Delco banking on veterans to reach title game

PHILADELPHIA >> Even by the youth-first ethos of the Carpenter Cup Classic, the Delaware County squad of two summers ago raised some eyebrows.

Joining a paltry turnout of five seniors — an ongoing deficiency for Delco and the tournament in general — were a handful of sophomores, two of whom had barely pitched at Strath Haven that spring. Also included was a freshman who’d spent his rookie season on the Garnet Valley junior varsity.

Three installments later, what could’ve been read as a lack of seniority was instead an abundance of youth that has reinvigorated a once-flagging side.

For a third straight season, Delco will compete in the Carpenter Cup semifinals at Citizens Bank Park Tuesday, where it tangles with Suburban One American/Continental at 1:30 p.m. It follows the Philadelphia Catholic League challenging defending champion Suburban One National/Bicentennial at 9:30 a.m.

Tuesday marks the first time Delco has qualified for three straight semifinals in the 31-year-old all-star tournament. Four players have been there for all three — Strath Haven seniors Will Carey and David Moore, Marple Newtown senior Ricky Collings and Garnet Valley junior Liam Bendo.

The leadership of that quartet in making the Carpenter Cup a priority in their schedules has trickled down to the player pool, and the result is obvious.

“All the seniors here, they chose this over senior week, and I can’t thank them enough,” Bendo said of six upperclassmen. “We need them to win games. That just shows the kind of baseball players we have on this team. They want to be here, and that’s what matters the most.”

Writ large, the Carpenter Cup remains embroiled in an identity crisis. With the proliferation of showcases and ubiquity of online scouting videos and recruiting hucksters, the Carpenter Cup’s value as a vehicle to get noticed by potential college suitors is diminished. No longer is it a can’t-miss destination for top scouts up and down the East Coast.

But certain organizations have transformed it into something more. Under the leadership of Haverford coach Paul Bogosian and his loyal array of assistants, Delco has become an expression of local pride. Though the roster draws from a small number of schools — eight are represented this season — there’s a desire for the best players in the area to unite for the greater cause. And when that reaches a critical mass that draws a higher proportion of teams’ stars out, you yield the success Delco has enjoyed.

“We all take it like it’s a team,” Collings said. “It’s not just for showcasing. We play as a team and we play to win every time we play.”

“These guys are my favorite guys,” Bendo said. “I love seeing them in season, and especially for the Carpenter Cup, it’s awesome being around them.”

For either Delco or the Catholic League to prevail Tuesday and in Friday’s final, they’ll have to overturn recent history in the first semifinals since 2008 to feature all Pennsylvania teams. A PA team is guaranteed to claim its 15th title, breaking a tie with New Jersey teams. (Delaware participants have won two of 30 titles.)

Neither Delco nor SOL American/Continental has ever won it all. The Catholic League has won three times, the last in 2005 in a final over Delco. SOL National/Bicentennial is looking to win its sixth crown (the first three coming sans the Bicentennial supplement) by being the first program since Olympic Colonial in 1991-92 with consecutive titles.

The National/Bicentennial powerhouse awaits the Catholic League, who scraped through the first week sans its Neumann-Goretti delegation, which was busy winning a PIAA Class AA title. Drawing upon alternates to get by Delaware South last Thursday, a full-strength Catholic League squad will have a little extra wind in its sails in its first semis in five years.

“Now that we’re here, we might as well win it,” said Bonner & Prendergast senior catcher Steve Furman, a three-time Carpenter Cup participant. “We’re definitely going to try to get a championship.”

The Citizens Bank Park experience has become old hat for Delco. Dream though playing on the same field as the Phillies is, the team has enough players that have experienced it before that they won’t be overawed by the moment.
Taking pictures in the stadium and enjoying the dugouts is fine. But after two installments relishing in the ride to the Bank, players are ready to take the next step. And that means just one thing.

“This year, it’s really big to win this,” Collings said. “That’s all I wanted to do every year. Getting there is the first thing, and that’s awesome. And once you get there, you realize how bad you want to play there again and win the whole thing.”

“We have to win it,” Bendo said. “That’s the mindset we go into it with. We need to win it this time. It’s our third time there. No nerves, it’s time to win it.”