William Tennent's Vinne Case had a big day in Carpenter Cup play on Monday. To view photos of all the action, please visit the Photo Gallery.
By Dave Conard for SuburbanOneSports.com
It’s a special thing to see a kid put on his cap and glove and dart out onto the freshly cut grass to play the game of baseball.
Getting into his “ready stance” with a smile on his face, barely able to contain the passion and joy of the first time he ever played the game.
To see someone succeed at something they love so dearly in any walk of life is special, but there is just something about the “truly American game” that makes it exceptional when someone gets to fulfill their dream.
On Monday, that “kid” happened to be 18 years old and a member of the Suburban One League/Bicentennial Athletic League squad which was competing on a “patch of grass” named after Philadelphia Phillies star and Major league baseball hall of famer Richie Ashburn.
Since about the time he could walk, William Tennent junior Vinnie Case has loved to play baseball, and that love came shining through on one of the biggest stages a high school ball player will ever be on - the 28th Carpenter Cup.
“I have always loved to play baseball,” said Case after his squad was ousted by a very good New Jersey squad. “As a kid, I never wanted to stop playing or leave the field, I would play all day, every day. This is a dream come true to be playing on Ashburn Field.”
Realizing his dream was delayed slightly on Monday as Case was slated to be amongst the second wave of players from the SOL/BAL to battle the Colonial Olympic all stars.
As “antsy” as he got in the dugout before getting to take his spot in center field, it was well worth the wait for the young man from Southampton, and he made the most of his opportunity to showcase his talents to upwards of fifty college coaches and scouts in attendance.
“I couldn’t wait to get out there,” said Case, who will spend this summer playing legion ball and doing showcase weekends. “Just to be asked to play is such an honor, and to take the field with all of these amazing players, the feeling is hard to describe.
It didn’t take long for Case to get the attention of everyone, including Phillies public address announcer Dan Baker, who would later comment, “That Case kid is a player” as Case crushed a three-run bomb over the center field fence in his first trip to the plate.
“He started me with a curveball, so I was looking fastball and was able to drive it,” said Case. “You never know how many chances to hit you will get or games for that matter, so you really have to make each at bat count.
“This is so awesome being here. I can’t really express how great I feel.”
The almost giddy teenager, who will be donning the jersey of Post 800 this summer in the Lower Montco League, was quick to point out that his first uniform was that of the Cardinals in Fox Chase Little League.
Case then turned in the Redbirds gear when he was “traded” to big brother Nick’s team, the Rockies, at the ripe old age of seven.
“Yeah my brother wasn’t very happy about that,” said Case, whose family spends the summer in North Wildwood while he does the dirt circuit. “I just wanted to play, and getting to play with him was a pretty cool thing.
“I wish we could have won a few games and had a chance to play at Citizen’s Bank, but this was a great experience.”
His bat was not the only tool that Case impressed the baseball collective with as he made a sensational running catch in the gap, saving two runs, as well as two routine grabs.
In his second trip to the dish, Case rapped out a single then stole second before scoring his second run of the game, closing out his afternoon and officially kicking off his post high school ball season.
“I would love to play ball at (college), and hopefully we will get contacted,” said Case. “I have had so much fun, and it’s all I have ever wanted to do. My friends go to the beach, I play ball. My friends go on trips and to amusement parks in the summer, I play ball. I would not have it any other way; I love it!”
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