High school baseball player in N.J. killed in crash: ‘He was always smiling’

A 17-year-old Middlesex High School baseball player died after being seriously injured in a motor vehicle crash.

It wasn’t immediately clear when or where the crash involving James Matula took place, but in a letter to the community school officials confirmed a student’s death.

Middlesex High School baseball coach Blaze Iannetti said Matula was returning from a trip out of state when the crash occurred, but didn’t have additional details.

Iannetti said Matula was both well-liked in school and among his teammates.

“James was a type of kid who lit up the room,” Iannetti said. “As a kid around the building, he was always smiling. He was the type of kid who it seemed got along with everybody.”

Matula hit .263 as a junior in 2025 for Middlesex, which went 23-5 and won the Group I state