Eagles take a swing
at postseason play

By Joe Mason
For the Times

Dan Engelberg never felt like the whipping boy.
But he knew he was always under a microscope.
Engelberg is now a senior on the George Washington High School baseball team, but when he was a lowly sophomore, his older brother Sean was a senior leader.
That meant Sean had to help groom the younger guys to be productive and responsible baseball players. And, as most big brothers tend to do, he was always a little harder on the younger bro’.
"He was a captain and he was always on my back," Dan said. "I always had to do things perfectly, and if I didn’t, he was always on my back, telling me the right way to do it.
"It wasn’t too much fun, but I think it worked well," he added. "I think it helped me play better and helped me have a better senior year."
Dan Engelberg, a rightfielder, was instrumental this year in helping Washington finish second, behind only Frankford, in a very competitive Public League Red Division.
The Eagles went 10-3 in divisional play and won their first-round playoff game, 3-2, over Kensington. Washington’s success continued on Monday with an impressive 13-3 quarterfinal victory in six innings against Prep Charter.
The win, which earned Washington to the right to play Central High School in the semifinals on May 21, was the Eagles first quarterfinal victory in three years.
"We lost to GAMP in the quarterfinals during my sophomore and junior years," Dan Engelberg said. "I’m glad we’re not playing them. But I’m really happy with what we’ve done this year.
"Obviously, I’d rather have finished in first place," said Engelberg, a second-team All-Public selection. "But Frankford is a very good team and we did really well. Plus, the other teams are really good, so finishing second is pretty good."
The Eagles did have one thing going for them this year. The team has 10 seniors, and most of them came into the season with plenty of experience.
Those veterans knew how to handle the grind of the Public League season, which earned them a second-place finish.
"We’ve all been playing together for years," he said. "We all played together last year, and during our sophomore year, we had four sophomores on the varsity team, so we’ve been around our coaches and they’re very helpful. They know how to get the most out of us and how to help us win."
While Engelberg and his mates have had a huge impact on the fortunes of the Washington baseball team, they also can proudly say they’ve helped the other programs at the school.
Engelberg only plays baseball, but he did his best to attend every football and basketball game, as well as every wrestling match, during the course of the year.
He wasn’t alone.
"We’re big on school spirit and we went as a team to all the games," he said. "We went to support them, and if you went to a football game, a basketball game or a wrestling match, you’d hear us. We were always loud and tried to support the other guys.
"Some of them now come out for us," he added. "Not as many as I’d like, but we do get a good crowd."
He’s hopeful that he and his teammates can stay on a roll and earn championship jackets.
"I’ve had such a great time playing here," Engelberg said. "I know it’s going to be really tough because there are so many good teams, but winning a championship would be a great way to end my high school career."
Next year, the Fox Chase native hopes to play baseball at Penn State’s Abington campus. He’ll also do his best to prepare for a career in medicine.
"I’m going to start out in science and then go from there," said Engelberg, who maintains a B-plus average at Washington. "A friend of the family is a pharmacist, and that seems like a really good profession. If I start out in science, I’ll have more time to figure it out." ••
Joe Mason can be reached at joemason70@hotmail.com