Four Honesdale baseball players honored with First Team All-Star selections

HONESDALE — The local high school baseball season has been over for two weeks now, but the awards and accolades just keep rolling in for members of the Honesdale varsity squad.

Lackawanna League officials announced over the weekend that four Hornets have been named to the First Team All-Stars.

Nathan Hugaboom, Max Mickel, Joseph Curreri and Peter Modrovsky have all been recognized by opposition coaches for their outstanding play during the 2023 season.

“All four of these guy prepared themselves throughout the season and off-season to accomplish their individual goals,” said Head Coach Ernie Griffis. “It is something that I hope has rubbed off on some of the younger guys. Success is not given it is earned.”

Thanks in large part to this talented quarter, Honesdale powered its way to a 19-6 record this year. The Hornets also captured their first division title in more than two decades and earned silver medals in the District 2 Class 4A playoffs.

In addition, the local lads came within just one win of earning a berth in the PIAA state tournament for the first time in program history.

“It’s great to see that a little individual success comes from the team success that we had,” said Coach Griffis. “I always tell the guys throughout the season that it’s hard to get recognized if the team is losing baseball games so be appreciative of the team for those moments.”

Diamond dominance

Honesdale roared out of the box this April, piling up the early wins and rocketing to the top of the Division II standings.

The Hornets then overcame a mid-season swoon to finish in a tie for first place. This triggered a special one-game showdown with Old Forge to determine this year’s division championship.

Hundreds of loyal fans made the trek over to Schautz Memorial Stadium in Dunmore to cheer their team on. That energy seemed to inspire the Hornets, who simply dominated the Blue Devils in rolling to a 15-0 Mercy Rule triumph.

Not surprisingly, the Red & Black’s four All-Star selections played key roles in leading this late season surge.

Hugaboom struggled a bit at the plate during the early stages of the campaign. However, after a couple of adjustments, the senior shortstop caught fire and once again became one of the league’s elite sluggers.

Honesdale’s fleet-footed lead-off man wound up batting .381 for the year with an eye-popping 1.065 OPS. Hugaboom banged out a total of 32 hits including eight doubles, four triples and one homer. He scored a team-best 33 runs and collected 21 RBIs.

“I am both humbled and honored to have been selected as an All-Star,” Nate said. “The hard work the team and I put in definitely paid off.”

Mickel, a multi-sport standout who also stars on the football field, was Honesdale’s top hitter with a sizzling .459 batting average.

The senior speedster also flashed Gold Glove leather while patrolling centerfield. He made several highlight reel plays during key moments in the Hornets’ biggest games.

Mickel finished out the year with a team-high OPS (1.261), on-base average (.558) and slugging percentage (.703). He roped nine doubles, three triples and one round-tripper while scoring 21 runs and driving in another 23.

“I’m very happy that Honesdale got some recognition,” Max said. “And, I couldn’t be prouder of the other boys and the coaches who got us there.”

Meanwhile, Curreri was once again the ace of a deep Hornet pitching staff.

The flame-throwing senior righty posted a 7-2 record with a minuscule 0.63 ERA and 0.929 WHIP. Curreri worked a total of 56 innings and allowed just five earned runs. He led the team with 86 strikeouts versus only 25 walks.

Offensively, Curreri batted .329 with 10 runs scored and 10 RBIs.

“I feel very honored to be a part of the First Team All-Stars,” Joseph said. “It was a goal of mine to get this year, and I’m happy that I was able to accomplish that.”

Last but certainly not least among these well-deserving All-Stars is Modrovsky. The lone junior in the group, he contributed mightily both at the plate and on the hill.

Modrovsky batted .322 for the season and led the Hornets with 98 plate appearances. He ripped six doubles and one triple while tallying 14 runs and delivering 19 RBIs.

The savvy southpaw also notched seven wins on the mound this spring. Modrovsky pitched 55 innings with an ERA of 1.78. He racked up 81 strikeouts while issuing just 19 free passes.

When asked about his First Team selection, Modrovsky was quick to share the credit.

“I’m definitely appreciative of my coaches and teammates for pushing me and keeping me on track,” Peter said. “I’m happy about our season as it was the most fun and enjoyable time on a baseball field I’ve ever had.”

Scholarship recipient

In addition to earning a spot on the First Team All-Stars, Hugaboom also recently accepted another prestigious award.

On the last day of school at Honesdale, he was presented with the first-ever David S. Edwards Memorial Scholarship. The grant is given to a Hornet senior who’s headed to college in the fall.

David Edwards was a star baseball player at Lake Consolidated in the 1950s. He was a pitcher who twirled three no-hitters before continuing his mound career in the Pocono Mountain League.

Edwards began coaching and teaching at Parkland before moving to Waymart High School and then HHS, where he became a fixture for three decades.

He piloted the Hornet varsity baseball team to three consecutive undefeated seasons (1966-68), winning three Wayne League titles and advancing to the District 12 championship game each year.

Edwards passed away in January at the age of 85. His widow and biggest fan, Barbara Baxter Edwards, was on hand to present Hugaboom with the scholarship.

“I’m honored to have been chosen for this generous award,” Nate said. “I will use it for my future endeavors and will make sure to keep Coach Edwards in the back of my mind.”

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: A quartet of Honesdale baseball standouts earn All-Star recognition