Seniors like Czachor return Devon Prep to title 5 years after last crown

STATE COLLEGE >> When Devon Prep senior pitcher Andrew Czachor fielded Alex Glumac’s seventh-inning ground ball, then tossed it to first baseman Jackson Jonik for the final out of the Tide’s 3-2 win in the PIAA Class 2A final, he experienced a kaleidoscope of emotions.

“I tossed my glove in the air, I threw my arms up, I knew we made it, after a long season and the team’s worked so hard, it was the most rewarding feeling I’ve ever experienced,” said Czachor, who helped deliver the state title with 6 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.

“Winning this state title is like a dream to me. Seeing all the stories about Devon winning the state title in 2014, and seeing how the Devon Prep baseball program works, it’s all about the culture, to be part of a state champion team as a senior is a crazy experience.”

While winning the state title was a dream come true for all of the Devon Prep players, it was particularly sweet for the seniors.

To see a photo gallery of the Devon Prep championship final click here

Senior third baseman Matt Romano said, “Winning this title is amazing; it means everything to me and to the five seniors on our team. We’d heard all about the 2014 state champions, and as freshmen we looked up to them, and now we’ve done the same thing.

“I think the key turning point today was when [senior infielder Aaron Nuble] led off the first inning with a triple when we were trailing 2-0. When he did that, everyone was able to rally around him; he passed the torch and we started to gain momentum.”

Nuble said, “When we got the final out, my first thought was, ‘We did it, and in my final game for Devon Prep.’ We kept believing in ourselves the whole season, even though we had [many tough battles] in the Catholic League.”

Senior designated hitter Pat Coleman said, “Andrew [Czachor] threw a gem today; I’m not surprised that we won it, but it’s a fun feeling. When we got the final out, my first thought was, ‘Thank God, we won it.’”

The state championship feeling was pretty sweet for the juniors and sophomores too.

Jonik, a junior who caught the final out, said, “It’s a surreal feeling, we started the season off a little slow, we had a lot of new guys and we weren’t sure what was going to happen, but it feels surreal to be here and win it. It feels so good to be resilient and to battle back and win it all.”

Jonik put the Tide ahead for good in the third inning when he lined a double into the right field corner, scoring Czachor, who had walked and moved to second on a passed ball.

“We weren’t really concerned when we fell behind 2-0, because we knew we could manufacture runs,” said Jonik. “When we got those baserunners on, we knew we could do it, we knew we could score. We didn’t let anything faze us – when they hit us, we hit them right back.”

Devon Prep sophomore outfielder Jack Eshleman, who scored the Tides’ second run to tie the score at 2-2 in the second inning, said, “When we got the final out, I thought, ‘This is amazing.’ We lost early in the season to Cardinal O’Hara 14-0, but every practice we worked hard, this [state title] was the goal and we made it. I was in sixth grade at Devon Prep when we won it in 2014, I saw that game on live TV, and we wanted to do it again this year.

“The energy on our bench really was a turning point for us today. We had this energy all season, we’ve fallen behind other teams by more than [two runs] and come back. When people on our team start getting hits, it motivates other people to do more for the team.”

Once Devon Prep got a 3-2 lead in the third inning, it was up to Czachor to hold Serra Catholic scoreless, and he did it for the rest of the game, allowing only three hits and striking out 10.

One of Czachor’s strikeout victims was Serra star catcher Mark Black, who in 23 plate appearances in the postseason had four home runs and 17 walks. Czachor ran the count to 2-2 on Black, then struck him out looking.

“I could tell [Black] was sitting on my offspeed, so I threw him a fastball on the black,” said Czachor. “He took a step and wasn’t even close to it.”