Photos: Lennie Malmgren
By: Jeremy Goode
HAVERFORD, PA--Last year this baseball game may not have meant much. After all, both Barrack Academy and Academy of the New Church (ANC) had a challenging 2024 season.
Barrack, in their first season in the Friends League last year, finished league play winning only one of eight games, tied for last in their new league. Simply put, they were introduced to the heavy hitters like Friends Central, Shipley, Friends Select, and Westtown.
Welcome to the Friends League.
ANC on the other hand was looking to rebound from last season. They finished sixth out of nine teams in the Friends League, with a league record of 3-5. This season, ANC has a new head coach, Pat Brady.
So, both teams had a hopeful storyline for growth heading into 2025. Their early matchup in the season also demonstrated both teams’ eagerness to show that last year was last year. ANC might have done so more convincingly, as they defeated Barrack on the road at the Haverford Reserve turf baseball field, 6-5 on Tues., Apr. 1. Due to a two-hour limit, the game ended after six innings instead of the intended seven. Barrack’s home turf is located less than 10 minutes away from their school.
ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH HEAD COACH PAT BRADY. (PSD PHOTO BY LENNIE MALMGREN)
“Our goal is to make it to states and win the Friends League championship,” Chris Alston said. “Getting an early win here is the best thing that could have happened.”
Chris Alston on ANC's Bond as a Team
Barrack had gotten its feet wet last season. While it did not win much in the Friends League, the one game it won was something, especially as the new team in the conference. This year, it is all about expanding on last year. They saw what the league was about.
For ANC, this season is about growing and improving under first year coach Brady. They missed the Friends League playoffs last year by two games, which represented 25 percent of their conference schedule. This means that every Friends League game matters, and losses are quite consequential in a rather brief season.
ANC’s jumping out to a 5-0 lead in their first two at bats certainly helped establish themselves early on in league play. Alston started off the scoring by hitting a ground rule double in the first to score Jeff Simmons. Alston then scored after stealing third while the throw went into left field.
The early lead and support helped ANC starting pitcher Joey Kimenour on the mound. He noted how ANC’s quick start helps him settle in.
“Having a cushion makes the game a lot easier,” Kimenour said. “You feel like you can pitch forever and you can go out there and trust your teammates.”
A Kimenour single through the right side in the top of the second scored Josh Leavelsly and Simmons.
“Baseball is about who makes the most mistakes,” Brady said. “When we’re moving and getting the ball out there, I think we can make something happen. When we get someone on second, we can knock someone in.
Brady noted that it is key for this ANC team to get runners to second. When they do, he feels like his lineup can hit them in, as opposed to having guys on first base where he does not feel the team has the power to him them in.
Joey Kimenour on His Performance on the Mound
Barrack through the second to fourth inning was able to cut the game to one run similar to how ANC scored their runs in the first two innings. Get guys on base, run the bases on passed balls, and put the ball in play.
ANC squeezed through another insurance run late in the game, only to be answered by Barrack scoring a run in the bottom of the sixth.
The second-year FSL member held its own, even after starting with a five-run deficit.
“Last year, I heard that we lost to them, so I knew it was going to be a battle,” Alston said.
As noted, while FSL games are typically seven innings, the field that Barrack hosts its home games at has a two-hour limit, and the game was called in favor of ANC as they lead 6-5 heading into the top of the seventh.
Kimenour went 4 2/3 innings, striking out 11, including striking out the side in the second and fourth innings.
“I felt great out there,” Kimenour said. “I felt really good on my location.”
It is a welcome start for ANC in terms of its standing in the FSL. While Brady does not feel like the team has clicked on all cylinders yet, they are in the process of doing so.
Academy of The New Church in game vs. Barrack Hebrew Academy. (video/ Jeremy Goode for PSD)
With last year’s FSL champion Friends Central only losing one league game that season, that performance has in a way set a benchmark for every team.
You’d better win your league games, because losing twice could be the difference between winning or losing the championship.
“We’re trying to figure out who we are, as a team,” Brady said. “We are coming along, and I think we are going to get better in two weeks since the weather is still cold and the ball is not flying the way it is supposed to.”
