South Jersey baseball celebrates MLB drafts, championships

It was an incredible year for South Jersey Catholic schools in high school baseball.

There were winning streaks, championship celebrations and individual honors in 2021, following a lost 2020 season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two players that starred on the local high school baseball diamonds even heard their names called during Major League Baseball’s First-Year Player Draft in July.

Holy Spirit High School overcame obstacles during a challenging 15-9 regular season before catching fire in the playoffs. The Spartans pieced together three straight playoff victories to win the South Jersey Non-Public B championship before taking down Morristown-Beard, 7-1, in the state championship game at Veterans Park in Hamilton Township. 

A three-run single by Ryan Spina and six innings of two-hit ball (seven strikeouts) by pitcher David Hagaman helped fuel the Spartans to their fourth state championship in school history.

Though the Spartans were the only South Jersey Catholic squad to go all the way in capturing a state title, several others came close.

Saint Augustine Preparatory School rode a 23-7 record to the Non-Public A championship game, where it was defeated by Saint Joseph Montvale, 4-1. The powerful Hermits had a pair of nine-game winning streaks during the regular season and defeated Red Bank Catholic in a 6-5 thriller behind a clutch hit from Kyle Neri to win the South Jersey Non-Public A title. It was the fifth straight sectional championship for Saint Augustine. 

In getting there, the Hermits ran through a gritty and talented Paul VI High School, which overcame its own adversity earlier in the year. The Eagles (13-7) had suffered a five-game losing streak before reeling off 10 wins in their final 12 games. Paul VI was led by 20 hits from John Ormsby and 24 RBIs from Declan Williams. On the mound, Ryan Rumsey allowed 17 earned runs in 32 innings.

Further down the road, perennial powerhouse Gloucester Catholic welcomed baseball back with yet another 20-win season with a 22-4 record. The Rams added another divisional championship to their trophy case and reached the semifinals in both the Joe Hartmann Diamond Classic and the South Jersey Non-Public B playoffs, losing to the eventual champions in both. Gloucester Catholic received an outstanding season from Jeremy Wolf, who led the team with 38 hits and 42 RBIs.

Bishop Eustace took high school baseball fans on an incredible ride, coming just short of an undefeated season. The Crusaders won their first 21 games before bowing out to Red Bank Catholic in the South Jersey Non-Public A semifinal game. Even so, Bishop Eustace had a season to remember, winning yet another division title and capturing the Joe Hartmann Diamond Classic for the seventh time in school’s history and its first since 2015. Longtime Crusaders coach Sam Tropiano reached a milestone by becoming the first skipper in South Jersey to win 700 games.

Outfielder Ian Petrutz collected 31 hits and scored 26 runs to lead Bishop Eustace in both categories. Pitcher Anthony Solometo produced as advertised, allowing just one earned run (0.21 ERA) on the season, while striking out 64 batters in just over 32 innings. The highly touted heat-throwing lefty was taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the first pick of the second round of the MLB Draft (37th overall) and signed a contract July 20 with the Pirates. He had committed to the University of North Carolina before his freshman season.

But Solometo wasn’t the only player with South Jersey Catholic roots to draw interest from the major leagues. Josh Hood, a 2018 Saint Augustine alum and current University of Pennsylvania shortstop, was selected in the 20th round by the Boston Red Sox. In his senior year for the Hermits,  Hood won a state championship, contributing 14 home runs and 44 RBIs.

Solometo and Hood may have received the biggest offseason thrill, but the accolades for high school players were plentiful on an individual level. Solometo, Petrutz and Holy Spirit’s Jayden Shertel received First Team All-State honors for their contributions, while Saint Augustine’s Ryan Taylor received a second-team nod, and his teammate Jackson Vanesko took home a third-team recognition. All five All-State players were also selected to First-Team All-Non-Public, with the addition of Gloucester Catholic’s Matt Leahy.

Second-Team All-Non-Public included Wolf and Joey Bogart of Gloucester Catholic and David Alleva of Bishop Eustace. Third-Team selections were awarded to Hagaman and Trevor Cohen of Holy Spirit and Ryan Weingartner and Brody McKenzie of Saint Augustine.