Pennsbury seniors Brendan Campbell, Jake Goldberg, Justin Jacko, Connor Ward and Shaughn Wright have made commitments to play baseball at the collegiate level.
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Brendan Campbell – Carson Newman University, Tennessee (Baseball)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: Carson Newman, Rutgers, Shippensburg (football), Kutztown (football)
Reasons for choosing Carson Newman: “I always wanted to play baseball down south where there’s always nice weather and great competition.”
What was the progression that led you to playing baseball at the collegiate level? “My whole life has revolved around sports. Whether it was baseball, football, basketball or wrestling…I always had something going on each season. It wasn’t till middle school and high school that I started to take my baseball and football career more serious. My parents did a great job with mentoring me throughout my life with sports and raising me well to get me to where I am today.
“I knew I was always going to go to college - it was just up to me and my hard work to play a sport in college. Once high school hit and seeing all the kids I looked up to start making their college decisions and knowing my dad played college football at Rutgers – I knew I wanted to make that stride and start working hard to become a college athlete and earn a scholarship. The whole recruiting process started last spring into this fall, and I eventually committed in late December.”
Coach Joe Pesci says: “Brendan is an extremely good athlete. You can see that with his accolades in football. He was a three-year starter for us on the varsity baseball team. Even last year as a junior, he was first team at second base, and he was first team again this year. He was a leadoff hitter, and his on-base percentage was incredible. He was a captain as a junior and senior and was on the Carpenter Cup team as both a junior and senior. What’s great about him is – he’s a two-year captain, but not only does he lead with his play on the field, but he’s a vocal leader, and he’s an extension of the coaching staff, which is something that you can’t really teach all the time. You just need the right personalities.”
About Brendan:
Favorite food: Buffalo Chicken
Favorite movie: The Shawshank Redemption
Favorite music: Dave Matthews Band/U2
Jake Goldberg – Philadelphia University (Baseball)
Major: Finance
Final list of colleges: Philadelphia University, SUNY Oneonta, Immaculata
Reasons for choosing Philadelphia University: “I was impressed with coach Horvath and loved the Philadelphia University campus and programs. I like the location of the campus in the city.”
What was the progression that led you to playing collegiate baseball? “I played t-ball around age six and played little league with Morrisville Little League. I started getting more serious about baseball while playing on travel and tournament teams, starting around age 12. That was when I began focusing more on pitching. I enjoy playing in the outfield and finished with the most RBI’s on the Pennsbury varsity team last season, but I knew I wanted to focus on pitching in college. I had the opportunity to get a lot of time on the mound for Yardley Morrisville American Legion where I’ve played since age 13. I also played on Philadelphia Area JCC Maccabi team in 2010, 2011 and 2012 and got to meet and play against players from all over the country.
“The recruiting process started in earnest during junior year and the summer between junior and senior year. Last summer after my junior year at Pennsbury, I played for Legion and also played on the All-American Baseball Academy 18U showcase team and attended a few showcases to increase my exposure pitching in front of college coaches.
“Initial contacts with coaches led to arranging opportunities to get playing time in front of coaches/assistant coaches. After talking to coaches that were interested, the next step was campus visits. I wanted to find a school that was a good fit for me with baseball but also with the overall college experience I was looking for.
“Coach Mike Decembrino with YM Legion helped me with some great insights and tips before and during the recruiting process as well as with arranging for some visits from college coaches to see me pitch over the summer. Coach Pesci at Pennsbury was supportive with reaching out to the colleges I was interested in. I signed with Philadelphia University in November during the early signing period and am looking forward to playing with Coach Horvath.”
Coach Joe Pesci says: “Jake started almost every game for us in right field as a junior. This year we made a little bit of a shift where he was pitching and DHing because his future is to pitch at Philly U. It gave us an opportunity to get other players in the outfield, and Jake was open to that role. Being a two-year starter, getting a lot of experience last year – he only saw four or five innings on the mound, but we knew what he had based on his jayvee time, his summertime and his time in the fall. Again, he’s a kid that leads with his play.”
