Change of scenery
for Kevin McGovern

By Joe Mason
For the Times

Kevin McGovern didn’t have a whole lot of time to enjoy the win or celebrate with his teammates.
Moments after McGovern pitched five scoreless innings during the Archbishop Ryan High School baseball team’s 11-2 victory over Cardinal Dougherty, the lefty wasn’t gloating.
He wasn’t talking about his 10 strikeouts or his success at the plate — four hits in four at-bats.
He was too busy shaking hands with the guys he just shut down. He was also sharing some hugs and a lot of good wishes.
It was an important win that eventually could mean a lot in the standings. But it also was a win over his friends — a win over his former teammates.
McGovern has been among the top pitchers in the Catholic League Northern Division for three years now. But this year, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound hurler is getting a little more notice because the Bustleton resident transferred from Dougherty to Ryan over the summer.
The Raiders have a few more horses than the Cardinals, and McGovern is getting more support with his new team.
He’s also getting a little more peace of mind.
"Last year was tough because you’d play well, but when you’re not winning, the bounce doesn’t go your way — a blooper falls out of your reach instead of in your glove," said McGovern, whose team is 5-1 so far in the Catholic League Northern Division. "When you’re losing, you take it home with you. Nothing seems good when you’re losing. When you’re winning, everything seems good."
Thus far, the bounce is certainly going McGovern’s way.
On the hill, he has won his four starts in PCL play. That was pretty much expected.
Last year, even though he failed to win a Catholic League game, he had great success retiring opposing hitters.
Over the summer he put on a little muscle and gained valuable experience while playing for the Bustleton American Legion team. Thanks to the weight training and hard work, he routinely hits the mid-80s on the pitching radar gun.
He also improved a lot with the stick.
So far this year, McGovern is hitting better than .560 as the Raiders’ cleanup hitter.
"That’s surprising . . . it just feels real good up there," said McGovern, who plays first base when he’s not on the hill. "I worked a lot on my pitching, but the hitting has really come around."
Now that he’s playing for a winner, McGovern is getting used to dealing with the pressure of playing in big games. He’s getting used to his new school, too.
McGovern had an easy transition when he entered Dougherty as a freshman. In the beginning, no one knew who he was, but everyone knew his brother, Sean.
Sean was a star quarterback during his junior and senior seasons, as well as the Cardinals’ pitching ace, and graduated in 2002. He earned All-Catholic honors in both sports; and threw for more than 4,000 yards during his Dougherty football career.
"At Dougherty, everyone called me Sean’s little brother," Kevin said. "No, I didn’t mind it at all, everyone knew him and everyone knew who I was because everyone knew him.
"At Ryan, a lot of people didn’t know me at first, but I think a lot of people know I play baseball," he said. "Ryan is my neighborhood school. I think I just went to Dougherty because we used to live (in Fox Chase) and that’s where my family all went. I loved Dougherty, but I like Ryan too. The people are friendly and things are going great."
During the winter, he received a few calls of interest from colleges. However, since his hot start this season, his phone has been ringing with potential scholarship offers.
Right now, it looks like he might follow in his brother’s footsteps once again and head to La Salle University, but that’s not set in stone.
He’ll also study business, just like his older brother. For now, he’d be ecstatic to see his Ryan team win a Catholic League title.
"It’s great to think that we have a chance to go pretty far this year," he said. "The goal is to make the playoffs and then play your best baseball. The league is very good, every team is very good, so you can’t think about the playoffs yet.
"But it is nice to have a good record this far into the year," he said. "Hopefully the weather gets nicer. There’s a lot of baseball left, but right now, we’re in pretty good shape." ••
Joe Mason can be reached at joemason70@hotmail.com