(photo of Rustin’s AJ Calio via Shelby Kauffman/DBN)

RADNOR, PA – Took a few days for this one to be decided.

#5 West Chester Rustin squeezes by #4 Radnor in a real tight game, decided by pitching, where both teams have really good staff’s.

Two D1 committs took the bump for the teams.

Vanderbilt commit AJ Calio got the nod for the Golden Knights, while Lehigh commit Austin Havertine got the go-ahead for Radnor.

The Raptors got a run off the Vandy commit in the first inning, where Havertine gave himself some run support, as he notched a base hit to drive in Caden Szychulski for Radnor’s first, and only run of the game.

With two outs in the third, the game was called after it started pouring down. Calio’s game was finished as he went two and two-thirds, allowing two hits, and striking out seven. Fantastic stuff for such a short start.

Today, the game was finally resumed, and Havertine took the mound again after a day of rest due to rain on Thursday.

In the fourth, Havertine allowed a two-run double to Cole Hoffmayer, though both runs were unearned, as the inning would have been over after he struck out the previous batter, but an error by Radnor earlier in the inning allowed a man to get on.

Outside of that, Havertine was spectacular. Went the full seven innings in a loss, allowed five hits, and struck out 13 batters in what was the final outing of an unbelievable career at Radnor. Havertine was the 2025 Delco Baseball Now Cy Young and Most Valuable Player, made two district titles and won one in 2025 vs Upper Dublin.

Aidan Cugini and Brady Shuffler pitched the bulk of the game after it resumed earlier today, and Cugini was given the win after two and a third of shutout baseball. Shuffler went two innings and struck out two.

#4 Radnor sees their season come to a close at 12-8-1, a step back from last year’s 20-4, where they split the Central League title with Haverford, won the District 1 5A championship, and made the state tournament.

#5 WC Rustin moves onto the semifinal round against rival #8 West Chester East which is expected to be tomorrow. The winner of that game will take on Upper Perk in Tuesday’s championship game at Villanova Ballpark in Plymouth Meeting.

The loser will still have a chance to qualify for states against Springfield on Tuesday.

(photo of Garnet Valley’s Ryan McGhee via Josh Krautzel/DBN)

GARNET VALLEY, PA — This one was as thrilling as it gets for a playoff game.

Garnet Valley welcomed Central Bucks West to Delco for a round one, 6A matchup.Garnet Valley threw out who else but their ace, senior Ryan McGhee.

After both teams failed to score in the first, the Bucks broke the tie, hanging up a crooked number in the second. With two men on, Christopher Katsikis doubled to drive home both guys and give the Bucks the lead.

But this did not last long.

Ashton Yau and Garret Hosterman walked and singled to get on with two outs to get a man in scoring position. Branden Capone singled to drive in Yau and cut the lead. Cole Lombardo was then plunked to load the bases. Zach Gordon took a bases loaded walk to even things up after two.

Both teams failed to score in the third, and the Bucks failed to score in the fourth. In fact, all six outs made those innings were hit straight to Capone in center.

In the bottom of the fourth, Yau and Hosterman reached to start the inning, setting up another chance for Capone to drive a guy in. After recording six straight outs in the field, Capone was ready to make a splash, and smacked the 0-1 pitch to right field for a three-run jack.

There was likely no one more pumped than the Jaguars in that moment, as Capone rounded second, looking up and raising his arms before he crossed the plate and was greeted by his teammates in the dugout. It was now a three-run lead for Garnet Valley.

Unfortunately, over the next two innings, the Bucks took advantage of a gassed McGhee, who labored through six innings with 73 pitches in 95 degree weather.

His day was finished after six, and after Central Bucks West tied the game off a single from their starting pitcher Stephen Verdolini.

Junior Colton Turner came in for McGhee, who has been a pleasant surprise for the Jags, didn’t pitch at all last season, but put up a 0.30 ERA in 23.1 innings.

Turner shut down the Bucks through two innings, and helped send the game to extras. Turner again shut down the Bucks in the top of the eighth to set up a chance for the offense.

Hosterman walked to lead off the inning, but was then out at second on a fielder’s choice, but there was still a runner at first. With two outs, Gordon walked to bring McGhee up to the plate, who was likely hoping to redeem himself after allowing the Bucks tie the game a few innings ago.

