It was already known, but Charlie Wingfield’s early departure from Ramapo’s postseason run still did not hold back the sting and the emotion.
The right-handed pitching star had one high school game left on his slate before heading off to Wake Forest on a scholarship to play football as a tight end.
It was just one more game, and Wingfield made it count.
Facing 16th-seeded Warren Hills in the opening round of the NJSIAA North 1 Group 3 state tournament on Tuesday in Franklin Lakes, Wingfield muscled a complete-game shutout in a dominant final performance.
Guiding top-seeded Ramapo to a 7-0 victory, Wingfield struck out 12 batters, walked none, and allowed one hit - leaving Ramapo as one of the greatest all-around athletes in school history.
“It was an emotional day. Seeing a kid like that go out and leave it all on the field is what high school sports is all about,” Ramapo head coach Garrison Ward said.
“He’s going to go on to bigger and better things, but we are going to miss him on the field, and the most in the dugout. We have a great team and they will rally but it’s just a tough day when a player of that caliber has to leave at this time of the season. We wish him nothing but the best and know he will continue to be great at Wake.”
He finishes his historic senior season with an 8-1 record, 76 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings, and a 1.10 earned run average.
Charlie Wingfield (11) of Ramapo reacts after hitting a double off of Chris Gioia (9) of Rutherford during the Bergen County Tournament Round of 16 baseball game between Ramapo and Rutherford at RamapoHigh School in Franklin Lakes, NJ on 5/7/25.Scott Faytok | NJ Advance Media
Wingfield also batted 1-for-3 with a run scored, one RBI, and one walk in Tuesday’s win.
The 6-foot-5 captain also collected the 100th hit of his career this spring, totaling 31 hits and 29 walks/hit by pitches in 2025.
His final career numbers on offense include 103 hits, 84 runs, 69 RBIs, 48 stolen bases, and 30 extra-base hits.
On the mound, he had 232 punch-outs and a career 1.81 ERA in 162 2/3 frames.
In the 7-0 victory, Ty Barber’s two RBIs and double paced the lineup, while Liam Hayward scored twice and drove in a run.
Alex Bellovich, Brody Barber, and Jason Sansone added one run apiece, and Danny Poppe had one RBI.
Ramapo - ranked No. 10 in the NJ.com Top 20 - will face eighth-seeded Montville in the N1G3 quarterfinals.
The N.J. High School Sports newsletter is now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now!
Follow us on social: Facebook ’ Instagram ’ X (formerly Twitter)
PJ Potter may be reached at PPotter@njadvancemedia.com.