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The East Rutherford Cavalier baseball team is State Champions. For the seventh time in program history, the Cavs have displayed their dominance on the diamond and took home the title. East Rutherford put the finishing touches on their championship season this past weekend in Burlington where they defeated South Lenoir 4-3 and 11-0 to sweep the best-of-three championship series.
"I am proud of the way our guys competed and got after them early and continued to stay after it, adding on to the lead," East Rutherford Cavalier head coach Drew Reynolds said. "Jacob Lee gave us a good outing on the mound and we caught barrels at the plate all game."
The series sweep completed an incredible season for East Rutherford. They finished with a 30-1 record, which is tied with Cherryville for the eighth most wins in a season by any team in the history of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA). The seven State Championships are also the second most in NCHSAA history behind Gastonia, who won 10 titles from 1937 to 1958. The Cavalier pitching staff also entered the record book with 13 shutouts in 2025, which is tied for third most in NCHSAA history.
The Reynolds family is deeply connected to the legacy of East Rutherford baseball. Bobby Reynolds has been a part of all seven State Championships, winning six as a head coach and one as an assistant. Bobby's son Drew has been part of the championship tradition as well. He was a bat boy on the first team to win a Championship in 2002, as a player in 2010 and now as a head coach in 2025.
"I'm just proud to be part of such a great program with such a strong tradition," Drew Reynolds said.
While all past and present Cavaliers share in the legacy of the program, several players say the 2025 team is particularly close.
"This is a very special team," pitcher Jacob Lee said. "We are all brothers and we love each other to death. The whole team played a massive role in our success. Everybody did their job, from pitchers to hitters to guys in the dugout."
Outfielder Matt Pinkerton adds that the team has been working together toward the State Championship all year.
"We made the off-season (practice) hard so we were ready for whatever didn't go our way. We pushed ourselves for greatness and the hard work paid off."
The Cavaliers are not resting on past success, however, as the team is already making plans to defend their title and continue the Cavalier legacy.
"I hope they get it done again next year," Lee said. "It will always be 'For The Boys'(All Cavaliers past and present)."
EAST RUTHERFORD BASEBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2016 and 2025.
