BERWYN, PA — The 0-4 start to the season for Conestoga is well in the past now.

The Pioneers had previously won their last three games scoring close to or over 10 runs in each of those games. On the flip side, Strath Haven has had some quiet scoring games as of late, with their pitching staff carrying most of the load.

They scored just seven runs in the last three games and were looking for a turnaround today, that is, until they met Luke Hunter, the sophomore pitcher for Conestoga. 

The top of the first was quiet for the Panthers, with no hits, but a couple solid pieces of contact. Ben Milligan, the Panthers senior captain and leadoff hitter, would go down looking on six pitches. Alex Selverian and Will Taylor would go down next to a ground out to second base and a flyout to Conestoga Center fielder Cooper Evers. In between those hitters, a Panther would reach base on an error, but no harm was created.

Toeing the rubber for the Panthers, Rob Mattai struggled to find the zone early. The bottom half of the frame quickly shifted gear as the Pioneers would jump out to a 2-0 lead thanks to a leadoff double by James Quici, putting the ‘Neers in a great position to strike first in the bottom half of the inning.

Cooper Evers would follow up with a walk. Behind him, Chase Cherny, would also reach base via the walk. So, if you’re Mattai, you’ve worked yourself into quite the pickle.

But, the senior pitcher was able to keep his composure with the bases loaded and no outs, quickly striking out two. The Panthers were looking to get out of the inning in a big way, but Chase Rantanen had other plans. An RBI double over the centerfielder’s head would put the Pioneers up 2-0 early, setting the fuse for the offensive outburst. Mattai was able to collect himself, picking up a strikeout to retire the side.

The next few innings were relatively busy for one side, and pretty quiet for the other. The Panthers would have just three hits after four innings of play, and the Pioneers would add four more over the course of the next three innings.

In the bottom of the second, an RBI single from James Quici scoring the leadoff single from Josh Lee would put the Neers up another run, draining Mattai of getting in any sort of rhythm.

Mattai’s day would be done after just 1 ⅓ innings pitched. Jasper Hals would replace him, in return netting the Pioneers two more runs on a sacrifice fly from Mark Kotapka and a Chase Cherny RBI single to left field to make it 5-0.

Rantanen would flyout to end the inning. The Panthers would do their best to spark an offensive spark, but to no avail. In the top of the 3rd, Caden Shuster led off with a single to center field, later advancing to second on an error.

They would follow with a fly out, and then even worse, a double play from centerfielder Cooper Evers. The Panthers came up empty handed, stripping them of the energy that remained. 

Conestoga would add another run of insurance on a double from Josh Lee, sending home Kurt Tharnish to score. Strath Haven would continue to battle, putting up their first run of the game in the top of the fourth. Two hit by pitches and a single would put Strath Haven in a great position to answer back. A sacrifice fly from Wolf Boswick would score one, but the fun would end there.

Strath Haven’s Caden Shuster went down swinging for the final out of the inning leaving runners stranded on second and third.

Over the next few innings, the game would get a little out of hand. In the bottom of the fourth, Cooper Evers homered, tacking on another run. The fifth inning was relatively quiet for both sides, producing a couple of hits, netting neither team a run.

Moving into the sixth, the Panthers answered back on a RBI single from Caden Shuster, scoring Eli Price who walked previously in the inning. In the bottom half of the fifth, Max Kotzen would take the rubber for the Panthers, in what was already a damage done situation. The Pioneers netted four more runs on a leadoff single from James Quici, an RBI single from Chase Cherny, and a two-run homer from Luke Hunter. Kotzen would finish out the inning with a walk and two strikeouts. 

Max Brown came on to record the final three outs to lock down the fourth straight win for Conestoga in dominating fashion.

For the Panthers, they will have some time to reset after dropping to 5-3 in the Central League, with their next league game not being until next Monday (4/21) vs Upper Darby. They will do their best to clean things up, taking on West Chester Henderson on Thursday for some non-conference action.

The Pioneers improved to 4-5 on the season and 4-4 in the Central League, netting their fourth straight win. Their next match up will come Tuesday the 15th, in an non-league game against Cardinal O’Hara at 4:00. 

