Six members of the North Penn baseball teams will continue their baseball careers at the collegiate level.
Kevin Brace – DeSales University (Baseball)
Major: Nursing
Final list of colleges: DeSales, Lehigh, Misericordia, Widener
Reasons for choosing DeSales: “I chose DeSales because it was close to home, I really liked the baseball program, it’s a really good school for my major, and the campus was very nice.”
Coach Kevin Manero says: “In his four-year high school career, Kevin never missed a morning lifting session. Perfect attendance at 5:30AM for four straight years tells you everything you need to know about Kev.
“His efforts in the weightroom, which for a smaller statured kid like him, are so important, were matched only by his efforts in the classroom. Kevin is top 25 in his class, has an unweighted GPA over 4.0, and his SAT scores are over 1300. Those stats should open a lot of doors for a kid. We tell our guys that all the time - your academics will forge many more paths than baseball. For Kev, the admissions office at his original school of choice didn't seem to value those numbers as much as he had hoped, but we are thrilled with the number of schools that jumped on board. It was awesome to see the amount of interest he got - he deserves it. DeSales is getting a tremendous teammate and a smart player who will contribute in a lot of ways.
“Kevin is a pure baseball player. He loves the game and loves being on the field. He has a lot of innings under his belt as our shortstop, and we believe he is poised for his best year yet this spring."
Mason Coyne – Thomas Jefferson University (Baseball)
Major: Finance
Final list of colleges: Thomas Jefferson, Washington College, Moravian
Reasons for choosing Jefferson: “The reason I chose Jefferson– besides the great finance program they have – was the great environment they put me in, whether it was the coaches or the players.”
Coach Kevin Manero says: "Mason has a lot of energy, and it's kind of funny - he still is a lot like I remember him when he was a little leaguer, just bigger now. The passion with which he plays and the hunger he has to succeed will help him a lot at the next level. He has spent the last year making tremendous physical transformations as well - the kid just flat out wants to be on the field."
"Mason is continuing a line of players we have had go to Jefferson. Jake Drelick started out there, Justin Egner is there now, and Chris McLean finished a storied career there last year, winning their team MVP honors twice in four years. We are excited to see Mason continue that tradition. "
Ben Grattan – Muhlenberg College (Baseball)
Major: Finance
Reasons for choosing Muhlenberg: “The academics at Muhlenberg are great, especially the business school. The high level of education along with the personal feel of a smaller campus made Muhlenberg a good fit for me.”
Coach Kevin Manero says: “Ben is one of our seniors in a large group that has played together since they were very young. He was a second-half guy last year once he got an opportunity to start for us in left field. He had four hits in his first four at-bats and never came out of the lineup after that.
“For Ben, being a later blooming outfielder presents its challenges in this tough world of recruiting, but he was steadfast in his desire to play college baseball and in Muhlenberg found a great fit.
“Ben has, for as long as I have known him, shown a great penchant to keep getting better and stronger. He is no stranger to extra work in the cage, and he's as reliable a person and teammate as they come.”
Chase Jones – West Chester University (Baseball)
Major: Accounting
Final list of colleges: West Chester, IUP, Millersville
Reasons for choosing West Chester: “I chose West Chester because it was a good fit for me, it’s close to home, I have two brothers who graduated there, and I really liked the coaches.”
Coach Kevin Manero says: "Chase really is an excellent baseball player, which is only an extension of the type of person he is and the family he comes from. A few years ago, when he came into our program as a freshman, I was concerned about his arm strength behind the plate, but just a couple years later, he was completely legit, and now I will take him behind the plate, stacked up against some of the strongest D1 catchers I've seen.
"Chase is a focused player and really rises to the occasion. Over the last couple years, he has shown that at the plate, he handles some of the best pitching we see. I'm very confident in his ability to make an immediate impact at West Chester. He's going to a storied program with D2 national prominence, and I believe it's a great fit for him and for them.
"Chase will follow in the footsteps of more recent North Penn alumni Jared Melone, Corey Stouffer, and Zack Miles - all of whom had great careers at West Chester. I think Chase really has the work ethic and ability to continue that tradition."
Jackson Kelley – Elizabethtown College (Baseball)
Major: Pre-law
Final list of colleges: Elizabethtown, Washington & Jefferson, Penn State-Altoona, Ursinus
Reasons for choosing Elizabethtown: “Ultimately, I chose Elizabethtown because of their pre-law program
– it was a lot better than the other schools I talked to, and their team was a real close-knit group, and I liked the coaches.”
Coach Kevin Manero says: "Jackson really is a case study in how a body can change and develop with the right combination of hard work and letting time take its course. He was not always the most athletic and strongest kid when he came to our camps in his younger years, but when his body started to fill out, he took advantage of that and got very serious about his training and his arm strength in particular.
"Jackson kind of reinvented himself as a player a few years ago and focused on pitching, Since then, it's been steady progress and continuous improvement, which I have no doubt will continue at Elizabethtown. Over the years we have had Mike Christy, Anthony Cameron, RJ Agriss and Tyler Bohn play at Elizabethtown, and it would be great to see Jackson get a shot there. I think it's an excellent choice for him."
Trevor Lugara – Bloomsburg University (Baseball)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: Bloomsburg, Scranton, Penn State-Harrisburg, Misericordia
Reasons for choosing Bloomsburg: “I ultimately chose Bloomsburg because of the location, I felt wanted there and I loved the coaches.”
Coach Kevin Manero says: “Not everyone knows the Trevor Lugara story, but it's kind of a good one. In the fall of his freshman year, we gave him a start in a tournament because the pitcher we really felt better about using was sick that day. So, Trevor, a scrawny little freshman who brought the heat at all of about 68 mph at the time, turned in five innings against Spring-Ford's varsity squad and the score was 3-3 in the fifth inning. He got our attention that day.
"Trevor has been a starter on our staff for three years because he throws strikes, controls the pace of the game, repeats his release point, shows no emotion from pitch to pitch, but is also as super competitive as they come. He understands how to pitch, and he has done it very well. In an era dominated by velocity, we are grateful Coach Collins at Bloomsburg came to see him pitch and loved what he saw. Trev has been on a steady increase in velocity each year in our program, but he also has a million other skills that will translate to success. Along the way, he has found himself in games of massive importance where he's gone toe to toe with kids committed to Texas A&M, Harvard, and Wake Forest - and he won all of those games, and many more."
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