Central Bucks South will face Souderton in Friday’s PIAA 6A title game at Penn State’s Medlar Park (10:30 a.m.). Check back for photos and a recap of all the action.
It will be an All-Suburban One League PIAA 6A state title game at Penn State’s Medlar Park on Friday when Central Bucks South takes on SOL Continental foe Souderton. It is the first time the SOL has had both teams in the state title game for baseball.
Souderton also earned a spot in the state championship game in 2007. The Indians fell to Seneca Valley 9-1. For Central Bucks South, every win in the state tournament has been historic. The Titans, who had previously earned a state berth, had never notched a win in state tournament play until this year.
On Friday, one SOL team will go home wearing the title of state champion.
‘Bench Squad’ a key piece in Souderton’s incredible journey
Way back in February, when baseball was the furthest thing from most people’s minds, James Despain, vice president of the Souderton baseball team’s booster club, asked Mike Childs how many players he intended to keep on this year’s varsity.
The veteran coach told Despain – who recounted the story at the team’s recent banquet – he typically keeps 18-20, but when the list was posted, there were 21 players on it.
Despain, according to Childs, admitted thinking to himself, “What is he thinking?” but went on to say he is now one of many believers that the Indians’ coach made the right call.
“We wouldn’t be the same team without those 21 players,” Childs said.
Childs has made no secret about the fact that this year’s team is special for reasons that go well beyond its accomplishments on the field. While the team’s talent has played a major role in the Indians’ postseason run to Friday’s state title game, the contributions of those who aren’t in the lineup – who’ve named themselves ‘The Bench Squad’ - cannot be ignored.
“I guess we found that we had a job other than being on the field, a job to keep the team going and to motivate them to play their best,” senior Austin Jones said.
Jones, who was cut from the team as a junior, epitomizes what the Bench Squad is all about.
“He came to me (after he was cut) and said – ‘What do I need to do, what do I need to work on?’” Childs said. “He came to me the afternoon before tryouts even happened and said, ‘I really, really want to be on this team. I know I didn’t make the team last year, but these are all my friends. I’ll never complain about playing time, I’ll never complain about any of that. I just want to be with my friends since I’ve been playing with them since I was young.’
“I said, ‘All right, Jones, I’ll think about it,’ and we put him on the team.”
Childs has never regretted his decision. Jones and the rest of the Bench Squad have been a key piece of Souderton’s journey.
“Obviously, every kid wants to be on the field, but for these guys to have the attitude they’ve had, which is all 100 percent positive, and to have that support – if you watch them, they run onto the field and they high five or lock arms with the guys that are on the field at the end of every inning,” Childs said. “If Jordan (Morales) strikes someone out to end the inning, they’re the first ones out there congratulating him.
“To have that in the dugout and not guys that are upset and grumpy and distractions and everything else – they’re none of that. They’re there for the fun, and they’re making this team fun. They’re definitely a huge part of our success by easing the stress of the players on the field.”
On the subject of alleviating stress, senior Joey Santone came up with an idea – the team’s ever-present gong - that goes a long way toward doing just that.
“At the start of the year, we wanted to be different and we wanted as seniors to go out with a bang,” Santone said. “We all chipped together to buy the gong on e-bay. Whoever scores comes in and rings the gong. We’ve been doing it all year.”
Going out to dinner together after games at their now favorite spot – the Pizza Pub – is another tradition of this year’s squad. After Tuesday’s state semifinal win over Neshaminy, they made their usual dinner stop, but this one had a different ending.
“The waitress walks up and said, ‘An anonymous person bought your meal,’” Childs said of a bill that exceeded 400 dollars. “The waitress told them who it was, and all 24 of them walked up to the guy, shook his hand and thanked them, but none of them thought of asking his name.”
Childs expressed his team’s sincere gratitude to the nameless donor.
At the heart of this year’s squad are the 14 seniors on the varsity roster.
“The thing about our team is we’ve been playing together since we were eight years old, so we all have been friends before this season,” Jones said. “We all mean a lot more to each other than just as teammates.
“We’re more like a brotherhood. I guess our comradeship, our being together all the time has helped us a lot.”
Senior Jordan Morales can attest to that.
“They have supported me every single game,” said the La Salle-bound pitcher, who is 10-1 on the mound this season. “They’re amazing – Joey Santone, Austin Jones, Danny Pineda, all of them.
“Those guys coming with the energy to the ballpark every single day. They come in whenever needed, but mostly, they’re there for support. They hype us all up, and that’s a good thing to have.”
After Tuesday’s state semifinal win, it was hard to tell who was more excited – the players on the field or those in the dugout.
“Today was exciting to watch,” Pineda said. “All nine guys out there played 100 percent, and us – the Bench Squad – we kept cheering for our team.
“At the end, it’s a memorable thing we’ll have for the rest of our lives.”
“We love our team,” Santone said. “Our chemistry is unstoppable, and we came out with a purpose (Tuesday).
“We lost to Neshaminy twice in the regular season, and the third time is the charm.”
The players on the Bench Squad admit they are not exempt from nerves, especially during the postseason run with the season hanging in the balance.
“I think it’s more nerveracking when you’re not on the field because you can’t change anything that happens,” Jones said. “We try our best to have a positive influence on the team.
“Rather than sitting back and complaining about not playing, we actually do help the team out in different ways.”
At Wednesday’s practice, one day before leaving for the state title game, Childs walked up to Jones.