On the 1-0 pitch, McGhee smacked it through the 3-4 gap, and drove in the winning run from second.

Players from the dugout sprinted out to McGhee, and the celebration ended up in right field, wrapping up the game, and the Jags sneaking by in a close one.

#12 Garnet Valley will now go on to face #5 Spring-Ford on the road. A rematch of last years first round matchup where Garnet Valley came out on top. Ram Stadium is Royersford is a gorgeous complex, with stadium seats, lights and a press box. The game will be played on Wednesday, time TBD.

(image via Mark Cunningham/Getty Images)

Big day for baseball fans across Delco, as Monsignor Bonner’s very own Kevin McGonigle gets the call-up to the big leagues.

McGonigle, now 21, who models his game after Phillies great Chase Utley, was taken 37th overall in the 2023 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers.

He was taken this high for good reason. In his senior season with the Friars, he hit .530, smacked six home runs, and posted a 1.735 OPS.

Before being drafted, McGonigle was committed to Auburn and was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Pennsylvania.

The shortstop quickly shot up the rankings, as by August 2024, he was the 33rd ranked prospect.

Between 2023 and 2024, McGonigle hit .310 with a .858 OPS across his first two minor league seasons, though his 2024 was shortened due to a broken hamate bone in his hand.

But in 2025, he really made his mark. Entering the season, he was ranked 28th in MLB Pipeline’s pre-season prospect rankings.

To begin the season, McGonigle joined the big league club in Spring Training and hit .400 with a 1.338 OPS in the 10 at-bats he was given that Spring before being optioned to Low A.

McGonigle began the 2025 regular season in Single A, and hit .358 across Low A and High A before earning a promotion to the Tigers’ Double A affiliate, the Erie Seawolves.

His time with the Seawolves showed what kind of player he could be. Despite only hitting .254 in Double A, he hit 12 homeruns, had an OBP of .369, SLG% of .550, and posted a .919 OPS.

Over the All-Star Break, McGonigle was named to the American League Futures team.

At the end of the season, he was named MiLB All-Prospect First Team and had shot up all the way to number two on the MLB Pipeline top 100.When MLB Pipeline released its 2026 pre-season prospect rankings, McGonigle stayed steady at number two.

Now this February, this got him another invite to Spring Training with the Tigers where he got a lot more time on the field. This Spring, McGonigle hit .250 with a .411 OBP, .477 SLG%, and a .888 OPS, and also hit a 437 foot tank against the Phillies.

And after a lot of speculation on whether McGonigle would make the Tigers roster, it was announced on March 24th that he would begin the season on the big league club.

The Delco product quickly made a name for himself, and finally earned the hard-earned promotion to the show. While the Tigers won’t be in Philly this summer, they will play in Detroit from July 10-12, where McGonigle could potentially get to face his childhood team.

McGonigle will wear number 7 for the Tigers.

(cover photo of Matteo DeBellis via Jeff Isaac)

Well, considering how small the 2A bracket is, this rematch of last year’s 1A championship wasn’t all that surprising.

Delco Christian comes into this game looking for revenge after losing 11-4 last year in the 1A championship, to guess who, Faith Christian.

Faith Christian’s most recent game was May 12 against Delco Christian, where the Lions won 9-5 to finish 9-0 in conference play in their final game of the regular season.

This season was unusual for the Knights. They finished under .500 for the first time since 2022, but still managed to boast an 8-4 conference record and make the 2A bracket.

Senior Reid Darnall led the offense in most major categories, posting a .441/.554/.610 triple slash, and for those who cant do math, thats a 1.164 OPS. They had three guys put an OPS over 1.000, with the last guy being senior Sam Dixon, as he posted a 1.075. The seniors are the leaders of the offense, and will likely be leaned on a lot to help with production.

The Knights had some solid pitching, having three guys post an ERA under 3.00. Senior Porter Roberts led the way, posting a 1.40 in ten innings, which was followed closely by senior Beau Lyren, who just finished up a 15 K performance to help the Knights advance to the district championship. Sophomore Matteo DeBellis was the last guy to post a sub-3.00 ERA, as he posted a 2.69. Beau Lyren led the team in innings, and served as the team’s ace, as he logged 28.1 innings on the season. He was followed by sophomore Josiah Lyren, who posted 27 innings with a 3.89 ERA.

