Memorial High School’s Lasko Turns Pro On Diamond

School Removes Transportation Consultant

By Bob Vosseller

JACKSON – Weigh -

By Chris Christopher JACKSON - Ryan Lasko

has become a professional athlete.

The former Jackson Memorial High School and Rutgers University standout has signed a $1.7 million contract to play for the Oakland A’s. He was selected 41st overall as an outfielder by Oakland on the initial day of the 2023 Major League Baseball

First-Year Player Draft. The pick was slotted at a $2,094,900 signing bonus. He was the second selec- tion in the second round. He was ranked the No. 89 prospect in the grab bag by mlb.com

“We love the athleticism,” Oakland general manager David Forst told mlb.com’s Martin Gallegos. “Middle-of-the-diamond player who just got better every year. Plus runner, plus outfield defense. Talk about highlights on defense. You can look up some of the plays he made crashing into the wall in center field. A guy that we think is on the ups and really helps the athleticism in our system. I’m excited to see him play in person.”

A criminal justice major at Rutgers, he was a three-year starter. Lasko, a righty, stroked his 200th career hit and became the first player in program history with three straight seasons with 10-plus home runs. He ripped 32 extra base hits en route to 73 overall.

“Ryan is an excellent player who continues to improve,” Rutgers coach Steve Owens said. “Congratulations to Ryan for his high draft selection by Oakland! He is a tremendous player with elite defensive skills in center field that are game changing at every level.”

With Lasko in the lineup, the Scarlet Knights won a total of 77 games during the past two years.

(Baseball - See Page 4) ing what is a necessity and what is a luxury was a point of discussion which resulted in removing a consultant which will save $30,000 for the township school district.

During a recent Board of Education meeting Board President Giuseppe Palmeri brought up a line item on the bill list that concerned the consultant.

“Finance number 14 relates to a transportation consultant which is a retired former director of transportation. This consultant was approved last year for Mr. (Kristopher) Soto who was new coming on board to help acclimate a transition to our district,” he noted.

“The budget constraints that we now face...is this a necessity or a luxury because how I see this $30,000 consultant fee, we may be able to bring back a secretary, a janitor, a maintenance worker maybe...

(BOE - See Page 7)

Official: Public Has Fear Of Speaking Out

By

Bob

Vosseller

PLUMSTED – No one should feel intimidated about presenting their questions, concerns, and general ideas before the governing body. That was the message expressed by a township official.

During a recent Township Committee meeting, Deputy Mayor

Herb Marinari shared with the governing body and public a conversation he had with a resident who has lived in the community for more than 20 years. The person asked him to look into an issue of concern.

Marinari invited the individual to come to a Township Committee meeting to personally present his concern during a part of the meeting where the public is invited to speak.

“Every resident has the opportunity to do that.”

The Deputy Mayor said the resident responded, “‘Herb I’m not going to do that because I am afraid of reprisals.’ When I heard that and other people who have made that comment - it is one of the worse things I’ve heard since I’ve been here. As long as you sit there and are respectful there is no reason you can’t come here to make a comment. You heard me say this a couple of months ago: This is not

(Plumsted - See Page 10)

Baseball:

Continued From Page 1

“Rutgers University baseball has given me everything,” Lasko tweeted. “I’ve had the chance to play for the best coaches, who gave me countless hours of instruction and support. Without them, I couldn’t be the person or player I am today. I tried to do things the right way and I had so much fun doing it.”

Lasko earned a berth on the 26-man Team USA Collegiate National Team. It represented the nation in the Netherlands in 2022. The Team USA training camp is reserved for the top nondraft eligible college players with 48-50 athletes receiving an invitation each year.

He spent last summer with the Brewster Whitecaps (Mass.) of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Lasko started for Jackson during his sophomore and junior seasons. His 2020 senior campaign was lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. He helped his team to the championship game of the Last Dance World Series during the summer of 2020.

He was one of the top players in the Shore Conference as a junior, batting .380. He belted seven homers and eight doubles. He plated 33 runs and scored 24 runs. He raced to 14 stolen bases. He was undrafted after his senior year as the grab bag was reduced to five rounds because of the pandemic.

With Lasko in the lineup, the Jaguars won NJSIAA South Jersey Group IV and Shore Conference Class A South titles in 2018. They captured Class A South in 2019.

“Pro scouts began looking at Ryan at the college level,” said then-Jackson coach Frank Malta, now the East Brunswick High School athletics director.

