Council Rock North seniors Matt Hand, CJ Kilgarriff and Jared Schram were recognized for committing to play baseball at the collegiate level.
(Submitted Photo)
Matt Hand – Lehigh University (Baseball)
Major: Business
Final list of colleges: Lehigh, Villanova, Navy, St. Joe’s, Lafayette
Reasons for selecting college: “Outstanding academics, Patriot League champions, strong coaching staff and welcoming players.”
What was the progression that led you to playing your sport at the collegiate level? “When I started playing for the Philadelphia Bandits travel team my sophomore year, I knew I wanted to pursue college baseball. The recruiting process started during the fall of my junior year after attending the Perfect Game showcase in Ft. Myers, Florida. This past summer is when I started visiting schools and receiving offers.”
Coach Matt Schram says: “Matt is going to Lehigh, which is a pretty big accomplishment to say you’re going to play Division One baseball out of high school. He was our number one pitcher last year and clearly will be our number one pitcher this year. He’s a two-star player. He’s also our shortstop, and I think he’s one of the best shortstops in the league as well. You put him in a position where he’s either a pitcher or shortstop, and he’s an instant leader. He did that last year incredibly – he was great with it, and I expect nothing less of him this year. He’ll probably take it up to the next level, not only his ability to play but his ability to lead and bring that experience and bring some of the young guys with him since we have quite a young roster this year. He’s also a great student. He’s a smart kid and really fits the profile. He’s one of those kids – he takes school seriously, he takes baseball seriously. He takes it all seriously.”
About Matt:
Favorite food: Sushi
Favorite movie: Miracle
Favorite music: Hip-Hop/Rap and country
CJ Kilgarriff – Philadelphia University (Baseball)
Major: Business
Final list of colleges: Philadelphia University, Chestnut Hill, Kutztown, Millersville
Reasons for choosing Philly U: “Good academics, not too close or far, and the coach likes me.”
What was the progression that led you to playing baseball at the collegiate level? “I realized I was throwing harder than most pitchers, and my skills continued to get better. I started thinking about playing in college my sophomore year, and the recruiting process started then but got serious last summer.”
Coach Matt Schram: “CJ is a senior, but this is his first year at Council Rock North. He transferred from Council Rock South, but he played for me in the fall, and I’ve coached against CJ for six or seven years, so I know him real well. He’s a pitcher, and my description of CJ is that he’s a crafty pitcher who loves to pitch. He loves to have the ball, he always wants to be on the mound. He wants to be on the mound when the game’s on the line – he wants to be that guy. What a great addition for us. We’re real fortunate to have CJ with us. He was the enemy for the last three years of high school, and now he’s part of the team. The guys welcomed him in. He’s one of those guys – when you faced him, you hated to face him, but you love to have him with you. We’re excited about that.”
About CJ:
Favorite food: Pasta & Meatballs
Favorite movie: For the Love of the Game
Favorite music: Country or Rap
Jared Schram – Bloomsburg University (Baseball)
Major: Education/Special Education
Final list of colleges: Bloomsburg, Mercer Junior College, Nicholls College, Arcadia University
What was the progression that led you to playing baseball at the collegiate level? “I started thinking about playing in college after my junior year in high school. I had a pretty good high school season on the baseball field and was selected to play on the Carpenter Cup team. That’s when I realized that most of the guys playing on that field are potential college players. I had a pretty good two weeks for the cup team, and I started my college visits.”
Coach Matt Schram says: “Jared was our number one catcher, and he was tied for the lead in RBIs. He batted close to .380 and struck out once last year, so he’s very productive for us. Eight guys attempted to steal on us last year, and he threw out five guys. Not a whole lot of guys try to run on him, and that helps our pitchers. He made the Carpenter Cup team along with Matt Hand and had a great Carpenter Cup run – so good that Bloomsburg saw him at the Carpenter Cup. He’s a catcher, and your catcher is your quarterback on the baseball field. He’s smart as heck on the baseball field – he knows the game, he sees the game, he knows how to call the game. He’s a quiet leader – he’s not a rah, rah type of guy.”
About Jared:
Favorite food: Filet Mignon
Favorite movie: Lone Survivor
Favorite music: Country
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