When Glenn Fredricks undertook the mission of forming the Greater Middlesex Conference Summer Baseball League last summer, the commissioner admits there was some uncertainty as to how successful the venture would be.

But facts are facts. League champion South Plainfield entered the league on the heels of a regular Greater Middlesex Conference season in which the Tigers finished under .500. The Tigers utilized the summer league to develop a team that fought its way to the American AmateurBaseballCongress/ Don Mattingly World Series in Albuquerque, N.M. This spring, South Plainfield finished 24-3, making the finals of the GMC tournament championship and semifinals of the North Jersey Group III tournament.

Then there is Spotswood, managed by Fredricks, also the high school coach.

“There’s no question that getting looks at players in the summer league enabled us to make decisions about who would play where once the regular high school season arrived,” Fredricks said. “Our pitching staff included some very young hurlers [Anthony Berg and Christ Stout, sophomores, and Kevin Martin, freshman] and all gained valuable experience pitching against varsity competition.”

Don’t think other conferences weren’t watching. This year’s GMCSBL has added 16 teams from the neighboring Shore Conference in Monmouth County. Teams are divided into four divisions: Middlesex North, Middlesex South, Monmouth North and Monmouth South. The regular schedule includes crossover games between North and South teams from each county and concludes with an expanded tournament format.

“The structure of the league includes tournaments in which 32 teams will compete,” said Fredricks. “This has really become a major enterprise.”

Ultimately, the winning team will continue to compete in the AABC/Don Mattingly TournamentWorld Series.

Fredricks has to feel good about how the regular season concluded for his Spotswood team. The Chargers finished 14-13, earning the Central Jersey Group III title before being eliminated by South Jersey champion Audubon, 13-3, last week.

“We got on quite a run toward the end,” Fredricks said, “but we all agreed we didn’t play the kind of baseball that got us to the state semis against Audubon.”

Leading the way for Spotswood was pitcher-shortstop Cody Pace, who will not be competing in the summer league because he graduates. The Montclair State Universitybound Pace finished with a .551 average at the plate and a 5-2 record on the mound.

“He’s been a special player for us,” said Fredricks. “Honestly, Cody may be able to play in college at a higher level if he chose to specialize in baseball. But that’s not him. Cody was also one of the top basketball players in the GMC. He made a decision to compete in two sports rather than concentrate on baseball, perhaps attending camps and working in the batting cage during the offseason. He was dedicated to his teammates.”

The GMCSBL schedule opened with games Monday and continues throughout the month of June. The tournament will be played July 5-13 at sites to be determined.