On Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, Pennsbury seniors Kayden Faulcon, Joe Tiroly & Ryan Zuckerman were recognized for committing to continue their baseball careers at the collegiate level. (Photos provided courtesy of Jennifer Neill/Pennsbury High School)
“They’re three great kids overall, and it’s great to have a core like that,” Pennsbury coach Joe Pesci said. “I don’t take credit for that. It’s the families and it’s the kids and the tradition that goes through. Having these three kids, you can talk about the numbers and you can see them play, but they’re just fun, and they’re good kids to have around.
Kayden Faulcon – University of Pittsburgh (Baseball)
Major: Criminology
Final list of colleges: Pitt, Villanova, Bucknell
Reasons for choosing Pitt: “Not only the fact that I really believe in their baseball program – they have a good baseball program and a good school in general, money came into consideration also, and I’m going to be playing with a kid I’ve been playing with for years. It’s going to be exciting.”
What was the progression that led you to playing baseball at the collegiate level? “It started off just as a kid playing the game – I loved it, I loved watching it with my parents and everything. Baseball has always been in my family. Over the years, I just started progressing. Pitt was one of the first schools I talked to as a freshman. I talked to them and Penn State. Then I stopped talking to Pitt, and I started working on myself, started fixing how I play, started to get better. They saw me at a tournament last summer, and they offered me because I was playing better, and they saw I could pitch in the ACC, so it was a blessing because they were one of the best schools I was talking to in the beginning. It was definitely a blessing.”
Coach Joe Pesci says: “I’ve known Kayden for a really long time. He came up through middle school as a catcher. He used to come to camps and catch bullpen and stuff like that. He really started to make that turn as a pitcher after eighth grade with his summer teams. Just his physical talent – he was a kid that threw really hard and didn’t have the control. He had to figure out how to get over some of those pieces. One of the big things was – as a sophomore, we threw him into the fire, and he had some great games and some major struggles. Last year, he was one of our three starters and just was incredible. He was a second team all-leaguer as our third starter. For him to come out and do that was great for him. He matured over the course of that year with different coaches. He’s also a kid that has always said to me – he doesn’t want to let us down. I explain to him – ‘Go out and compete, you’re not.’ Knowing the family – they’re phenomenal people that I’ve known for a really long time. Now he’s the guy, now he’s the man. He had a great year last year, and now he has to be the one that shows out. We’re excited. He had some early interest and then people faded away. All of a sudden, he had this great year, and they came back on. For him to get to go to Pitt – in-state, a great school and with a teammate he’s known for a while is awesome too.”
About Kayden:
Favorite food: Chipotle
Favorite movie: Field of Dreams
Favorite music/artists: R&B & Rap/Joyner Lucas or Lil TJ
Joe Tiroly – Rider University (Baseball)
Major: Film & Television & possibly history as well
Final list of colleges: Rider, Chestnut Hill
Reasons for choosing Rider: “It was just the perfect fit for everything. It’s high level baseball, they play high level competition. It’s 15 minutes from my house, and it had everything I wanted. It’s a small school, small campus. The fit was perfect for me.”
What was the progression that led you to playing baseball at the collegiate level? “I started baseball at two years old. It was the only thing I ever knew throughout my entire life. I love playing it every day, and I don’t want to do anything but play baseball. Ever since I could remember I always wanted to play baseball in college and hopefully professionally as well.”
Coach Joe Pesci says: “Joe’s an interesting kid. I’ve known him for a really long time. He used to be a little kid at my camps, winning all the competitions. He was kid who did not make JV or varsity when he was a freshman – he was on the freshman team. Sophomore year he was competing and starting games for us. We have a Heart of the Clubhouse award, and he was voted by his teammates as the best teammate. He’s just one of those great kids from a great family. His older brother came through our program as well. Joe is one of those kids that is constantly working and constantly positive. He’s like the hype man. When a kid’s having a great round in the cage, he's out there cheering them on. He’s an incredible teammate, and that’s a huge asset to have as a person, but also his work ethic and his development. He’s gotten bigger, he’s gotten faster, he’s gotten stronger. He actually led our team in batting average and doubles. When you look at our lineup and how powerful we were, he’s a kid that came on. He hit his first high school home run in our state playoff game last year. He’s a team-first guy. He’s a teammate before he’s a player, and that’s what is amazing about the kid. He’s a kid that takes on a leadership role without being asked to. It’s a huge asset to have a kid like that on your team, and he can play. He’s a kid I know we can rely on moving forward.”
About Joe:
Favorite food: Chicken Parmesan
Favorite movie: The Dark Knight
Favorite artists: Elvis Presley & the Beatles
Ryan Zuckerman – University of Pittsburgh (Baseball)
Major: Business
Final list of colleges: Pitt, Virginia Tech, Connecticut, Boston College
Reasons for choosing Pitt: “The way that they care for their players and what they do for them on and off the field - it’s not necessarily just baseball. They try to develop everyone into young men and prepare you for real life outside of baseball.”
What was the progression that led you to playing baseball at the collegiate level? “Growing up as a kid, you always watch TV and you see all the MLB games, and it’s always a dream. Being in a position where you can make things like that become a reality gave me motivation and made me work hard for everything.”
Coach Joe Pesci says: “Both Ryan and Kayden we put on the varsity team as freshmen in 2020, so they made that roster, but they didn’t get to play. Actually, I was looking at both of them as pitchers. The following year Ryan comes in, and he wins that shortstop job. He passes the eye test. He’s tall, he’s fast, he’s strong – all those things. He came out, and he played well. He had his struggles just like every young kid does, but he came out, and he was second team all-league. As a sophomore, having that success early is tough, and then he just built on it last year and he was a monster. For most of the year, he was leading our team in batting average, he led us in home runs. It’s one of those things when he comes up – you knew you had a chance, and he had big hits and big home runs. Again, he’s a kid who plays high level summer ball, and I tried to help guide him through the recruiting process. We talked a few times about – what are you looking for? Pitt is an amazing school. It was in the top three of his list. It’s ACC baseball. He’s another kid who just works and works and works. He’s always doing something to get better. We encouraged him this year to go play basketball, and he’s probably one of the best athletes on the basketball team.
About Ryan:
Favorite food: Cheesesteaks
Favorite TV show: Designated Survivor
Favorite artist: Lil Baby
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