Plymouth Whitemarsh seniors Luke Caucci, Dylan Robinson & Luke Gartland were recognized for committing to compete in baseball at the collegiate level. (Photos provided courtesy of PW baseball)
“These three guys were part of a senior class this year that was very successful,” PW coach Chris Manero said. “In a way, it was a group that we saw progress over the four years. A very tight-knit group, guys that all grew up playing together and really made this senior year extra special. I think the camaraderie and the friendship between these guys is a huge, huge part of why we were so successful this year.
“A guy like Dylan Robinson only pitched a few innings his junior year but was our number one pitcher this year as a senior. Luke Gartland and Luke Caucci each played multiple positions for us over the course of three or four years, but both settled in to be our starting middle infield this year. As a group this year, we started so many seniors. I just think there’s always something to be said for how a team jells on and off the field and how that can equate to success. These three guys are core members of that group and are a big part of it.
“Going back to the beginning, Luke Gartland and Luke Caucci were two freshmen who made our jayvee team in the fateful spring of 2020. I remember as we were building our roster that year, we said, ‘Let’s look at Gartland and Caucci as two guys who have a chance to progress through our system and potentially be our starting middle infield by their junior or senior year. We said that when they were in ninth grade, and then here we were this year as seniors, and Luke Gartland was our starting shortstop and Luke Caucci was our starting second baseman, but the path to get there was not what we anticipated.
“Caucci was our starting centerfielder for the last two years. Luke Gartland went from being a DH to being a second baseman to being a shortstop. They all played the roles we needed every year at the time but then ended up being where we thought they would be all along – with Dylan at the top of the rotation and those two guys in our middle infield.
“All three of these guys – these are high academic schools, and all three of them proved the story – if you do well in school, if you do well academically, it opens up the possibilities of where you can go. To see all three of these guys go to high academic schools and also have a chance to play baseball, that’s a point of pride on two ends.”
Luke Caucci – Lafayette College (Baseball)
Major: Psychology
Final list of colleges: Lafayette, Hawaii, Franklin & Marshall, Saint Joseph's
Reason for choosing Lafayette: “It was the best feeling school to me because of the perfect atmosphere of competitive sports and excellent academics. The campus is also very nice and seems like a great place to be for the next four years.”
What was the progression that led you to playing baseball at the collegiate level? “As a middle schooler, I had aspirations of playing in college, but I had no idea the effort and time it would take to make it a reality. It really started as a freshman when I began entering college showcases, playing for the Philly Bandits in the summer, and starting high school ball. Going to the gym and getting stronger also became a priority during this time. These factors helped me get the right exposure, skill, and quality baseball experience I needed to commit to the next level.”
Coach Chris Manero says: “Luke Caucci is a guy for all four years with us probably had some of the best tools. Whether it was being an outfielder or infielder, he really just took whatever role he was given or whatever role he could help us in. Unfortunately, he battled a lot of injuries, and to start his sophomore season opening day at Pennsbury, he went back on a fly ball and hurt his ankle. He had led off that game with a double, got hurt and then missed about half that season. As a junior, he didn’t have his best year – he struggled a little bit, and this year was his comeback year. He was having a good year for us, he was coming into his own, and about three-quarters of the way through the season, he got hurt in a bicycle accident, broke his clavicle and missed the playoff run of our season. He bounced on and off the field and went through a lot of challenges, but he never stopped working and was always a centerpiece of every one of our plans for the past four years.
“Not everybody can go to Lafayette. You have to be a student. Luke was focused on playing at the college level this whole time. Guys like Luke Gartland – he just had to see where he would end up. He has a lot of respect from a lot of coaches around the league. He was one of those guys people would always ask about – where’s Gartland going? Both Lukes were Carpenter Cup players, all-league players, guys that definitely had the respect of coaches and other teams around them.”
Favorite food: Cheesesteaks
Favorite movie: The Hangover
Favorite artist: Yeat
Luke Gartland – Dickinson College (Baseball)
Major: Biology
Final list of colleges: Dickinson, West Chester, Washington College, Misericordia
Reasons for selecting Dickinson: “Dickinson College provided great academic opportunities while also allowing me to continue playing baseball at the next level. Also, the campus and facilities were amazing.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in baseball at the collegiate level? “My sophomore year, I stopped playing soccer because I wanted to focus on my baseball skills and explore the opportunity to play collegiately. My junior year is when the recruiting process started to pick up, and I was playing in a lot of showcases and tournaments and began to visit some campuses. Ultimately, I decided on Dickinson College, and I could not be happier with where I ended up after a long process.”
Coach Chris Manero says: “Luke Gartland is a kid that’s played for us pretty much every day for three years in a row as a DH in 10th grade, as our second baseman in 11th grade, and our shortstop when he was in 12th grade. When he was a sophomore in our first league game of the season, he had a walk-off hit against Hatboro-Horsham. Here’s this 10th grader coming up with a big hit to win the game for us. It was a nice moment for him as a young player, but to then watch as he became eventually a leader and along with Luke Caucci a captain as a senior – again, he was just the centerpiece of everything we’ve done over the last three years.”
About Luke:
Favorite food: Bacon
Favorite TV show: Breaking Bad
Favorite music: Rap and Country
Dylan Robinson – Dickinson College (Baseball)
Major: International Business
Final list of colleges: Dickinson, University of Delaware
Reasons for choosing Dickinson: “I chose Dickinson in order to continue playing the sport that I love as well as go to a good school for education, Dickinson checked all the boxes for me, I loved the campus and everything I saw when I visited.”
What was the progression that led you to playing baseball at the collegiate level? “With all of the success that I was having during my senior year, it made me realize that I didn’t want to be done playing. Midway through the year Widener gave me an offer to play, and that’s when I really started thinking about playing at the next level. So, I started reaching out to some coaches, and from there just continued the success I was having and decided to play baseball at Dickinson instead of going to Delaware.
Coach Chris Manero says: “Dylan Robinson is interesting. We always say – it’s one thing to go from a role player as a pitcher to becoming a team’s number one. It’s a huge change, and going into this season, we had a few pitchers who were vying for that number one spot, but Dylan emerged from the pack. He’s not a guy that goes out there and throws 90 miles an hour, he’s not 6-5, he’s not lefthanded, but he’s always been known as that bulldog-type pitcher. He went out this year and just had the confidence of a senior, he threw tons of strikes, always had low pitch counts, and he kept us in every single game he pitched. He took over a lot of the games that he pitched, and just with the right mix of pitches and the right mentality, he became a first team all-league pitcher. He really blossomed as a senior whereas the other two guys were in more prominent roles for a couple years. When they all got to the end of their careers, they were up there for us.
“Dylan was not originally intending to play college baseball. He was going to go to Delaware – that was his plan, and then as the season went on and he was really starting to see the success he could have, I think that’s when he started looking at it. With Luke Gartland also going to Dickinson, that was the connection he had. He ended up checking it out, and he decided he wanted to give it a shot at the next level. You never know sometimes. Everybody takes off at a different point. He probably thought of himself in some of the same ways we did – how good is he going to be? All of a sudden, you’re sitting there at an all-league meeting, and he is being selected as first team all-league pitcher. He had something like eight wins for us this season. You can’t ask for much more than that.”
About Dylan:
Favorite food: Chicken Dumplings
Favorite TV show: The Blacklist
Favorite musician: J Cole
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