We think there’s a good shot it’s Josiah on the mound today based on how the season has gone.

Now, don’t let the 10-11 record deceive you, this team stayed fighting and don’t count them out against this loaded Faith Christian team.

On the other side of the field is Faith Christian, who, I will not lie, is an absolute wagon. They followed up an undefeated 2024 with a 16-2 2025. They do everything good, no other way to put it. They have maybe the most insane run differential I’ve ever seen, as it sits at an absurd 206-27.

Not much to say about the offense other than it’s maybe one of the best in the state. Their 206 runs in 18 games is good for 11.4 runs per game. Coker College commit Reid Miller had a hilarious .603 average and 1.751 OPS.

Jagger Verbit (awesome name) hit .500 with a 1.200 OPS, while Chase Gieser (also Coker recruit) hit .481 with a 1.352 OPS

Their pitching was maybe even better. They didn’t have a single pitcher have an ERA above 2.00. TWO. It was led by senior ace Reid Miller, who posted a 0.35 ERA, which was 13th in the whole state. He also struck out 75 guys which was good for 3rd in District 1. His dominance would be followed by senior Chase Gieser. He posted a 1.35 and led the team in appearances. I could name every pitcher on the staff if I wanted to, but that’d take up a lot of time. So in short, its a really really damn good staff.

Now, while on paper, this game may seem like an easy win for Faith Christian, but Delco Christian always seems to make things interesting and stay in games they have no business being in. So this has the makings to be a really interesting game.

The game has been moved to Friday @ Villanova Ballpark at 1:00. It will be part of a doubleheader with the 4A title between Springfield Montco and Pope John Paul II.

NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA- Did someone let Zack Wheeler take the mound?

The Knights got their get back after falling to Calvary Christian last Thursday on a walk off, and Beau Lyren was a key piece in this big win. Nothing short of dominant.

After allowing a leadoff single, Lyren struck out the next three batters, the first of 15 total for the game.

The Knights started it off with a bang, as Matteo DeBellis led off with a double, and was then driven in by a double from Josiah Lyren to give them a quick 1-0 lead after one inning.

Beau Lyren then went back out to the bump and proceeded to set down the Cougars in order, all on strikeouts, moving his total up to six.

Delco Christian got the scoring started again in the third, as Josiah Lyren hit his second double of the game to lead off the bottom of the third. With one out, Lyren advanced to third on a passed ball, and then Sam Dixon walked to set up runners at the corners with one out. With two outs and runners at the corners, Beau Lyren gave himself some run support, hitting a three-bagger to drive in both runners and put the Knights up 3-0. While the next batter was up, Beau Lyren scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-0 after three.

Lyren then went out and tossed another shutdown inning, including two strikeouts to put him up to 10 on the day.

Justin Ma led off the fourth with a single. With one out, DeBellis knocked in a run to make it 5-0 on his second double of the day. Josiah Lyren then walked, setting up two men on with one out. Both runners stole a bag to set up shop at second and third base. DeBellis then came home to score on a passed ball to score Delco Christians final run of the game and make it 6-0.

In the fifth, Lyren got his strikeout total up to 12.

Then in the sixth, Lyren then got it up to 14.

in the top of the seventh, Lyren struck out the second batter of the inning to put his total up to 15 on the afternoon. With one out and two men on, Lyren was pulled, finishing his day with six and a third, five hits, zero earned runs, and fifteen strikeouts.

Sam Dixon came in for Lyren and allowed a double to allow a run, which goes as unearned to both pitchers. He managed to limit damage and secure a strong 6-1 win for the Knights.

The Knights will face off against Faith Christian for a rematch of last year’s 1A final where Faith Christian won 11-4. The winner of this game will move on to the PIAA State Playoffs.

The Fords enter this second round matchup riding their high horse after upsetting #7 Friends Central 15-3 on Friday afternoon. They look to continue what could be a cinderella run for the Fords against a very good Perkiomen team.

The Fords had an…okay regular season, finishing 8-15, but still making the playoffs. In their first game, it wasn’t close as they smoked Friends Central 15-3.

The Fords will lean heavily towards their offense, led by junior Jaidyn Rivera, as he went 4-5 last time out against Friends central. He also boasts two multi-homer games this season and 12 HR overall which leads all of Delco.

