States appearance a testament to Hatboro-Horsham’s resolve

WARMINSTER >> Pete Moore has coached baseball for two decades and never had a team quite like this spring’s Hatboro-Horsham squad.

The veteran coach had just one returning player with varsity experience in Jimmy Tooley, no real offseason to speak of and a slow start that made the district playoffs, much less the state tournament, look like a long shot. What could have been a lost year played off with any number of valid reasons instead turned into a test of character and resolve and a final destination that only two other Hatters teams had done under Moore.

Hatboro-Horsham’s season ended in the first round of the PIAA 6A baseball tournament Monday, but one game doesn’t tell the story of the Hatters’ journey.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a team that improved as much from March 1 until the end of the season as this group of guys,” Moore said. “It’s such an incredible group that appreciate each other and are close like family.

“When we went into the district tournament, our goal was to make the state tournament because it meant we got three more games to be together.”

The Hatters finished 14-11 overall but went 11-5 to tie for second in the SOL Liberty standings. Tooley filled the role of leader on the mound and in the field, going 3-1 with a 1.46 ERA during the regular season and districts and hit .280 with 13 RBI in several different lineup spots.

Tooley, who is still working out his future plans but figures to be a great addition to a college baseball program somewhere, battled through a tough start on the bump in Monday’s 14-1 loss but did go 2-for-2 with a double offensively. He didn’t care as much about the result as the fact he had to say goodbye to the teammates he had forged a memorable season with.

“A lot of people were looking at this team like ‘what are they going to do this year? They’re not going to do much,'” Tooley said. “I feel like at the beginning of the season, that was playing true but we turned it around. We had a family here and that’s what makes this really hard.”

Hatboro-Horsham had six seniors this season — Tooley, Justin Kahrimanian, Michael Pagano, Christian Gear, Eric Sonntag and Noah Gremo — who didn’t all play big innings but formed the backbone of the team. They allowed underclassmen like Jack Elwell, Cole Fisher, Trey Porter, Nick Katherine and others to find their way and settle in as varsity players.

Tooley raved about the way every player on the team accepted their role throughout the season, even if it changed. He singled out his classmate Kahrimanian, the team’s catcher who had his own struggles to overcome and did so without complaint.

“He was in the lineup the beginning of the year, we took him out and DH’d for him and the kid just worked hard every day and came back into the lineup later in the season,” Tooley said. “These guys, they all work.”

The other Hatters teams to make states had their own strengths and personalities and Tooley said he was just honored to be in that select group. After the final out, the team and coaches had a long meeting in left field before they walked back to their bus together.

“It’s going to hurt for a bit and it should hurt because of how much they cared,” Moore said. “With how much we put into the season, I told them out on the field, they’re going to look back and have great memories of the season. Winning the game against Garnet Valley to get into the state tournament and to feel that emotional high, it’s a special thing to be a part of.”

“These guys are awesome and were just a great group to be around,” Tooley said. “It’s not like other years where you may have those individuals who carry a team, we really did it as a group.”

At the end of Monday’s game, Moore shook hands with La Salle coach Kyle Werman and wished the Explorers luck. The La Salle team responded with a group tip of the cap to the Hatters, who replied in kind.

Making the state tournament is difficult and no matter the final scoreline, it’s always an achievement to be remembered. That’s something this Hatboro-Horsham team won’t soon forget.

“There’s a lot of really good baseball teams in Suburban One you have to get through to even get to the district tournament and you almost see someone from District 1 in the state championship,” Moore said. “We beat a lot of good baseball teams and had a heck of a run.”