Playing in baseball heaven (Citizens Bank Park)

Adam Gates, Tanner Nolan and Jeremy Wolf are all at different points of their baseball careers. But they will all share one memorable moment.

The three standout stars from the Gloucester Catholic High School baseball team punched a ticket to Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies, for the memory of a lifetime. Sure, they could have just bought tickets at the box office to see their favorite team in pinstripes.

But the trio went the tougher route and earned their way into the stadium to actually play on their favorite field.

Following their 2021 high school season, Gates, Nolan and Wolf competed together in the Carpenter Cup Baseball Tournament at FDR Park in South Philadelphia as members of Tri-Cape team, which is made up of all-stars from the Tri-County Conference and Cape Atlantic League.

Two wins in the 16-team tournament earns you a spot in the semifinals and a trip to Citizens Bank Park. And Gloucester Catholic’s players helped fuel the effort and enjoyed the reward that came with it on June 21.

“I’ve been there a million times to watch the Phillies,” Gates said. “They’re my favorite team. And just being able to play there is just amazing.”

Gates recently graduated from Gloucester Catholic and will head off to Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania to play baseball and study business management. His final high school game for the Rams didn’t go as he had hoped as Gloucester Catholic lost to Holy Spirit in the South Jersey Non-Public B Championship on June 10. The Carpenter Cup gave him a chance to go out on a high note, which he certainly did.

Gates followed a high school season in which he batted .444 with 28 RBIs, with a spectacular showing in the Carpenter Cup. He was 4-for-6 with four RBIs through Tri-Cape’s first two games

“It’s awesome,” Gates said. “Even if it’s just a regular game, it’s always nice to go 2-for-3 (twice). (Nolan and Wolf) played great today, too, so it’s always great to see Gloucester Catholic represented like that.”

Nolan, who recently completed his sophomore year, fueled Tri-Cape with three nearly perfect innings in Tri-Cape’s 12-1 first round victory. It came as no surprise as he threw 41.6 innings this season and struck out a team-best 41 batters, while allowing just 27 earned runs against some of the best competition in the state. The Rutgers University commit was excited to take the field again alongside Gates and Wolf.

“It’s really fun,” Nolan said. “I get to play with Adam one more time and I still have another season with Jeremy.”

Wolf is finding that opposing teams have done their homework as he’s been walked twice in the first two games and has scored a pair of runs while driving in one. Teams are well aware of his .528 batting average and team-best 42 RBIs for Gloucester Catholic, which compiled a 22-4 record this spring.

Wolf said he’s enjoyed teaming up with other players from rival schools for the summertime tournament.

“We went through the whole year and had some huge battles against all the other teams here,” said Wolf, a junior who has yet to commit to a college. “But now we get to relax and have fun and try to win a championship together.”

Gloucester Catholic’s trio was joined by elite players from the Tri-County Conference and Cape Atlantic League, which includes Holy Spirit High School and Saint Augustine Preparatory School. Trevor Cohen, Dave Hagaman and Jayden Shertel of Holy Spirit, along with Ryan Taylor of Saint Augustine were also selected to the team. They joined Tri-Cape after its first game as all four guys had obligations to their respective high school teams that were playing for state championships at the time.

They took the field on Monday on the big stage on a professional field. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience they could all get used to.

“I’ve always wanted to play in pro stadiums but I’m hoping one day I’ll be there anyway,” Nolan said.

Wolf agreed.

“I’ve been watching (the Phillies) since I was little, and the field is one of the nicest Major League Baseball fields out there,” he said. “Just to play on it is crazy.”