2024 Record: 13-7-1

Central League Record: 11-5

Manager: Rudy Shiller

Playoff Results: 

• Beat Council Rock South 11-6 in PIAA 6A first round

• Lost to Central Bucks East 7-10 in second Round

• Extended  playoff streak to 4

Key Departures: Nick Gordon, Eddie Cwiertniewicz, Mark Zuppo, Jack Krautzel, Justin Gretsky, Logan Hamilton, Dean Bianco

Key Returners: Harrison Maull, Cole Lombardo, Chris Shaller, Nolan Carroll, Brady Thompson, Joe Anzalone, Cody Weist, Gavin Lewis, Dylan Orr

Impact Players: Ryan Mcghee, Kyle Klein, Zach Gordon, Kevin Coleman, Garret Hosterman, Dylan Orr 

Well It’s no surprise that this Garnet Valley Team Will be a top contender solely from the ability to rake 1-9 in their order. This team has some exciting young talent, similar to years before, that the team is excited to see step up in big ways in the likes of Harrison Maull, Cole Lombardo, and Dylan Orr. 

The Jags really came together toward the end of the season, setting up for a thrilling finish where they came in second place for the Central League title, only one game Behind A talented Strath Haven Lineup, paving the way for a great 2025 season.

So what’s the biggest thing about this Jags team? Interchangeability, cohesion and chemistry. 

The Jags were led by seniors Nick Gordon, Mark Zuppo, Eddie Cweirtniewicz, and Jack Krautzel, all of whom graduated.

Multiple .300+ hitters, and the Jags ace with a 2.30 ERA over 40 innings, including a no-hitter, all evaporated for the 2025 season. But, this lineup was just so good that almost every other hitter in the lineup was north of .300 average at the plate.

Four of the most notable names, all which are now seniors, hit close to, or substantially north of .300.

The team broke multiple school records offensively as a team in 2024, and had plenty of hitters leave their mark on the season. Chris Schaller hit over .400, Harrison Maull north of .350, Cole Lombardo hit north of .325, Brady Thompson hit .298, Dylan Orr was over .300, and Aidan Bendo made a strong Impact in 2024 as well, all of which are returners in this Jags Lineup.

The Jags are going to hit. There’s no lie in that statement. But, they are looking forward to some names stepping up this year. They have younger talent and are defensively focused on replacing and strengthening the Pitching Rotation for the Jags.

Chris Schaller, a senior, understands that the focus is not on the lineup, but more so on the holes in the rotation.

“We have a very experienced team this year with many returners in our lineup one through nine,” Schaller said. “It doesn’t matter who is at the dish, we will drive in runs and produce quality at-bats”

His goals, more so lie within the taking of a leadership role, as well as maintaining his team’s poise throughout the year.

“Last year I learned how important trusting his teammates is to win games”,” said Schaller. “I know that no matter the performance I gives, my teammates will have my back and I should have theirs”.

Schaller also looks forward to seeing the development of  Dylan Orr and Ryan McGhee both offensively and on the mound to provide some great innings. 

Schaller will be the catalyst of this lineup offensively, batting a whopping .440, with a 1.200 OPS, and over 20 RBI last year. If Schaller can stay healthy for the full season this year, he quite possibly could be Delco’s player of the Year.

Another Name to Talk about here is Nolan Carroll, who will be making the switch from catcher to left field this season. Carroll’s decision to switch was backed by all three coaches, and was mainly focused behind the idea of getting reps and getting acclimated to the position he was going to play in college.

Carroll, who recently Committed to Ursinus College, will continue his baseball Career as opposed to wrestling or football which he also had illustrious careers with.

“Baseball is my favorite sport, and even though I have had some more success through football and the wrestling mat, I decided to choose baseball solely for my love of the game,” said Carroll.

Carroll also looks forward to seeing young talent step up and take over his position, led by potential candidates sophomore Kevin Coleman, and Freshman Zach Gordon.

While we’re on the topic of young talent, both coaches elaborated on what young players getting a varsity experience is like.

Third Base Coach Joe Dean, who is likely next in line to take over the manager role whenever Rudy Shiller decides to retire, talked about the impact giving experience to young players has on a team.