Malta said there was never a fly ball that Lasko could not catch in the outfield.

“He was a highlight reel in center field,” Malta said. “He made fly balls as easy as a comebacker to the pitcher. We let guys hit it as far as they could to center field. He is a major-league outfielder right now. He is different in the way he gets a path to the ball. He is a draft guy as he does things you don’t normally see.

“We got used to his plays. Other guys said, ‘Who the heck is this kid?’ We took his plays for granted. You better hit it halfway up a tree if you don’t want him to catch it. That’s how we felt about him.”

Lasko is not afraid to bang into walls in his pursuit of fly balls. One video shown in conjunction with Lasko’s selection shows the ex-Jaguar crashing into a wall, making a leaping catch and robbing a hitter of extra bases.

“He is fearless,” Malta said. “He was always that way even as a kid in the Jackson Little League. He is a competitor.”

Malta said Lasko owns a strong throwing arm.

“His arm is excellent,” Malta said. “He gets good carry on the ball. It’s another reason he is a professional player. He is a five-tool player (hit, hit for power, run, throw and field). He embodies those tools in all that he does. He has a plus, plus arm.”

Malta said Lasko often hit leadoff for the Jaguars.

“I saw him improve each year,” Malta said. “He can hit almost anywhere in the order. He is a George Springer type of player (Springer is an outfielder with the Toronto Blue Jays).”

Malta sees a bright future for his protege.

“I look for him to hit his strides as a pro,” Malta said. “It is adjustment upon adjustment and adjustment upon adjustment in the pros. That is what it takes to make it in major league baseball. Ryan is smart enough to do it and now he has the opportunity to do it.

Malta said Lasko was a pleasure to coach.

“He is a great kid,” Malta said. “People are so happy for him. He is a high character kid. His teachers loved him. He always did the right thing in the classroom and in the hallways. He was a very good student. I see him as the total package - a guy you want your younger guys to emulate. He was a great teammate. He always wanted to see the other guys do well.”

Lasko is dedicated to his craft.

“He always worked,” Malta said. “He never took a day off. He never took his foot off the gas. He was in our weight room at 5:30 in the morning each day. He went to bed early so that he could get up early.”

Lasko owns a well-rounded personality.

“Ryan is all business,” Malta said, “but he also finds the time to have a laugh and just enjoy it. As serious as he was, he still enjoyed himself and his teammates. He played with his high school teammates since they were nine and 10 years old. It was a fun experience to coach that whole crew of guys.”

Another member of the Ryan Lasko Fan Club is Evan Glaser. He coached Lasko for two seasons in the Jackson Little League. Lasko played center field and pitched on Jackson’s 2015 state championship team which lost in the Eastern Regional championship game to Redland, Pa., in Bristol, Ct. He also guided Lasko at the travel team and academy levels. One of the travel teams was the Jackson Red Dogs founded by Steve Slusak.

“My man!” Glaser exclaimed. “Since Ryan was seven and eight years old, he always had a unique passion for baseball. He is extremely coachable, always engaging. He plays hard. He always leaves it all on the field. If you have nine or 10 guys like Ryan on the field, you are going to win a lot of ball games.”

Glaser admires Lasko’s style of play.

“He has baseball instincts,” Glaser said. “He has speed. He works counts. He hits for home runs. He takes extra bases. He’s the flashiest outfielder you will ever see. The amount of ground he covers ... diving plays. Throws behind runners and catches them sleeping. He shortened ball games for us because of his ability to catch people off guard.”

Glaser also praised Lasko’s attitude.

“Ryan is the most humble person you will ever meet. He is attentive. He gives everyone his time. He encourages his fellow teammates. He is always positive. We could be down by five runs with one out to play with and he is still positive. His folks raised a great guy. Let me say that,” he said.

“When they feel they are that good, some athletes have a chip on their shoulder and feel entitled. Not Ryan. You would never know he was a second-round pick. He worked his tail off. He got out of it what he put into it,” he said. Lasko’s parents are Patricia and James Lasko. He has one brother, Dan, and one sister, Emily.

NOTES: Lasko could not be reached for comment by jerseyshoreonline.com and the Jackson Times. The season salary for players in the complex (instructional) leagues is $19,800. The season salary for players in the Low A leagues is $26,000. The season salary for players in the High A leagues is $27,300. The season salary for players in the Double A leagues is $30,250. The season salary for players in the Triple A leagues is $35,800. Scarletknightscom, Baseball America and SoftballNation on the Banks contributed to this report.