Greencastle-Antrim’s baseball squad is back in the state semifinals for the third time in school history.
But this time — after going down swinging in 2000 and 2023 — coach Eric Shaner’s Blue Devils are hoping for a different result on Monday when they take on West Chester Rustin in the PIAA Class 5A semifinals. We’ve deemed this contest as our Game of the Week.
It’s hard to bet against Greencastle, which has been knocking the casing off the ball all season long, backed by a pitching staff that makes every game seem winnable. The Blue Devils have won nine of their last 10 games, and one more victory would lift them to the PIAA title game for the first time in the program’s rich history.
The Golden Knights are new to this stage, qualifying for the state semifinals for the first time in team history, but should not be counted out. WC Rustin has blasted through its first two state opponents by a combined 26-6 score, and will be looking to give more of the same to the Blue Devils.
If you’re the betting type, you might want to take the “over” on this one.
In the weeks and months to come throughout the high school sports season, we plan on spotlighting multiple teams and sports with our Game of the Week. Any big upcoming contests we should know about? Send suggestions to Andy Sandrik via email at [email protected].
PIAA Class 5A Semifinals
Greencastle-Antrim vs. West Chester Rustin
First pitch: Monday, 2 p.m., at Millersville University
Records: Greencastle comes in with a 22-3 record, while WC Rustin checks in at 18-6.
Last game: The Blue Devils advanced past the state quarterfinals with a come-from-behind 6-5 win over Pittston Area, while the Golden Knights slugged their way to a 9-5 victory over Springfield Delco.
What’s at stake: The winner advances to the state championship game to face either Hollidaysburg (22-2) or DuBois (20-4). The season is over for the loser.
Meet the Blue Devils: Coach Eric Shaner’s squad is back in the PIAA semifinals for the third time in program history, and for the first time since 2023 … The odds of even reaching this game were microscopic, at best, when the Blue Devils were trailing late in their quarterfinal contest against Pittston Area … Trailing 5-3 in the bottom of the seventh with just three outs to work with, Greencastle-Antrim plated three runs, winning in walkoff fashion with a two-RBI single from Manny Brookens … It was the second one-run win of the state tournament for the Blue Devils, who topped Upper Perkiomen by a 2-1 score in the first round … While the PIAA playoff games have been close, Greencastle has built a reputation off a hard-hitting offense, which is batting .375 as a team this spring and includes 12 players batting over .300 … Cam Rakaczewski is having a brilliant sophomore season. He leads the Blue Devils in batting average (.462), doubles (11), and RBI (34), and shares the team lead with 38 runs scored, while also recording two triples, one home run, and 17 stolen bases … Another batter hovering over .400 is Avery Horst, who is batting .407 (33 for 81) with nine doubles, one triple, 21 runs, 33 RBI, and 16 stolen bases … Leading Greencastle with 20 stolen bases is Nolan Sullivan, another rock-solid fixture in the Blue Devils lineup who is batting .382 (26 for 68) with five doubles, one triple, two home runs, 29 runs, and 29 RBI … The aforementioned Brookens (.362), and his brother Bo (.357), have combined for four doubles, four triples, two home runs, 37 runs, 41 RBI, and 13 stolen bases. The Brookens brothers hail from a deeply-talented lineage that includes their father Casey, a former Minor League ballplayer, grandfather Ike, an MLB pitcher, and great uncle Tom Brookens, a third baseman for the World Series Champion Detroit Tigers in 1984 … In a testament to the depth of Greencastle’s offense, we’ve made it this deep into the lineup without mentioning the names of Andrew Weaver (.359) and Bryce Davidson (.355), two players have teamed up for 10 doubles, two triples, one home run, 66 runs, 25 RBI, and 23 stolen bases … Another regular for the Blue Devils is Mason Mellot, who is hitting .305 (18 for 59) with four doubles, one triple, one home run, 14 runs, and 16 RBI … Part-time players Noah Shifflett (.375) and Landon Bishop (.368) have both made the most of their opportunities and could very well factor into the final outcome of this game … Ace pitcher Jaxson Bostick (7-0, 1.65 ERA), who leads Greencastle in innings (51) and strikeouts (52), will be unavailable to pitch after working 5 1/3 innings on Friday … Avery Horst (7-1, 1.82 ERA, 35 strikeouts) also took the mound for 1 2/3 innings on Friday, and could be limited on Monday … Look for the Blue Devils to give the ball to Ryder Linn, who is 8-1 with a 1.74 ERA, and has struck out 49 batters over 48 1/3 innings … Rakaczewski (0-1, 0.55 ERA, 11 strikeouts) has 12 2/3 innings under his belt this spring, and could be called upon for relief work.
Meet the Golden Knights: Thanks to a comeback win over Springfield Delco, WC Rustin is in the PIAA semifinals for the first time in program history … The Golden Knights were trailing the Cougars 3-1 early, before storming back with four runs in the fourth to take the lead for good … The quarterfinal game played out much differently than the opening round of states, which saw WC Rustin blitz District 12 champion Frankford by a 17-1 score in four innings … Coach Brad Harkins’ squad is led by two college baseball recruits in Jackson Roche (Goldey-Beacom) and Brady Shuffler (Marist) … With just over 50 percent of WC Rustin’s game stats reported on maxpreps.com, middle infielder Roche leads his team with a .500 batting average (26 for 52) to go along with three doubles, 18 runs, and nine RBI … Shuffler, a right-handed pitcher, is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA and 15 strikeouts over 16 1/3 innings … Shuffler, AJ Calio (2-1, 0.39 ERA, 41 strikeouts), and Luke Collinson (2-0, 2.39 ERA, 11 strikeouts) are all candidates to get the start against Greencastle … Another strong pitcher in the Golden Knights’ rotation, Aidan Cugini (2-0, 3.23 ERA, 22 strikeouts), will be unavailable for mound duties after pitching 4 2/3 innings on Friday … True to his name, Xavier Wood brings a big bat to the WC Rustin lineup with five home runs, to go along with a .342 batting average (13 for 38), one double, 15 runs, and 14 RBI … The Hoffmayer brothers, JP (.375) and Cole (.312), have combined for seven doubles, two home runs, 22 runs, and 20 RBI … Keegan McShea (.395) and Ryan Wood (.382), who have combined for 29 runs and 28 RBI, will be counted on to reach base and spark the Golden Knights’ offense … JayJ Dorsey-Hubbard (.304, 8 runs, 8 RBI) is another WC Rustin batter that could make an impact on the game.
Sandrik’s pick: Greencastle-Antrim by 1.