“We’ve had a good number of young talents step up over the past years, which is allowing us to come into this season with more than a couple players that have three years of varsity experience,” said Dean. “It’s a well seasoned group that is confident in their abilities, but more so, their confidence in each other, making sure that they don’t need to try to do too much.”

Coach Dean also looks forward to the development of a junior left-handed pitcher Ryan McGhee, who has a Fernando Valenzuela Type effect on hitters.

“Mcghee threw some innings last year… none more important for his confidence than the playoff game against a talented Central Bucks East team loaded with Division 1 talent,” said Dean “He kept his composure, understood the assignment, and made a lot of great hitters look uncomfortable at the plate.”

On the flip side, manager Rudy Shiller believes in his seniors to pave the way for this young up and coming group of underclassmen.

“The seniors decided not to elect captains this year for a change. They felt that every senior’s input was equally as valuable, and they all wanted each other to have a leadership role,” said Shiller. “We will rely heavily on our seniors in the top part of our order with Chris Schaller, Nolan Carroll, and Brady Thompson leading the way.”

He continued to talk highly of his trained, experienced middle infield pair of Cole Lombardo and Harrison Maull, and was intrigued by the potential of underclassmen Dylan Orr, Kyle Klein, Kevin Coleman, and Zach Gordon.

Gordon, likely to take on a role at catcher, has made a great impression on Coach Shiller who believes he has look very impressive back there.

Brady Thomspon, another senior who naturally takes a leadership role in anything he does including his school’s Drama Club, loved to talk about how he sees the season playing out.

The Washington College recruit sees himself setting a followable example led by being a great character and performing to the best of his ability.

“The biggest thing is picking guys up… baseball is too tough of a sport to take all your failures so hard,” said Thompson. “We are just trying to maintain calmness and focus on winning instead of personal performance, that is something I can try and help with.”

Thompson believes chemistry is the biggest key to their success and that if nine talented guys play cohesively and united they can give theirselves the best chance at winning.

The closing statement? This team is the same as some of the vintage Jags teams we’ve seen in the past decade with some new flairs of embracing the youth, similar amongst the likes of the 2021 squad led by Jake Potts, and the 2022 squad led by Ryan Wooten.

“The season goes as far as our seniors take us,” said Coach Shiller.

But with a newfound pitching rotation led by Ryan McGhee, Joe Anzalone, Cole Reber and Cody Weist and a crazy lineup that can slug with the best one through nine led by Schaller, Thompson, Carroll, Maull and Lombardo, the sky’s the limit for this jags team heading into 2025 as they search for another way to compete for a title.

The team is focused on getting a little bit better every day, no matter what your role is

“Give your best,” said Schiller. “That’s what the seniors expect of themselves, and you.” Shiller stated.

That combined with the perfect mix of young talent makes for an intimidating confident Jags team that Is hungry to take back what is theirs.

Manager: Tom Carey (second season)

2024 Record: 8-11-1

Central League Record: 8-8

Playoff Results:

• Lost to North Penn 3-2 in PIAA 6A First Round
• Extended playoff streak to six years

Key Departures: Chris Kimmel, Danny Stickney, Bryant Cauthorn

Key Returners: John Teehan, Bobby Doherty, Jake Mansfield

The Tribe had a strong 2024 campaign, behind the likes of senior leaders Danny Stickney, Chris Kimmel, and Bryant Cauthorn.

They kept their playoff streak alive extending it to a sixth year, as well as making some noise late in the Central League last season with a victory over Garnet Valley, stripping them of a chance at two-way tie in the Central League title race alongside Strath Haven.

Ridley hasn’t always had the best luck of the draw with talent. A lot of great players end up transferring into private programs like Bonner and The Haverford School among others. With a large graduating senior class, The Tribe had a lot of holes to fill moving forward into 2025.

Many think to let the Tribe go under the radar. They’re not ready to be counted out just yet.

Looking forward the 2025 season, there were some foundational changes within the program that took place behind the new leadership of captains John Teehan and Bobby Doherty. Developing young talent, creating a foundation for success, as well as mixing in toughness, grit, and a will to win is what drives this new look Green Raiders team in 2025.

