On Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022, Abington seniors Patrick Barrett, Matt Worek & LJ Wolff were recognized for committing to compete in baseball at the collegiate level.
Pat Barrett – Delaware Valley University (Baseball)
Major: Secondary Education
Final list of colleges: Del Val, Eastern, Ursinus
Reasons for choosing Del Val: “I just really liked coach (Kyle) Lindsey. This is only his second or third year there, and I really liked his vision for the future of the program, and it got me really excited to be a part of it.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in baseball at the collegiate level? “I always knew I wanted to play baseball as long as possible, whether that was high school or college. Once I got to junior summer, I started to see it was a real possibility, and I just went from there.”
Coach Bill Degen says: “Pat is going to Del Val to pitch. He’s just an all-around great kid, the kind of kid you love to coach. He’s the ultimate team guy. He throws a lot of strikes and has an effective curveball. He’ll definitely help Del Val at the next level.”
About Pat:
Favorite food: Sushi
Favorite TV show: Criminal Minds
Favorite artist: Rod Wave
LJ Wolff – Wagner College (Baseball)
Major: Secondary Education
Final list of colleges: Wagner, Sienna, Fairleigh Dickinson, Richmond
Reasons for choosing Wagner: “My sister lives in Brooklyn, which is 20 minutes away off the ferry, so she’s right there, and it’s not too far from home. The campus is beautiful – it’s on top of the hill on Staten Island, and you have the whole city view. Our stadium – FerryHawk Stadium – is a minor league stadium, and it’s really nice.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in baseball at the collegiate level? “I’ve always wanted to play a college sports, but mainly it was baseball/basketball when I was growing up. The past year-and-a-half I made a decision to really take baseball seriously, and it definitely paid off.”.
Coach Bill Degen says: “He’s a hard throwing lefthander. He has a very high spin rate curveball. He was a starter last year, and he was the number two guy in ERA on our team as a junior. Most of my other starters were seniors. He’s a guy when you put him on the mound, you know you’re going to get five or six innings out of him. He’s a really good kid. He works incredibly hard. I don’t know a whole lot about Wagner, but I have a feeling he’ll be a contributor for them in the spring next year.”
About LJ:
Favorite food: Grilled Chicken
Favorite movie: Stranger Things
Favorite music: Country
Matt Worek – DeSales University (Baseball)
Major: Criminal Justice
Final list of colleges: DeSales, Lock Haven, Immaculata, Delaware Valley
Reasons for choosing DeSales: “I really liked the coaches, the campus and the criminal justice program they have.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in baseball at the collegiate level? “I have three older siblings who all play college baseball or softball. We’re just a baseball family, so I wanted to follow in their footsteps.”
Coach Bill Degen says: “I can’t say enough good things about Matt. He was jayvee as a freshman, and he was on varsity as a sophomore. By the third game, he was a starter and hasn’t left the lineup. He was a kid that when he was a sophomore, he led our team in strikeouts. I said to him at the beginning of the season last year, ‘Matt, you have to cut your strikeouts, and everything else will follow.’ He had 11 strikeouts last year and only one looking. He led our team in batting average, home runs, and he can steal bases. I think he was the fastest 60 time on my team last year. He can play anywhere on the field, but he’s going to DeSales to catch.”
About Matt:
Favorite food: Steak
Favorite TV show: The Office
Favorite music: Rap
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