it’s also very easy to understand why his teammates are glad to have the left-hander on the roster.
Weninger joined the Rising Rebels earlier this month after his prior team completed its season.
With a couple of other players competing elsewhere over the weekend, he became an important part of the lineup as the Rising Rebels competed in the 14U White Division at the Diamond Nation Boys of Summer tournament.
Most notably, he was the winning pitcher as the Rising Rebels beat Tucci Elite 14U, 4-1, in the final on Sunday night.
Weninger pitched the final 1.2 innings of a 10-0 win over DTA of Toms River in the semifinals.
He also entered in the second inning of the final, and pitched through the fifth in the six-inning game. He allowed an unearned run on three hits with five strikeouts and three walks. He was selected the tournament MVP.
“It’s fun to play with these guys,” Weninger said. “I really like their energy.”
The Rising Rebels finished the tournament 4-0-1 with a 36-13 run differential.
The Morris County-based team took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Brian Morhardt and Patrick McKeever both hit singles to center field with one out. Jordani Gonzalez then reached on an error that scored Morhardt.
Ben Weninger of NJ Rising Rebels was named 14U White Boys of Summer MVP.
Tucci Elite, which ended 2-1-1, tied it in the bottom of the second. Ryan Smith (2-for-2) led off with a single to second base, and advanced on a wild pitch. He moved to third on a ground out, and scored on a wild pitch.
The Rising Rebels went ahead, 2-1, in the fourth, with Morhardt scoring the second of his three runs.
Morhardt led off with a walk, and McKeever was hit by a pitch. After a pop out to shortstop, the runners advanced on a double steal before Morhardt scored on a wild pitch.
In the sixth inning, Luke Cusack led off with a walk, but was forced out as Morhardt was safe on a fielder’s choice. McKeever (2-for-3) followed with a single to center. A walk to Gonzalez loaded the bases, and a walk to Ryan Flack scored Morhardt. McKeever scored on a wild pitch with Ian Davis at the plate.
Cusack pitched the bottom of the sixth to close out the championship.
It was also the second championship at ‘The Nation’ this summer for the Rising Rebels. The other was the School’s Out tournament title in June.
“We won our first tournament and our last one, which is nice,” coach Justin Capozzi said. “Ben is awesome. We have two guys playing in Georgia, so it was great to have him here.”