So, what’s on the menu in 2025 for this Raiders squad?

For starters, this team has two players who were both on our All-Delco Honorable Mention list last year to lead the way after very strong convincing 2024 campaigns.

John Teehan, a senior captain and RHP/SS who recently committed to Lebanon Valley College is ready to lead this team both offensively and defensively.

Teehan hit .283 with 15 hits, 10 RBI and stole 10 bases, moving around all spots in the order. He also recorded a 3.15 ERA with nearly double the number of strikeouts to walks. Teehan is a consistent proven arm, who knows what it takes to get the job done on the mound.

Playing Shortstop and pitching is no easy task though.

“Last year as a junior it was a little tough to two-way while being a midweek reliever and starting every couple of games,” said Teehan. “I’ve prepared my body well this offseason to take on a shortstop and #2 arm spot and I’m embracing the workload.”

When talking bout what it’s going to take to be successful this year, Teehan mentioned the will to win, and the understanding that the team must be fundamentally sound to give them a chance to win.

“I trust my defense and pitching staff to throw strikes, it’s just going to rely on all of our hitters to step up and make things happen,” said Teehan.

One of those driving forces who will need to step up, another senior captain, is Bobby Doherty.

Doherty had a strong campaign in 2024, batting a sound .361 in conference play, leading his team overall. Doherty’s performance went under the radar many games last year, but he is ready to impact this team with a bigger role than just his on-field improvements.

“I want to make a bigger impact this year than I had last year and get off to a hot start to help put the Tribe on the radar,” said Doherty. ““John and I know that we need to keep the team up and alive at all times and keep the foot on the gas throughout the season.”

With two strong leaders and their understanding of what it takes to win, we turn to the young up and comers to fill in the roles of those who graduated.

The biggest hole to be seen is the starting pitching of the Raiders. Leading the way for the Tribe in 2025 will be junior Jake Mansfield, who is spoken very highly of by Head Coach Tom Carey.

“We are are really looking forward to seeing the continued development of Jake Mansfield, he stepped up in several big spots on the mound last year,” said Carey. “He has put in a lot of work this offseason in the weight room and on the mound to put himself in a position to be successful this year.”

Mansfield had a 2.52 ERA with a save in a big time spot. After Mansfield is Teehan, and after that, the future is still uncertain.

There are still a lot of new faces for this squad, and there’s been a strong knack for competition between his players leading into the season.

“We expect there to be contributions from both younger and older players in this program,” said Carey.

Last year’s team had a similar situation with certain underclassmen stepping up in huge spots, as well as older guys filling in maturely where they needed to. Those older guys have now molded into leaders of this young team, earning full trust from Coach Carey.

“We have two really solid leaders in John and Bobby, and the entire senior class has stepped up with leadership and maturity as well”, said Carey, who named both Doherty and Teehan captains. “They both work extremely hard, and they played a huge part in developing a culture that is centered around hard work and supporting each other.”

Moving forward into 2025, Coach Carey has full trust in his squad to find a way to win. The Raiders will take things one day at a time, focusing on embracing their gritty, never give up play style.

But does this year’s team have enough talent to continue the playoff appearance streak?

“Our goal is to go 1-0 every day, taking things game to game,” said Teehan. “We are hungry to keep the playoff streak alive, and it has been running through our minds”.

Teehan also had to throw the hammer down, by clearly embracing the one day at a time mentality to his whole team. A huge attitude change took place once his teammates took on this mentality alongside John and Bobby.  The young members of the team helped establish this attitude shift, realizing the team will have to be grittier and more scrappy than last year.

The closing statement? Look out for the Raiders. They’re coming.

“The young guys are prepared, and they understand how serious Ridley Baseball has been over the years, it’s only a matter of time before they turn into legit threats on the varsity field,” said Teehan.

The team looks toward Tim Calamita, Luke Ladislaw, and Brendan Soper to step up. A determined young core, and a strong senior batch is ready to take on the challenge, and show off their hard work put in during the offseason.

Look out for this to be a classic Raiders team, looking to take the Central League by storm leaving the league in shock.