*apologies for deleting and reuploading, an update on our website took it down*
Now this is what I have been waiting for.
When I was on the Penn State Club Baseball team back in 2023, we won the National Championship, the third in program history. I still feel a little bad about this part, but we beat the “cinderella” team in Wisconsin-Whitewater, who went through a gauntlet and shocked everyone to get to us.
I was the only Delco guy on that Penn State team. Since then, that has grown to six, with Pat Mannix (Radnor), Austin Marx (Radnor), Owen Mathes (Marple Newtown), Justin Brennan (Marple Newtown), Joe McGinnis (St. Joe’s Prep/Broomall), and Drew Lamonica (Conestoga, I’m counting it as close enough).
Mathes and Lamonica won one last year in 2024, and they currently sit at 19-2 as they look to complete the three-peat.
If Pat Mannix keeps swinging like this, they have a real shot to make that happenAs always, this roundup is presented by Five Star Hiring, where the sports world and the real world intersect.
Pat Mannix, Penn State Club Baseball (Radnor)
No, that isn’t a weekend recap. That was the stat line from one game.
Penn State took on Temple this weekend looking to win their fourth straight conference championship, and Pat Mannix took over game two. He hit a three-run homer, a Grand Slam, and a two-run double for an unthinkable 9 RBI game as the Nittany Lions won 2/3 in the series.
He also homered on Friday night to give him a 7/10 with 3 HR and 11 RBI series. Mannix is now hitting .418 with a 1.198 OPS and is heating up at the right time as the 19-2 Nittany Lions will look to win their fourth straight regional tournament on May 9-11 in Cortland, NY.
Mike Hooker, DeSales (Ridley)
One of two DeSales pitchers on this list, Mike Hooker had the extremely impressive feat of going all nine innings.
He allowed just two runs and struck out four to lead DeSales over Arcadia. DeSales is exactly .500 in both the conference (9-9) and overall (17-17) and will likely need to upset Misericordia in the conference playoffs to make the NCAA Tournament.
After a bit of a rocky start to the year, Hooker seems to be back on track in the second half of the year. This is the first time he completed more than even six innings, so hopefully this start can give him some momentum as the postseason inches closer.
Frank Parrotti, DeSales (O’Hara)
Another day, another great performance by a DeSales pitcher against Arcadia. These guys must hate Delco right now.
This time it was Frank Parrotti, who tossed seven strong innings with just one earned run and five strikeouts.
Parrotti has almost been the reverse of Hooker where he started off the season very strong before running into some trouble lately. He just put together the second best start of his season, and like Hooker, seems to be gearing up for the postseason run.
Mike Valente, Cal U PA (Strath Haven)
The perfect streak rolls on for Mike Valente.
The Strath Haven alum has started eight games this season and has recorded the win in all eight of those.
It’s super impressive, especially in this era of baseball, for a pitcher to even record a decision in all eight starts let alone win them all. Valente has gone five or more innings in every start outside of opening day, and has gone seven innings in each of the last three.
The most runs he has allowed in a game so far this year is three, just consistently pumping out quality starts. His ERA sits at just 2.14 and he is a huge reason why Cal U is 29-7 on the year and ready to make a run for the PSAC title.
In the PSAC regular season, double header games are only seven innings, so these have all been complete games lately. He doesn’t have crazy strikeout numbers because he pitches more to contact, allowing him to get these complete games in under 80 pitches.
His next challenge will be this weekend against Slippery Rock.
Eric Genther, Rhode Island (The Haverford School)
I’m going to miss writing about Eric Genther.
Of course, there is still the chance that he gets drafted, which he has certainly earned in my biased opinion. He also could return to the Delco League like the rest of us where we will be covering him still.
But, it’s pretty rare to see a guy slug 24 college home runs at the Division I level, or any level really.
This past week, Genther added #23 and #24 onto that list. He had another 5 RBI game, his second of the year, to give him 39 in just 40 games played. He has a career high 8 HR and is hitting .331 on the year.
Rhode Island is 25-15, the best they have been since he was there. They are 13-5 in the A-10 and I would assume need to win the conference to make the NCAA Tournament, but that would sure be a fun way for his incredible college career to come to a close.
Tim Dickinson, St. Joe’s (Malvern Prep)
The early season struggles are long in the past now for Tim Dickinson, who has been scorching hot the last two weeks.
Exactly one month ago, Dickinson was hitting just .187 on March 22nd. He has gotten that average all the way back up to .264, thanks to multiple hits in four of the last five games. That includes two three-hit games, a two-hit game, and two home runs.
St. Joe’s may be 18-18 overall but they are a very respectable 12-6 in the A10, the same conference that Genther and Rhode Island are in. It sure would be nice for one of them (or even Jayce Tharnish with St. Bonnie’s) to win that conference and head to the big dance.
Andres Cruz, Wilkes (Radnor)
Andres Cruz was a First Team All-Delco infielder last year after helping lead Radnor to the district title game, and he is taking advantage of his freshman year opportunities at Wilkes.
Cruz is hitting .326 through the 46 at bats he has gotten and just had the best game of his college career, going 4/4 with two doubles and 3 RBI. It took him a little like most freshmen to earn regular playing time, but days like that will certainly help.
Wilkes is now 24-8 overall and 16-3 in their conference, so there’s a very good chance Cruz could end his freshman year in the NCAA Tournament.
Jake McDonough, Misericordia (Strath Haven)
Another 2024 First Team All-Delco selection with Strath Haven, Jake McDonough has stepped right in as as a freshman starter for the reigning D3 National Champions at Misericordia.
McDonough is hitting .300 on the dot through 80 at bats and has turned into a regular starter for the Cougars.
The championship hangover has hit the Cougars decently hard as they are 24-12 with a 12-6 conference record. Not bad, but not quite what you would expect from the reigning champs.
McDonough along with Bryan Henry (Bonner), Drew Van Horn (Garnet Valley) and Will Timar (Haverford) are still in a good spot to make the tournament and defend their title.
Quinten Perilli, Elizabethtown (Penncrest)
The power numbers haven’t been quite what they were for Quinten Perilli in his first two years at Elizabethtown, the alumni of DBN VP Ben Thorpe, but he’s still having a great year.
Perilli is hitting .347 with an OPS just below 1.000 and has also got some work on the mound. Elizabethtown is 22-11 and 15-5 in the Landmark Conference, the same conference that Wilkes is in as well as Catholic, which has many Delco players.
Knowing Perilli, a power surge is right around the corner, but it’s hard to complain with the numbers he has been putting up either way for the Blue Jays.
Brad Johnston, Swarthmore (Episcopal)
We love a Delco guy going to a Delco college.
That’s the case for Brad Johnston, who went right down the blue route to Swarthmore and has been heating up lately for a Swarthmore team that is 11-3 in the Centennial Conference.
Johnston has hits in five of the last six games including a homer and 6 RBI over the last week. He also homered on 4/13 to give him three on the year.
Swarthmore’s overall record of 20-15 will likely keep them out of the NCAA Tournament unless they are able to upset #2 Johns Hopkins in the CC Tournament, but with the way they are playing right now in the league, that’s at least a possibility.