Malvern Prep baseball squad ended campaign with 15-game win streak
Malvern >> Malvern Prep ended the 2018 baseball season on fire, winning its last 15 games, a PAISAA championship and an Inter-Ac title.
By the end of the season, the Friars (30-7) were ranked as one of the top high school baseball teams in Pennsylvania – and this was a team that had lost 15 seniors to graduation last year.
“This was really a good collection of guys,” said Malvern Prep head coach Freddy Hilliard. “Senior co-captains Billy Corcoran and Connor Dillon led through example; [senior] Brady Devereux was our vocal leader and really came into his own as the guy who would rally the group together and keep guys loose but focused. [Junior] Chris Newell and Anthony Papa brought energy to our team and into our dugout every game that became contagious.”
Malvern Prep, whose motto this spring was “Selflessness, Energy and Excellence,” was noted for its plate discipline, averaging six walks per game. Newell, a designated hitter, led the way with 33 walks for an on-base percentage of .592.
“That was part of our team’s selflessness,” said Dillon. “Everyone wants to get a hit to boost their batting average, but getting on base with a walk counts just as much for the team as a single.”
While the Friars were a well-oiled machine at the end of the season, there were growing pains in the early going.
“With so many new players, I think we began the year playing to prove ourselves as individuals rather than as a team and not embracing one of our core values of being selfless and putting team first,” said Hilliard. “We were losing games late that we generally find ways to win, and we lacked energy and attention to detail.”
The tide turned at the Tom Heinkel Tournament at Bishop Eustace High School April 21, when the Friars defeated St. Augustine Prep, 3-2. St. Augustine Prep was the No. 1 ranked team in New Jersey and undefeated at the time.
“It was then that we realized how good we could be,” said Hilliard. “Guys really started to believe in what we were capable of when we played together and for one another instead of just our own personal gains.”
Although Malvern lost in the championship final later that day to Episcopal Academy, 5-4 in eight innings, it was the last defeat the Friars suffered this season.
Devereux said, “By the middle of the season, guys were buying into the team philosophy. We learned early in the season that we couldn’t just sit back on our heels and wait for victories. More guys were stepping up to lead the team, and we really started to bond.”
“We started believing in ourselves, and by the middle of the season, we were all friends,” said Corcoran. “Our energy picked up, and with each win, we gained more momentum.”
While most of the victories during the 15-game winning streak were by comfortable margins, the Friars had to battle from behind to win the Inter-Ac championship final May 8. Malvern was trailing 3-2 in the seventh inning with two outs and two strikes on the batter, when a dropped third strike, a stolen base and a single by Dillon sent the game into extra innings.
“This was a perfect example of how we never gave up,” said Dillon. “Grant Burgess hustled down to first base to beat the throw on the dropped third strike – if he hadn’t been hustling, we would have lost.”
Devereux said, “The Malvern Prep baseball program is special. The coaches expect a lot out of us, and they become a part of your life – they’re not just baseball coaches. When spring comes, a lot of high school baseball players think, ‘I can’t wait for summer.’ At Malvern, our players think, ‘I can’t wait for the Malvern baseball season to begin.’”
Corcoran and Devereux are both headed to the University of Pittsburgh, where they will pitch for the baseball team. Both players find similarities in the Pitt and Malvern baseball programs.
“Like Malvern, Pitt has coaches you can count on, coaches who hold the players accountable and are involved in their daily lives,” said Corcoran. “I could see that when I visited Pitt – when the players were showing me around, they would leave when they had to attend a practice or meet a curfew.”
Corcoran, the Inter-Ac’s baseball MVP this spring, was the brightest star in the Malvern Prep baseball firmament. He posted a 7-0 record and 1.16 ERA in 54 1/3 innings, striking out 63 batters and walking only 12.
“Billy can do it all, he has excellent command of all three of his pitches,” said Hilliard. “He can throw a 90 mph fastball by a hitter but can also fool them with a changeup in a hitter’s count. He’s a complete pitcher – he fields his position excellently, controls the running game, and works both sides of the plate.”
The Friars’ biggest offensive star was Newell, who batted .422 with an on-base percentage of .592, lined 38 hits (including six doubles, seven triples and five home runs), scored 43 runs, had 26 RBI’s, stole 35 bases and received first team All-Inter-Ac honors.
“Chris, to me, is the most talented baseball player in this area, but what separates him from others is his work ethic and how open he is to coaching,” said Hilliard. “He is constantly working on his craft, whether it be doing our drills, hitting in the cage, working on his base running, or just studying the game, what we’re teaching him, and asking questions. The desire he shows to get better every day is something that is truly admirable for a kid that’s already achieved the success he has.”
Devereux was a two-way threat for the Friars as a pitcher and outfielder. He posted a 7-2 record and 1.53 ERA on the mound, striking out 54 batters in 45 2/3 innings while walking only 14, and recorded two saves. At the plate, he batted .369 with a .527 on-base percentage, scored 21 runs with 22 RBI’s and 10 stolen bases, and received first team All-Inter-Ac honors.
“Brady is one of our best athletes and is ultra-competitive,” said Hilliard. “He worked his tail off to become a huge part of our offense this year. He’s one of our fastest runners, strongest arms, powerful bats, and he just loves competing.”
Dillon, a second baseman, batted .329 with a .468 on-base percentage, scoring 25 runs with 23 RBI’s and 15 stolen bases. He received first team All-Inter-Ac honors, and Hilliard refers to him as “Malvern’s version of Chase Utley.”
“I use this term with the utmost affection – Connor is a dirtbag kind of player,” said Hilliard. “He grinds out every single at bat and is a true pain for every pitcher he faces because he never gives a pitcher an easy out. He’s a lunch pail and hard hat type of kid who just outworks and outhustles people.
“He’s also an incredibly clutch kid who always seems to come through in the biggest spots for us. Most people probably didn’t realize that he played through most of this season with an arm injury just to help us win games. He is one of the grittiest and toughest players I’ve ever coached.”
Another first team All-Inter-Ac selection, junior left handed pitcher Liam Dabagian, posted a 6-1 record and 1.15 ERA, striking out 64 batters in 42 2/3 innings while walking only six.
“Nothing seems to bother Liam, and he shows no fear when he has the ball in his hand,” said Hilliard. “It doesn’t matter who the opponent or the hitter is, Liam just goes right after hitters and challenges them to beat him with pinpoint command of a low 80s fastball and a devastating changeup. Everything he throws has movement.”
Malvern’s catcher and cleanup hitter was sophomore Jordan Dissin, a second team All-Inter-Ac selection who batted .330 with a .435 on-base percentage, with 30 hits and 20 RBI’s.
“Jordan moved his way up into the cleanup role pretty early this season and just played with the confidence of a senior who’s been there before,” said Hilliard. “He spent his offseason in the weight room, hitting before and after school, and working on his defensive skills with former Friar catcher Chris Cowell.”
One of the youngest Friars – and one of the most promising – was freshman outfielder Lonnie White, a second team All-Inter-Ac selection who batted .327 with an on-base percentage of .430, garnering 32 hits, 24 RBI’s, 26 runs scored and 14 stolen bases. He is a three-sport athlete (plays QB in football as well as varsity basketball).
Lonnie is just a special athlete, he might be the best pure athlete Malvern’s ever seen,” said Hilliard. “He soaks up coaching so quickly, and is quiet, soft-spoken and incredibly humble. It was so fun watching him just get better and better every single day. He is so physically blessed with great speed, strong arm, explosive swing, and incredible instincts. The sky is the limit for him, and we look forward to seeing him continue to develop.”
