New divisions
impact Catholic League

By Melissa Yerkov
Times Sports Editor

The Philadelphia Catholic League will have a new look this baseball season, now that teams are being rearranged in different divisions.
In preparation for next year’s run at the state championships, the Philadelphia Catholic League divisions are being rebuilt this season based on enrollments.
Archbishop Ryan, Father Judge and North Catholic will be in the Red Division, which features larger schools like Monsignor Bonner, La Salle, Cardinal O’Hara, Roman Catholic and St. Joseph’s Prep.
Cardinal Dougherty will compete in the Blue Division against smaller schools like Archbishop Carroll, Conwell-Egan, Kennedy-Kendrick, Bishop McDevitt, Neumann-Goretti, West Catholic and Archbishop Wood.
The new format should create more competition, new rivalries and an entertaining year on the diamond.
Here is a look at the four local squads — the Raiders, Cardinals, Crusaders and Falcons — competing in this year’s Philadelphia Catholic League.

CARDINAL DOUGHERTY
The Cardinal Dougherty High School baseball team figures the only way to go is up. After going winless for the past two years — including a tough 0-21 season last year — the Cardinals finally experienced the joy of winning after a non-league game against Swenson Arts and Technology High School earlier this month.
"This team really wants to win some ballgames," said Steve Carr, who became the Cardinals’ head coach last year. "With the realignment this year, we’ll be playing some new schools that I think we’ll match up more evenly with."
Leading the way this season will be returning All-Catholic third baseman Rob Kaminski. He will be joined in the infield by John Furphy, who plays shortstop and also pitches. Anthony Capaldi will play second base, with sophomore Joe Halbherr at first.
Junior Bill Eberhert will handle leftfield responsibilities, with seniors Joe Gallagher in center and Dave Boginsky in right.
Senior Herb Limbsey will also see some time on the mound, along with Steve Halbherr. T.J. Dormer and Chris Crespo will share time behind the plate.
"We finally have some solid pitching," said Carr. "And offensively, I think we are a lot stronger. We should put up a good fight this year."

FATHER JUDGE
For the Father Judge High School baseball team, experience is the name of the game. The Crusaders have eight returning seniors this year, and all saw a good deal of playing time last season.
Senior Bob Zanneo will play first base, with Tom Carey at second and Tom Ashenbrenner at third. Junior Nick Petroski is the shortstop.
Steve Stout will play leftfield when he’s not on the pitching mound, joined by Mark Miller in centerfield and Jim DiLisio in right. Matt McLaughlin also will find playing time in the Crusaders’ all-senior outfield.
Dave Walkovic, Kyle Levocz and Nick Hasher will share pitching duties; Andrew McHale is the catcher. Sophomore Kevin Conory is expected to contribute as a designated hitter.
"Our goal is always to get to the playoffs," said coach Tim Ginter. "With the divisions realigned this year, every game is going to be a battle.
"Offensively, I’m pretty confident," he added. "We’re going to be a competitive team."

ARCHBISHOP RYAN
After losing the Catholic League championship last year to St. Joseph’s Prep, 19-0, the Raiders are hoping for redemption.
Senior Nick Ferdinand, the team’s co-captain, is the Raiders’ shortstop. He will be joined in the infield by senior first baseman Matt Edelman, sophomore second baseman Mark Golic, and Anthony Keiter at third.
"Our strength is in our infield," said coach Ron Gerhart. "Our infield’s defense is definitely our strong point this year."
Senior and team co-captain Andrew Lacovara will play centerfield, with Brandon Green in left and Jon Schmidt — who will also see some playing time in the infield — in right. Tom Neely and Ferdinand will work on the pitching mound; the catcher is Jerry Smith.
"The league is always very competitive," said Gerhart. "But I have expectations to make the playoffs. If we do the basics, I think we’ll be fine."

NORTH CATHOLIC
The North Catholic High School baseball team has plenty of new faces this season. For one, Nick Chicoletti, an Archbishop Ryan graduate who later coached at Philadelphia University, is the Falcons’ new head coach.
"I’m trying to implement my system," he said. "Right now, things are going well. I think we should contend for a playoff spot. We have a young team, but I see a bright future."
Catcher Mike Zolk is also fresh to the Falcons this season. The freshman will share time at catcher with Fred Gift.
Sophomore Ryan Etsell can be found on the pitching mound, in addition to playing shortstop this season. North Catholic’s second pitcher will be Kegan Smith, with junior Bobby Hopkins also contributing on the mound.
"We have some very strong pitching and hitting," said Chicoletti. "We can really hit the ball one-through-nine."
Senior Chris James is on first base, with Hopkins at second and Chris Morrin playing third.
The Falcons’ outfield will include Shaugn Jannon in right, Fred Dimascia in center and freshmen Ryan Hires and Mike McGuoirk sharing time in left.
"This is a very competitive league," said Chicoletti. "I’m expecting every game to be like a playoff series." ••