About Jake:
Favorite food: Cheesesteak
Favorite movie: The Sandlot
Favorite music: Rock, Hip Hop
Justin Jacko – La Salle University (Baseball)
Major: Business Systems and Analytics
Final list of colleges: La Salle, Penn State, The College of New Jersey
Reasons for choosing La Salle: “I wanted a place to further my education and play the game I love at the highest level possible. The campus is beautiful, and I really liked the coaches and the program as a whole.”
What was the progression that led you to playing collegiate baseball? “It has always been a dream and a goal of mine to play baseball at the Division I level. The recruiting process started my junior year. It was a long and stressful process, but finding the right school was the most satisfying feeling ever.”
Coach Joe Pesci says: “Justin is a three-year starter for us and a two-year captain. He was the team MVP this year. After his junior year where he didn’t perform up to what his expectations were, he came out and worked a great deal to make adjustments and ended up leading our team in most offensive categories – batting average, RBIs, doubles, slugging percentage. He played pretty much in every inning of every game with the exception of a few here and there in right field for us this year. He’s on the Carpenter Cup team, and he was a unanimous first team vote by the coaches for all-league outfield. The best thing about him was his dedication. I could count on one hand the amount of workouts in the offseason that he missed in his four years in the high school. (Another great) thing about him was his academics. That’s what has helped him with college. He’s getting (money from) La Salle for academics, and that’s huge when baseball isn’t always fully funded.”
About Justin:
Favorite food: Macaroni and Cheese
Favorite movie: The Sandlot
Favorite music: Country
Connor Ward – Pennsylvania State University – Altoona (Baseball)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: Penn State Altoona, Gwynedd Mercy
Reasons for choosing Penn State Altoona: “I loved the thought of being able to be a Nittany Lion.
What was the progression that led you to playing baseball at the collegiate level? “My junior year when I was first told I had a chance to play at the next level, I began to pursue the opportunity.”
Coach Joe Pesci says: “Connor came in this year only throwing seven innings as a junior, but we had three starting seniors the year before so he had a tough time getting in, but his performances in the summer and on our fall team – you could tell he wanted to take that ace role. Early in the year, he struggled not with his pitching but his record because we were making some errors and not scoring runs. He ended up being our big game pitcher and getting two big wins against Neshaminy. He got a save against William Tennent down the stretch. He came in and started our playoff game, and unfortunately, he’s facing a D-1 potential draft pitcher. Early in the year, he was kind down on himself. We had a talk with him, and he totally changed his mindset. He wasn’t officially named, but he really became a third captain because he just went out there and did the job and was a great teammate in the dugout when he wasn’t pitching. He grew so much. He’s a kid who throws in the mid 80’s, but he’s got a ton of run on his ball. He’s going to go to Penn State Altoona to play. I think he has a future to go a little further and even have an opportunity at Penn State. It was great to have him come in after not getting a ton of time last year and perform the way he did.”
About Connor:
Favorite food: Burritos
Favorite movie: Goodfellas
Favorite music: Hip-Hop, Country
Shaughn Wright – Gwynedd Mercy College (Baseball)
Major: Criminal Justice
Final list of colleges: Gwynedd Mercy, Chestnut Hill
Reasons for choosing Gwynedd Mercy: “Great Criminal Justice program, great baseball team, and I love the campus.”
What was the progression that led you to playing collegiate baseball? “I’ve always loved playing baseball and knew I wanted to play at the collegiate level.”
Coach Joe Pesci says: “We gave out a most improved player award this year, and that includes his entire time in high school. Shaughn came in as an outfielder, but he was the freshman starting catcher out of necessity. He just worked hard. He didn’t get much time on varsity, maybe one or two at-bats his junior year. He played mostly jayvee. This year he was the fifth starting outfielder. We had four seniors and Ryan Sheaffer, and he didn’t get a shot right away. When he did, he had a big double against Council Rock North. He lost his spot again, and he came back in the last third of the year and led our team in triples. He had a three double game against CB East. He’s a kid that does everything you ask him to do, and he does everything without asking him. He would be there helping us with the field or with the equipment. Whatever it is – he was the kid who was always there doing something. He ended up in the starting role in left field and ended up having three triples and a bunch of doubles, which was great for us to have him step up in that role after not starting early in the year.”
About Shaughn:
Favorite food: My mom’s homemade meatballs and spaghetti
Favorite movie: The Sandlot
Favorite music: Country
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