For some, it’s a once in a lifetime experience. For others, it might just be the start of something special.
One of the perks of playing in the annual Carpenter Cup Baseball Classic is a chance to play a game at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Sixteen teams enter with the hopes of making the final four as the semifinal and championship rounds are normally played in the Major League Baseball ballpark.
This year, the Olympic-Colonial team, made up of players from schools in the Olympic and Colonial Conferences, as well as the Tri-Cape team, which includes the Cape League Atlantic and Tri-County Conference, both advanced to the semifinal June 26. Their reward was playing a game in a 42,000-seat stadium with perfectly groomed grass and state-of-the-art facilities.
“One of my friends told me yesterday after pitching here a couple weeks ago, ‘Don’t look up until you’re done playing,’” Paul VI High School 2023 graduate Dom Aversa said.
Aversa, who played first base for Paul VI this spring and hit .419 on the season, was calm and collected until he veered slightly from his friend’s advice.
“I wasn’t nervous until I looked up,” Aversa said with a laugh. “I looked up and turned around and that’s when it hit.”
Aversa, an Immaculata University commit, was named to the Olympic-Colonial team along with Paul VI teammate Mike Lucarelli. It also included Camden Catholic’s Ron Kopcho and Bishop Eustace’s Matt Augustin, Anthony Mascuilli, Raffaele Rogers, Jack Kirchner and Landon Mack.
Kirchner had no time to be nervous as he was handed the ball to start the semifinal game on the mound. The Rutgers University commit threw three solid innings — which is the maximum any pitcher can perform in a Carpenter Cup game — and then took in the experience as he cheered on his team. He exited the game with a 4-2 lead.
“Any time I come out and play, I try to have fun,” said Kirchner, who posted a 1.96 ERA for Bishop Eustace Preparatory School this season. “I love this game, and this is a dream come true playing at this field. Hopefully it’s not my last time, as I would like to play professionally and make it here.”
Olympic Colonial’s run ended in the semifinal when it was defeated, 9-4, by Jersey Shore. But players soaked up the experience and put on a show for their friends and families in the stands.
“It’s awesome,” Aversa said. “It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Coming into the tournament, that was the only goal. Just to play a game here.”
Tri-Cape continued its amazing run as the two-time defending Carpenter Cup champions by defeating Delaware South, 6-5, in the semifinal to punch their ticket to the championship game, which was rescheduled for June 29 due to rain.
Saint Augustine Preparatory School’s CJ Furey pitched three nearly perfect innings in the semifinal, allowing just one walk and one hit, while recording nine outs, six by strikeout. There was a little extra adrenaline in his veins pitching at a place he visits frequently to watch the Phillies.
“I’m a huge Phillies fan,” said Furey, a Villanova commit who had a 0.96 ERA and 41 strikeouts for the Hermits this spring. “It’s a lot different feeling. Obviously it’s not a packed stadium, but it still feels like all eyes are on you. It feels like you’re in the big time.”
A little bit of the luster has worn off for Gloucester Catholic’s Tanner Nolan, who was a part of Tri-Cape’s 2021 and 2022 championship teams.
Nolan practically has a reserved parking spot next to Bryce Harper, as it was his third year throwing at Citizens Bank Park.
“Honestly, I don’t get nervous,” Nolan said. “I just get happy. I get excited.”
Nolan, a Crowder College commit, turned in one of the finest high school baseball seasons in recent memory, allowing just four earned runs in 58 and 1/3 innings (0.48 ERA) while pitching all the Rams’ big games including the Joe Hartmann South Jersey Diamond Classic championship and the Non-Public B state championship, which were both won by Gloucester Catholic. A third straight trip to the Carpenter Cup final was the icing on the cake.
“It’s a great feeling,” Nolan said. “We all form a bond of some sort, regardless of what team we are from and what rivals we have. Everybody comes together. It’s an unrelated brotherhood.”
It’s a chance for players to end their high school baseball experience in a truly special way.
“Obviously our Saint Augustine team didn’t make it to the end this year, which was a bummer,” Furey said. “But being able to end your high school career in a professional stadium is a pretty cool thing to do.”
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