Manager: Toby MacCart (3rd Season)
2024 Record: 18-7
Central League Record: 10-6
Playoff Results:
PIAA District 1 5A Tournament
- Round 1 – Def. Phoenixville 7-4
- Round 2 – Def. Chichester 7-0
- Semifinals – Def. Strath Haven 13-2
- Championship – Def. Radnor 11-3
PIAA 5A State Tournament
- Round 1 – Lost to Shippensburg 12 – 0
Key Departures: Jason Bennett, Lucien Burger, Bennett Cox, Paul DeFruscio, Aiden Pearson, Aiden Hennelly
Key Returners: Jackson Burger, Aidin Curran, Jake Gorman, Sean Grogan, Aidan Liberty, Jack Maholick, John Matthews, Kevin Wigo
Marple Newtown’s 2024 squad was on a mission to avenge their first round exit in the previous year’s district tournament. To say they accomplished that mission is an understatement.
The Tigers entered the District 1 5A tournament as the eighth seed and went on a run, ripping off four straight victories to claim a District Title.
That run ended in the first round of the State Tournament and some of the major contributors on offense have graduated. Marple’s 2025 group will be a little younger and more inexperienced, but Head Coach Toby MacCart sees a lot of ability.
“We’re excited. It’s basically a brand new team; we graduated fourteen guys,” MacCart said about the outlook of his team. “We’ll have a good mix of experience and young guys”.
Marple’s lineup was formidable last year, filled with college commits and led by Delco Baseball Now Hitter of the Year, Bennett Cox. They’ll still be a good group this season, but the strength of the current team is its pitching.
Most of Marple’s experience is on the pitching side in 2025, and MacCart is expecting big years from everyone on the staff. Their top three arms in Aidin Curran, Jake Gorman, and Jack Maholick are back and bolstered by a few more capable relievers.
Curran and Maholick played somewhat of 1A and 1B roles last year, and I expect to see something similar this year. Maholick is a senior committed to Catholic and has pitched countless big games for the Tigers over the years. Curran, a junior, broke out in 2024 and was electric down the stretch, winning two playoff games including the District Championship.
From a guy who broke out in 2024 to someone with a good chance to do the same in 2025, Gorman should see an uptick in innings for his sophomore year. MacCart put him in some big spots down the stretch and Gorman shined. He’ll have even more on his plate this year.
A change in Central League scheduling has made it so that teams will play a maximum of two league games per week this year. Because of this, MacCart said there won’t be too many others pitching outside of that big three. He did say Jackson Burger, Kevin Wigo, and a freshman arm, Carter Patterson, would all get innings this year.
Some of those guys mentioned will be tasked with big roles in the offense as well. Maholick and Curran were regular starters when they weren’t pitching and will be again. Gorman can swing it as well and should see some at-bats.
Jackson Burger took over centerfield when his brother, Lucien, went down with an injury and did a good job. He’ll be joined by Curran and another player expected to lead the offense, Sean Grogan, as Marple brings back its entire starting outfield from last year.
Infield took the biggest hit in terms of players leaving. It’ll be up to some promising young players to get the job done. MacCart listed sophomore Sal Brady, freshman Jordan DiPinto, sophomore Aidan Liberty, and junior John Matthews as guys who can swing it and will be expected to step up.
A big focus for the team as a whole will be staying in the present.
“We’re going to take it one day at a time,” said MacCart when asked about the goals for this season. “We’ll get better every day and hopefully at the end of the year, we’re playing our best baseball”.
The Tigers already saw some good competition during their spring break trip to Orlando, Florida. They’re back north and will get right into the Central League schedule, facing Springfield on March 19th.