BASEBALL: It's Halftime In PCL Baseball - Here Is A Week In Review 4/21
PHILADELPHIA CATHOLIC LEAGUE:
Don’t look now, but the Catholic League season is already half over. Seven of the 13 teams have played six of the 12 games on the schedule.
There is a logjam atop the standings. La Salle and Archbishop Wood are 4-1; Father Judge, Archbishop Carroll, Roman Catholic, Archbishop Ryan, and St. Joseph’s Prep are right behind at 4-2. Neumann-Goretti (3-2) and Cardinal O’Hara (3-3) go eighth and ninth, followed by Lansdale Catholic and Conwell-Egan at 1-4. Bishop McDevitt (0-5) and Bonner-Prendergast (0-6) are still looking for their first victory.
Various players were asked for their opinion as to what has worked best so far and what remains a concern. Here are their replies.
“You can tell many improvements were made by players from a year ago,” said La Salle junior Andrew Cossetti. “Our pitchers have kept us in games long enough for hitters to break out and score a few and allow them to finish the game off. Senior pitchers Zach Moretski and Kade Jones have stepped up in a big way. They have pitched unbelievable, allowing us to only give up seven runs in league games so far this season to our 39 that we have scored.
“Our hitting has been a bit streaky, but as we head into the heart of the season, we are really starting to swing the bats well and it will be exciting to see when we match up consistent quality at bats with already dominant pitching.”
Moretski certainly appreciated the compliment.
“I think the team is on a roll right now with tough games coming up next week,” said Moretski. “The senior leadership has played a huge role on this team, especially on the mound and in the field. The team needs to work on being more consistent game to game at the plate and working better at bats. Overall, the team is on an upward trend with a lot of different guys stepping up in big roles.”
At Archbishop Wood, senior Kody Cracknell applauded the effort of junior catcher John Gifford.
Archbishop Wood junior pitcher, John Gifford - PSD Photo by Kevin Murphy
“He has been outstanding behind the plate, and at the plate hitting he had a huge game against Carroll,” said Cracknell, referring the Wednesday’s five-inning, 16-0 victory. “We lost our catcher from last year, Sean Kelly, who now plays at Mount St. Mary’s, and Gifford really just stepped up. He does everything well and is a wall blocking balls, and I think he is one of the best catchers in the league.”
Cracknell labeled pitchers getting ahead in counts, an aggressive outfield, and a steady infield as “all you can ask for.”
“Something we need to work on – we can all get a little better every day at every part of the game by just minimizing our mistakes every practice and game,” said Cracknell. “We have a very talented team, but we just need to stay focused and play one game at a time and play hard every game and do whatever it takes to win.”
Archbishop Carroll sophomore Tyler Kehoe said the Patriots’ defense and pitching “has won us almost all of our games because our bats just aren’t there yet.”
“The team as a whole is doing okay,” he said.” We need to work on mental toughness because that is key in baseball; without that, it's just going to be a long season.”
St. Joseph’s Prep senior Colin Scanlon expects the Hawks’ offense to find a groove.
“Our team is too talented to have such close games like 3-2, 1-0, and 2-1 wins,” said Scanlon. “Our offense has picked up a lot recently though. Our pitchers, including myself, need to work on getting the first guy of the inning out, and at least throwing first-pitch strikes. Starting ahead is key. Defensively, we make most routine plays. One or two a game tends to hurt us, but I know we'll fix it.”
Fellow Prep senior Pat Woltemate isn’t surprised by so many one-run or two-run victories on a weekly basis.
“The season so far has been what we kind of expected, a very tough and competitive league,” said Woltemate. “Everyone as of now has played a role one way or another in contributing to wins, from defense to pitching and even with a pinch hit here and there.”
Roman Catholic & St. Joe's Prep shake hands at the end of a hard fought game - PSD photo by Sayers/Delphais
At Roman Catholic, junior Marquise Wood is pleased with the Cahillites’ start.
“Our team is playing great,” said Wood. “We’re playing great team offense, and our pitchers are keeping us in every game. We’ve had a lot of guys step up so far this season. (Junior) John Kelly, for one, has been swinging a great bat all year and is a real big threat in the middle of our lineup.
“The thing we are doing the best is just sticking together and playing for each other all year long. We could always use some work in every part of our game, but moving forward, playing clean in the field is the biggest thing for now.”
Roman senior teammate Joe Pizzo lamented some tough defeats.
“We let a couple games get away from us that we could've won,” said Pizzo, “but after going 2-0 this week (with wins over Conwell-Egan, 11-7, and Archbishop Ryan, 4-2), I think we're in a really good spot. I would say because of all the seniors that graduated after last year, the entire team, especially the new faces we've got this year, have stepped up to help replace those guys and keep us playing good baseball.
“One of our biggest strengths is that we play really good team baseball. Guys aren't worrying about their own individual achievements. Everybody just does whatever is necessary to help the team win.”
At Archbishop Ryan, senior Dave Delvecchio chose a first-half Most Valuable Player.
“Brian Yost has stepped up the most for us,” said Delvecchio of his classmate. “He’s had a few key hits in some of our wins. Our team strength is pitching and defense, and we definitely need to work on our offense a little bit more.”
Yost cited camaraderie as a positive contributing factor.
“We are one team and one family,” said Yost.
Ryan senior Pat Reilly praised co-captains Delvecchio and Yost.
“They have stepped up on both sides of the ball,” said Reilly. “I think this season is going well so far. We already matched our wins from last year. If we throw strikes, make plays, and hit, I think we're the best team in the league.”
Archbishop Ryan senior, Dave Delvecchio - PSD Photo by Kevin Murphy
Archbishop Ryan senior, Pat Reilly - PSD Photo by Kevin Murphy
Junior teammate Robbie McWilliams again referred to the Raider captains as their key cogs.
“Dave Delvecchio has been doing great all season,” said McWilliams. “Last year, he didn't even get a chance. This year, he came out and just started ripping the ball. Yost has also stepped up a lot. He went from playing first base, which in my opinion is the easiest position, to catcher, which I believe is the hardest. And the best part about it is that he is doing great behind the plate. Many players couldn't do that.”
At Cardinal O’Hara, junior Liam Nihill said Jim White “has stepped up” for only being a sophomore.
“Our whole lineup has been stepping up the last couple of games,” said Nihill, whose Lions have notched shutouts in all three of their league wins. “Our strength is defense, but our bats have matched it lately. We need to work on timely hits with runners on base and to keep grinding away at the plate.”
At Lansdale Catholic, junior Shane McCarthy described the Crusaders as “well rounded.”
“We have gotten off to a slow start against some tough competition, but I expect us to improve for the remainder of the season,” said McCarthy. “We have an excellent defense, including a great infield, along with good starting pitching. As we continue to play more games, I believe our hitting will continue to get better.”
(John Knebels can be reached at jknebels@gmail.com or on Twitter @johnknebels.)
Tag(s): Home Schools Philadelphia Catholic Baseball Philadelphia Catholic League Arch. Carroll Baseball Arch. Ryan Baseball Arch. Wood Baseball Bishop McDevitt Baseball Bonner & Prendie Baseball Cardinal O'Hara Baseball Conwell-Egan Baseball Father Judge Baseball La Salle Baseball Lansdale Cath. Baseball Roman Catholic Baseball Saint Joseph's Prep Baseball Neumann/Goretti Baseball West Catholic Baseball