As a team they had 14 hits all together, with five guys having multi-hit games.

Senior Pat White (RIT commit) and senior Zac Fuscaldo (F&M commit) both had multiple RBIs on Friday against Friends Central. The young bats have stepped up lately with sophomore Thomas Lawler and freshman Zack Lawler as well as sophomore Nicky Vanni.

Look for The Fords offense to be a key to victory.

This will Perkiomens first game of the playoffs, as they had the first round bye as they are the #2 seed.

Perkiomen, just like Haverford, is a very offense heavy team. They had six guys hit over .500 on the season, including senior Avery Smith (Penn State commit) hit .500 with a 1.698 OPS. Smith is the runner of the offense, leading the team in basically every major category, including five homers on the year.

Senior Ryan Sink (Mansfield commit) served as the teams ace, followed by senior Justin Fryer (Northwestern commit) who was the teams strikeout leader. Sink posted a team best 1.39 ERA. Fryer posted a 2.42. They were the only pitchers on the team with an ERA under 4.00.

This game should be an exciting one, two great offenses going at it for a chance to advance and move on to the semi finals on May 22 against the winner of Episcopal and SCHA.

(cover photo of Ryan McGhee courtesy of Dylan Johnson/Delco Baseball Now)

GARNET VALLEY, PA- Can’t choose one player as a key contributor when everyone did something.

It was a beautiful day for some playoff ball, I bet Garnet Valley would agree as they took down #23 Spring-Ford by an 11-2 final. They will now take on #7 WC Henderson Tuesday afternoon at 4:00 as the game was moved because of Wednesday’s forecast.

Garnet Valley ace Ryan McGhee took the bump to kick off their first playoff game. He walked two in the first inning, but managed to limit damage and got all three outs through strikeouts.

For Spring-Ford, Ethan Freed took the bump, and got the first runner out before walking back-to-back batters. Brady Thompson then singled, but the runner at second was nabbed at home to keep it scoreless. It was 0-0 after one.

In the top of the second, Spring-Ford took the lead on a base hit from TJ Schultz to put the Rams up 1-0.

However…this would be the only lead they would have the whole game.

Kyle Klein led off the bottom of the second with a walk. Joe Anzalone then doubled with one out to put Klein at third with one out. Cole Hoffacker then singled to tie it up at one apiece. Nolan Carroll then grounded out to give Garnet Valley the lead 2-1 with two outs.

Back-to-back walks set up a bases loaded situation for Brady Thompson. Thompson delivered, clearing the bags on a huge double to break it open at 5-1 Garnet Valley after two.

McGhee went out and threw a big shutdown inning to help Garnet Valley maintain their lead after the top of the third.

Freed was pulled for Dom Ruggiero. Freed’s final line was two innings, four hits, five earned runs, five walks, and two strikeouts while being credited with the loss.

In the top of the fourth, the Rams chipped into the four run deficit, as Ryan Fields drove in a run to make it 5-2, but that’s all they got as McGhee got out of the jam.

Garnet Valley broke it open in the bottom of the fourth.

Carroll and Cole Lombardo both singled to start the inning before Spring-Ford managed to get two outs. Harrison Maull then singled to make it 6-2 and have runners on the corners. Klein then ripped a double and drove in both runners to make it 8-2 Garnet Valley after four.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Jags tacked on another, as McGhee drove one in on a fielder’s choice to make it 9-2 after five.

McGhee was pulled after the fifth inning. Another excellent day from Garnet Valley’s ace, as his final line was five innings, eight hits, two runs, and five strikeouts while getting the win.

Dylan Orr took over in the sixth and got out of the inning after allowing a runner to move to third.

The Jags tacked on two more in the bottom of the sixth, as Anzalone drove in Klein to make it 10-2, and then scored on an error to make it 11-2 heading to the top of the seventh.

Connor Criswell closed out the game, setting down the Rams 1-2-3 to secure an outstanding win for Garnet Valley.

Spring-Fords season comes to a close, finishing with a 8-11 record.

Day one of the playoffs is off to a great start, as other games around the area have been nothing short of great.

