NETHER PROVIDENCE — Last June, Strath Haven came excruciatingly close to becoming the second baseball team from Delaware County to win a PIAA championship. A walk-off loss to Shaler High in the eighth inning sealed a runner-up finish in the Class 5A final at Penn State.
That is not good enough for the Panthers
Coach Brian Fili and his players were haunted in the immediate aftermath. They dwelt on the defeat and shed tears of pain and frustration.
That feeling was eventually turned into fuel for the future. The 2024 season is here, Friday marking the first official regular season play day for PIAA’s baseball teams, and Strath Haven is determined to begin its long journey back to Happy Valley.
“The vibes this season are awesome. Now that we know what it’s like, no team in Strath Haven history has ever been to where we were last year,” said senior catcher Matt Kane, who is committed to Rowan. “We know the expectations and it helps us get excited because we know that we have another great bunch of players.”
On Wednesday the Panthers had the music blasting while taking batting practice under beautiful sunshine, a delightful sneak peek of spring. The day prior, the Panthers scrimmaged nationally ranked Malvern Prep and acquitted themselves well. It’s unlikely they will face a better team all season.
“The vibes are immaculate out here, especially with the weather being nice this week,” senior pitcher/infielder Zane Malarkey said. “As Matt said, we know what it takes and it gives us a lot of confidence. We know 100 percent what we need to do every single day to be able to get back there.”
The Panthers return starters Malarkey, Kane, senior outfielders Jake McDonough and Will Thompson, junior ace Luke D’Ancona and junior infielder Ben Milligan. All played brilliantly during the Panthers’ 21-5 season in 2023. Before advancing to the state final, the Panthers won both the Central League and District 1 titles.
There’s no denying the Panthers will miss the leadership and productivity of Sam Milligan, Alex Pak and Nick Corritore. Milligan is playing football at Bucknell and Pak, who posted a 12-1 record and 0.62 ERA last season, walked on at Penn State. Both were All-Delcos.
“First off, Sam and Alex were great leaders,” Kane said. “They taught us what should be done in certain situations, but off the field they taught us how to be leaders. Sam was giving his speeches all the time. That helps us now as seniors to follow their lead and lead these new guys who haven’t had as much varsity experience, how to teach them the ways and how to play these games. The varsity level is a higher pace than what they played at before.”
“You’re not going to replace Sam, Alex and Nick, knowing what they did last year for us,” Malarkey said. “What we can try to replace is their leadership and that is one of the biggest things we took away from them. … It’s our job as seniors to take on a leadership role, taking after their ways and implementing them into the team this year.”
The All-Delco D’Ancona could be the best pitcher in the Central League. The Boston College commit was 7-0 with a 2.44 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 58 innings last year and started the state championship game. The right hander has added a sweeper to an already devastating arsenal.
“The expectations for the team are to get another Central League championship and another district championship and get back to the state final,” D’Ancona said. “The core that we return is great and the experience is obviously a huge part of it. Being there (in the state final) the first time, it was really nerve racking. I remember before the game that I was shaking, I was so nervous. But then the nerves cooled down once I threw that first pitch. We really feel like this year we can get back there and change the outcome.”
D’Ancona and Malarkey will head the rotation. Milligan will move from nine-hole to lead off. McDonough is the club’s main power source in the middle of the order.
“For me it’s two words: do damage,” said McDonough, who is bound for Misericordia University. “That’s all I think about when I am up there. There’s some things I think about before the game when I am in the cage, but once I get in between the lines it’s one thing: do damage. Every offseason I go to Ascent Athlete in Garnet Valley. I think our whole starting nine goes there, which is a lot of fun. Just a lot of work on hitting, lifting, and trying to keep everything the same, the same role this year that I had last year.”
Junior infielder Matt Caputo and senior pitcher Chris Coughlan should have bigger roles for Fili, who will be inducted into the Delco Athletes Hall of Fame in April.
“I always say that words cannot describe Coach Fili, whether it’s on the field or off the field,” Malarkey said. “He’s having the most fun out of anybody out here. But at the same time, we have every tiny little thing on our practice plan, and we really make sure we get through everything and that just makes us feel comfortable in games because we know that we’ve run through every situation imaginable. So no matter what comes our way, we know that he’s had us prepared.”
Strath Haven opens the regular season at home against Devon Prep on Tuesday.