“I said, ‘Jones, I appreciate you, and I’m glad you’re here,’” the Indians’ coach said. “He said, ‘Thanks, coach.’”
Those were not idle words from Childs, and they tell you all you need to know about a Souderton baseball team and its 24 members who will play for a state title on Friday at Penn State University’s Medlar Field. All 24 – Childs added three jayvee players for the postseason run – will receive medals, either gold or silver, and all 24 played a role in what has been an incredible journey.
Improbable journey leads Titans to state title game.
Six outs.
That’s all that separated Central Bucks South – trailing 6-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning - from a season-ending loss in Tuesday’s PIAA 6A semifinal game against North Allegheny. The Titans weren’t ready to see their season end and needed less than three outs to keep their magical postseason run very much alive, plating nine runs in the sixth inning to notch a stunning 11-6 win.
“I’m not going to lie – the mood in the dugout was pretty bad the first five innings,” said senior Ryan Rieber, who earned the win in relief. “We just weren’t playing good baseball.
“As things started going our way, people started saying, ‘All right, we have a chance, we’ve got to keep going,’ and we just exploded for nine runs. At that point, I feel like the other team just shut down after an inning like that.”
The nine-run sixth was an inning that showed the team’s heart, the team’s determination, the team’s remarkable will to win.
“That was really special,” senior Jake Trachtenberg said. “I haven’t seen a comeback like that or been part of a comeback like that in a really long time.
“The first five innings morale was low, for sure. Just getting the first guy on base, honestly, is the biggest thing because you get runners on base, you have the opportunity to score runs, and that’s exactly what we did in the sixth inning.”
At the heart of this year’s team are 11 seniors – Rieber, Trachtenberg, Kevin Gillard, KJ Hallgren, Joey Loynd, Michael Marino, Connor McKeown, Jack MeKeown, Bryan Rossi, Zach Steinberg and Brock Veit.
The seniors were freshmen in Brian Klumpp’s first year at the helm.
“Once I saw them at tryouts and workouts, I knew that there was a ton of talent, and they projected to be pretty good,” the Titans’ coach said. “Just the leadership that they have, and it’s not just one guy.
“There are so many guys that go unnoticed like Jake McKeown, Connor McKeown, Bryan Rossi, Brock Veit – the list goes on and on, and they all have their own ways of leadership which is why I think they gel so well together. On top of that, they’re all friends. Even off the field, they hang out and they enjoy being around each other. You’re playing for this long – it makes everything much more enjoyable when everybody’s liking each other and getting along.”
Many of the friendships were formed long before they stepped on the diamond together.
“Some of us have been hanging out since we were eight,” Loynd said. “I went to elementary school with three of them and have been best friends with them ever since.
“Then I started playing soccer with a couple of others. I’m honestly close with every single one of them. We were coach Klumpp’s first freshmen, we’re his first real group. It was just a real bond to start. We grew a really strong pact and just became a family. It’s a team atmosphere. We do it all for everybody else.”
The Titans are a family that enjoys each other’s company. Loynd laughs when he recounts the time Rieber struck him out twice in in intrasquad game.
“I still hear about it once a week,” Loynd said.
“I could still do it,” Rieber said. “I just haven’t tried recently.”
There were early signs this group could be something special.
“In middle school, we never lost a game,” Rieber said of his Tamanend Middle School squad. “We knew we had something special in eighth grade.”
“Coming freshmen year, it was new for us,” said Trachtenberg, who attended Unami Middle School. “Everyone was coming together for the first time, the two middle schools coming together.
“Everyone started bonding then, and I definitely think coach Klumpp had an impact on it because it’s his first class as well.”
According to Trachtenberg, the Titans believed this season could be a memorable one.
“In the offseason, we were talking about our outlook for the season, and we really thought we would be states-bound and do some damage when everything clicks,” he said. “That’s exactly what we’re doing right now.”
The Titans have won nine of their last 10 games with their only loss to Neshaminy (2-1) in the district title game.
“Everything started clicking at the right time,” Trachtenberg said. “Team chemistry is at an all-time high, and everyone picks up everyone.
“Some seniors don’t play every inning of every game, but they’re always there on the bench supporting. It’s always the next man up, everyone is ready to play.”
Klumpp echoed a similar sentiment.
“It’s really exciting to be around of group of kids who just have fun playing baseball with each other,” the Titans’ coach said. “We don’t have a roster loaded with D-1 or D-2 commits, we just have kids who love the game, have fun, and give 100 percent every single time they step between the lines.”
It’s been a successful formula, and on Friday, the Titans will take on Souderton in the state title game, and that’s just the beginning. The seniors will head home for their graduation at 4:30 p.m.
“Hopefully, we can win and then go to graduation and celebrate with the rest of our class,” Trachtenberg said. “It’s a day to remember forever.
“It’s been surreal, honestly. It’s unbelievable. These are all my closest friends. Off the baseball diamond, we’re hanging out, we’re going to dinner and stuff like that, so it’s really cool to see all of us come together with one common goal – that’s the state title.”
“Win or lose, it’s been a great season,” said Rieber, who will be on the mound for the Titans. “Ever since freshman year – it’s not just at baseball. We’re always hanging out, going to dinner, watching sports games together. The bond between our seniors is strong.
“Most of these guys are my brothers. I’ll always remember them the rest of my life, and I’ll always be keeping in touch with them.”
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