It’s finally that time of year, playoff baseball. Teams all around Delco and surrounding areas fought every game just for a chance to make the tournament. On Monday, round one of the PIAA D1 6A tournament will begin, and we’re kicking it off with #23 Spring-Ford playing at #10 Garnet Valley.

This is Garnet Valley’s fifth tournament appearance since 2021, all consecutive, and second straight year entering as the #10 seed.

The Jaguars had a top offense in the Central League, helping them secure third place in the Central League, scoring 119 runs in 21 games, good for 5.6 runs per game which was led by junior Cole Lombardo, senior Brady Thompson (Washington College commit), junior Ryan McGhee, and senior Nolan Carroll (Ursinus College commit).

These four combined for a cumulative batting average of .348 (75-215), with Lombardo leading the way with a .435 batting average. This production comes without senior Chris Schaller (University of Richmond commit) as he played 13 games before coming down with a partially torn ACL, and will miss the playoffs. But look for Garnet Valley’s offense to be a key part of a successful playoff run.

But, the hitting can’t carry it all, as Garnet Valley boasted some good pitching. The Jaguars had a good top three of junior Ryan McGhee, senior Joe Anzalone (West Chester commit for football), and sophomore Dylan Orr. McGhee served as the team’s ace, throwing 55 innings and posting a 1.65 ERA. Orr posted a Central League best 0.85 ERA in 24.2 innings. Anzalone served as the teams three, putting up a 4.60 ERA, but managed to get a good amount of innings under his belt with 24.1. They also had some good arms come out in relief, with Cody Weist and Connor Criswell posting a 2.10 ERA and 0.70 ERA.

Garnet Valley’s offense and pitching will be a lethal 1-2 punch for anyone thinking they have a chance on either side of the ball.

Spring-Ford has made the PIAA D1 6A playoffs five seasons in a row, including a #1 seed in 2023. Now, while this season wasn’t a typical season for them, finishing 8-10 overall and 8-8 in the Pioneer Conference (Montgomery County), they still managed to sneak in as the #23 seed.

While the offense hasn’t been as good as years past, it was still enough to get the job done and make the playoffs. They had good pieces with junior Aidan Dunleavy (led team in HR, .920 OPS), senior Jake Witmer (.807 OPS), sophomore Liam Quinn (.995 OPS led team), and junior Logan Babore (second on team in RBI, 7). As a team they scored 67 runs in 18 games, 3.7 runs per game. While the offense wasn’t their main strength, it can still be a key piece to a playoff run.

Though, the pitching is where they excelled, having four guys post a sub 3.50 ERA, with seniors Ethan Freed (Quinnipiac University commit) and Dominic Ruggeiro (University of Richmond commit) leading the way with 30.2 and 33.2 inning pitched. Freed punched out 60 guys in the 33.2 innings he pitched, as he was eighth in PIAA D1 in strikeouts. Ruggeiro was tied for eighteenth with 49 strikeouts. Freed led the team with a 1.46 ERA, and Ruggeiro was third with a 2.97. These two are a very good 1-2 atop the rotation, and will be a challenge for anyone who plays them. The other two guys to post a sub 3.50 ERA, seniors Andrew Wibble (2.33 ERA) and Jake Hommer (3.44 ERA). The pitchers can easily pick up where the hitting lacks, give them decent run support, and they’ll take care of it from there.

So with that, this is rounding up to be a very interesting game. An explosive offense in Garnet Valley going up against Spring-Ford’s shutdown pitching. As the 6A bracket kick offs tomorrow, I will be at Garnet Valley live-tweeting the game (X: @nickmazzwrites) at 4:00 for game time. The winner of SF/GV will move on to face off against #7 West Chester Henderson

PHILADELPHIA, PA- It’s finally the time everyone has been waiting for, the playoffs.

#9 Cardinal O’Hara took on #8 St. Joseph’s Prep Wednesday afternoon at La Salle University on a relatively gloomy day.

The Lions started off hot early on.

Brendan Till led off the game with a first pitch single, and was followed by a walk from Jack Coleman. Two pitches later, Jack Quinn drove in the first run of the game on a single to drive in Till. With one out, Sean Vaughn singled to drive in Coleman and make it 2-0. Jason Coury then got out on a sac fly to drive in Colin Thomas, courtesy runner for Quinn, and give O’Hara an early 3-0 lead after half an inning.

