UNION, NJ — Is Union Farmers baseball a bit splintered at the moment?
Lou Clemente doesn’t think so.
“Definitely not,” Clemente said. “It’s just not right now at a level that it used to be.”
One of Union County’s best players the first decade of this century at Roselle Catholic High School and also a lifelong Union resident, Clemente still lives less than five minutes from Union High School. Clemente’s next challenge will be to get the Farmers back to prominence.
Officially approved by the Union Board of Education in late July as Union’s sixth head baseball coach since 1959, Clemente has his sights set on making baseball in Union a force to be reckoned with across the board in town.
“My goal is to take baseball in the township of Union and build it back up from Little League to high school,” Clemente, 31, said. “It needs to be at the level it used to be. We have the facilities and the resources. It’s time to get to work.”
Clemente, a 2010 Roselle Catholic graduate, also excelled collegiately for two years at Brookdale Community College and then two more at Rutgers University. He graduated from Rutgers in 2014 with a degree in history.
Clemente’s full-time job for almost three years now is director of Baseball Operations at Centercourt Club & Sports, a multi-sport facility, with locations throughout New Jersey. Clemente can be found mostly at the Morristown and Gillette facilities. He also spends time at the clubs in Mount Olive and Montclair.
Clemente’s coaching resume includes Rutgers in 2015, 2016 and 2017 and then as the junior varsity coach at Governor Livingston High School the past five seasons since 2018, not including no baseball in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Clemente guided Governor Livingston’s 2021 squad to the JV Union County Tournament championship.
Union last won the varsity UCT in 1993 with Chet Czaplinski as coach and, before that, way back in 1975, which was the last time with Gordon LeMatty as coach.
“Those coaches in the past did such an amazing job,” Clemente said. “Myself and my staff will go at it 150 percent every day to build the program back, whether it takes us one year or 20.
“We want to build it from the ground up. We want to build Union baseball as a foundation throughout the whole township of Union. We want to create a buzz.”
Getting into coaching was something always in the back of Clemente’s mind as he succeeded in high school and college as a player.
“I always wanted to remain in baseball,” Clemente said. “I never expected to coach at Rutgers.
“Then a door was open for me at GL. Head coach Chris Roof offered me a spot and I’m grateful.
“I always wanted to be in baseball, but did not know to what degree. Now I want to continue to give back my knowledge, so that others can succeed. That’s what brings me joy. I’m big on player development.”
Once Angel Navarrete resigned as Union’s head coach, Navarrete did a good job for 10 years, including starting the Tip Your Cap Classic in 2022 as a proud supporter of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Clemente said a number of people reached out to him about the opening.
“I wasn’t really looking,” Clemente said. “It’s sort of a dream job. I followed the protocols to apply and there was joy, nerves and excitement. I’m really lucky and blessed to have got it.”
Clemente played for Joe Kropa at Roselle Catholic his first three years and then for John Schmitt his senior season, after Schmitt served as an assistant to Kropa the previous three years.
“Coach Kropa instilled confidence in the team and myself,” Clemente said. “He always had expectations to think you could get the job done. He was very easy and comfortable to play for. He was always going to be there for us.
“With Coach Schmitt it was the same thing. He applied the discipline and accountability. Kropa was my physical education teacher and Schmitt my history teacher and he was a big reason why I chose to major in history in college.
“I couldn’t thank them both enough for all of the support they provided me.”
As for as being a head coach for the first time, Clemente wanted to make this clear:
“We’re role models to our kids. I want to elevate boys to young men and young men to men. Baseball has a great way of teaching things about life that can stay with you for the rest of your life.”
Union High School head baseball coaches since 1959
• Gordon LeMatty: 1959-1991, 33 seasons – 641-272-4 or .702
• Chet Czaplinski, UHS Class of 1967: 1992-1996, five seasons – 98-40 or .710
• Mike Hamberg, UHS Class of 1976: 1997-2006, 10 seasons – 180-81 or .690
• Frank Napolitano, UHS Class of 1989: 2007-2013, seven seasons – 80-85-1 or .485
• Angel Navarrete: 2014-2023, no 2020 season, nine seasons – 96-120 or .444
Photo Courtesy of Lou Clemente