West Milford baseball opens season with division title goals
West Milford. Defending division champion West Milford High School enters the 2026 baseball season with an experienced senior core and hopes of returning to the postseason while building on last year’s 16-win campaign
| 06 Apr 2026 | 02:39
Senior catcher Charlie King hits the ball. (
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All of the preseason practices, scrimmages and team building experiences are a thing of the past and the regular season has now arrived for the West Milford High School baseball program.
The Highlanders are scheduled to host Teaneck on Monday, April 13.
“We want to repeat as Division champions from last year and increase on our 16 wins,’’ West Milford head coach Taylor Pevny said. “We also want to advance to the County and (NJSIAA) sectional finals.
“We attended Florida for spring training to prepare for the upcoming season. We played six games against teams from Missouri, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New York.’’
Among the key returning varsity tested student athletes for the Highlanders are Chase Tyburczy (pitcher and outfielder), Kyle Schwarzlow (first base), Dane Wells (second base), Justin Burke (pitcher), Jack Lizza (outfielder), Conner Thompson (pitcher), Charlie Kling (catcher) and Cole Czerepak (pitcher).
“They are all returning varsity letter winners who will look to make an impact,’’ Pevny said. “They are all seniors who return with experience and were a part of our successful run last season.
“Sophomores Blake Tyburczy, Danny Sangis, Luke Havel and Mason LaNeve look to have an impact defensively and offensively. Juniors Max DeRobertis and James Afflerbach could provide depth to our already deep pitching staff.’’
Leadership will be vital in order for West Milford to reach their lofty goals this spring.
“Senior leadership is always an important aspect of our program,’’ Pevny said. “They understand the day to day requirements we hold our players to and they become an extension of our coaching staff.’’
The Highlanders tallied an overall record of 16-10 and they were 8-2 as champions of the Big North Conference Independence Division in 2025.
They also advanced to the NJSIAA North 1 Group 2 Sectional Tournament as the No. 7 seed where they topped High Point in the first round before being defeated by second seeded Vernon in the quarterfinal round last year.
This season the Highlanders compete in the Big North Conference Independence Division along with Passaic Valley, Lakeland, Wayne Hills, Wayne Valley and Fair Lawn.
Coach Pevny does indeed view his team as a contender within the Independence Division with Wayne Hills and Wayne Valley being among the top teams to beat in the Division.