After giving himself some run support, Quinn went out and pitched a shutdown early on to hold the lead for O’Hara.

The Lions could not cross the plate in the top of the second after having two men on and one out, and the lead remained 3-0.

Chris Grasso led off the bottom of the second by reaching on an error for the Hawks. With one out, John Sitler doubled to set up a scoring situation for the Hawks. Jack Keenan hit a sac fly to center which drove in Grasso, helping St Joes cut into the deficit at 3-1. Tommy Murthan then walked, which was followed by a base hit from Danny Matthews to make it a one run game at 3-2 after two inning.

Grasso then went out and threw a shutdown inning to set up more scoring for the Hawks.

With one out in the inning, Robby Grasso ripped a triple to set up a chance to tie the game for his brother. Chris Grasso then drove in Robby on a sac fly to tie the game at three a piece after three innings.

Chris Grasso then went back out to the mound and struck out side, giving the Hawks a chance to take the lead.

With the bases loaded and one out in the inning for Patrick Vezza, who ripped a double to drive in two and put St Joes up 5-3, their first lead of the game. Quinn was taken out of the game and replaced by Adam Schreiber.

Chris Grasso then went back out and threw his third straight shutdown inning, also striking out three this time out. This would also be his last inning, as his final line was five innings, three hits, three runs, and 11 strikeouts.

Eddie Dingle came in for Grasso, and went two innings and allowed only one run, which came when O’Hara threatened in the top of the seventh with the bases loaded, but got out of it and secured a first round win for St Joe’s.

Schreiber went two and two thirds for O’Hara, allowing no runs and no hits. Quinn is credited with the loss while Grasso gets the win.

Cardinal O’Hara sees their season come to an end at a 6-13 finish and 6-7 in the PCL. It was a good season overall but they have to be feeling a bit disappointed after a 5-1 start in the league

St Joe’s Prep will move on in the PCL playoffs and will face #2 Archbishop Wood on Saturday

The Hawks could have played either Archbishop Wood (#2) or La Salle (#1), but with Devon Prep’s (#10) win over Neumann-Goretti (#7), Devon Prep will face La Salle while St Joe’s Prep will face Wood.

ARDMORE, PA- In a day full of big games, this one is no exception.

Garnet Valley and Lower Merion played this game with both teams not necessarily needing the win, bun wanting the win as the winner has their first round bye hopes stay alive.

Garnet Valley got going early, scoring three in the first inning. With two runners on and one out, Harrison Maull drove in one on an error. This was followed up by a base hit from Kyle Klein which drove in two runs to make it a 3-0 game early.

Ryan McGhee then went out and set down Lower Merion on only eight pitches.

Neither team scored again until the top of the fifth, where the Jags tacked on another three. The first batter of the inning walked, and was followed by three straight singles from McGhee, Brady Thompson, and Maull. Thompson and Maull’s singles both drove in a run to make it 5-0. Ashton Yau then hit a sac fly to drive in another, making it 6-0.

Lower Merion got one back in the bottom of the fifth, making it 6-1 thanks to a RBI double from Matt Hartstein, his second hit of the day.

In the top of the sixth, Garnet Valley tacked on another three thanks to a leadoff hit by pitch followed by four straight singles. It was 9-1 Jaguars heading into the bottom of the sixth.

Neither team scored for the remainder of the game, as Ryan McGhee finished what he started in the bottom of the seventh to help the Jaguars keep their first round bye hopes alive. He finished with six hits, one run, and six strikeouts in his complete game and lowers his season ERA to 1.98.

Garnet Valley wraps up Central League play at 11-5 behind only Radnor and Haverford, who have tied for the Central League title, both at 15-1. Garnet Valley will finish their season against against West Chester East on Wednesday at 4:00. Things will likely change, but at this exact moment, Garnet Valley would be the #1 seed in districts and host #23 Spring-Ford.

Lower Merion finishes 10-6 in the Central League and have fallen out of contention for the first round bye, but are still on track to host a playoff game. They will finish their season away against Archbishop Wood on Wednesday at 4:00.

If the bracket did not change again, Lower Merion would be the #14 seed and host #19 Central Bucks West in the first round.

Playoff baseball is right around the corner, and we at Delco Baseball Now will have all the stories all postseason long.