Marple Newtown has dealt with injuries to key players throughout the 2024 baseball season.
The Tigers (18-6) were healthy enough when the District 1 Class 5A tournament got under way, then wound up winning the whole thing. Now they look to keep the good times rolling when they meet Shippensburg (17-6), the fourth-place team from District 3, Monday in a PIAA Class 5A first-round game. First pitch is 4 p.m. at Villanova Ballpark in Plymouth.
“(First baseman) Jason Bennett got hurt in the beginning of the season, then (shortstop) Bennett Cox got hurt. (Outfielder) Lucien Burger got hurt, came back, then he got hurt again,” MN coach Toby MacCart said. “We had another senior who early in the season dislocated his knee. We had a pitcher who hurt his elbow, so he hasn’t pitched. We’ve been banged up all year. But we just see the next-man-up (mentality) with our guys, and they keep pushing and pushing.”
Bennett and Cox are back and contributing to an offense that averaged 9.5 runs per game in districts. Marple (18-6) routed defending champion Strath Haven, 13-2, before trouncing Radnor in the title game, 11-3.
“We are clicking and not taking any at bat off,” senior Aiden Pearson said. “Everyone is just believing in one another. We don’t get too worried and we know anyone can come up and get a hit when we need one.”
Marple Newtown won the Class 5A championship in 2018, the only team from Delco to take home a PIAA baseball trophy. If the Tigers move on to Thursday’s quarterfinal round, they’ll face either District 4 champion Sellinsgrove (19-2) or District 3 third-place finisher Lampeter-Strasburg (16-8).
Two other Delco teams qualified for the Class 5A tourney: District 1 runner-up Radnor and District 12 champion Bonner & Prendergast.
Radnor (15-9) travels to District 11 champ Whitehall (13-9) for a noon first pitch. The winner takes on either District 3 runner-up Governor Mifflin (18-4) or District 12 second-place finisher Frankford (14-4) in the quarters.
The Raptors, who had won seven straight before falling to Marple, are powered by junior shortstop Joe Krasowski, senior third baseman Andres Cruz and sophomore ace Austin Havertine.
Bonner & Prendergast (17-8) hosts Upper Dublin (14-7), the third-place team from District 1, for a 4 o’clock first pitch. The winner plays either District 3 champ Mechanicsburg (19-3-1) or District 7 runner-up Bethel Park (15-7-1) Thursday.
The Friars advanced to the state semifinals in each of the past three seasons, losing each time. They’ll try to get over the hump behind All-Catholic League honorees Quinn Bryan, Austin Cannon and Johnny Ortegae.
