Honesdale baseball team makes late season playoff push led by Jack Eisele

HONESDALE — The 2024 regular season is heading down the home stretch and Honesdale’s varsity baseball team is battling for a top seed at the district tournament.

And if the Hornets succeed in overtaking Dallas for first place in the Class 4A rankings, the stellar play of Jack Eisele will be one of the main reasons.

The senior second baseman has been dazzling defensively all spring, but it’s his recent surge at the plate that has coach Ernie Griffis singing his praises.

“Jack is a three-sport athlete who is extremely competitive and wants to see the team have success no matter what that means for him,” Griffis said. “Jack has been a real bright spot for us.”

Honesdale posted its 11th win of the season Monday afternoon, cruising to a 4-0 shutout of longtime rival Western Wayne. Eisele paced the offensive assault, banging out three hits in four at-bats.

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“I am very excited for the postseason,” he said. “I definitely think we can make some noise and hopefully make it to PNC Field for the district championship.”

Next up for the Red & Black is a home game versus Dunmore. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Daniel J. O’Neill Sports Complex.

Senior leadership

Jack Eisele has been playing organized baseball since the age of 5. A lifelong Yankees fan, his favorite player of all time is Hall of Famer Derek Jeter.

A multi-sport standout who also excels in basketball and soccer, Eisele arrived on the varsity diamond three years ago and has seen his role on the team steadily grow.

Last season, he saw significant action as a utility player and pinch runner in helping Honesdale advance all the way to the district finals. This spring, he’s been the starting second baseman since Opening Day.

With just four games remaining on the regular season slate, Eisele leads the team in batting with a sizzling .400 average. He has 18 hits, including a pair of doubles, with six RBIs and nine runs scored.

Eisele started the year batting ninth, but was recently promoted to lead-off and appears locked in thanks to a disciplined approach at the plate.

“Jack is always looking to work middle away but he does have the ability to turn on an inside pitch and drive it,” Griffis said. “He’s the kind of guy who is tough to defend because he can bunt for a base hit, but if the baseman creeps he’ll slap it over his head.”

For his part, Eisele believes that having a plan before each at-bat is crucial. He also thinks that you always have to be ready to make adjustments and take what the pitcher gives you.

“I love driving the ball the other way,” he said. “Wherever the pitch is thrown, that’s where I’m going to try and hit it. And I love bunting. It’s always in the back of my mind. It keeps the defense on their toes. I’m always looking to make something happen.”

While Eisele is currently drawing attention for his hitting, he’s also earning rave reviews for his defense. According to his coach, Eisele had anchored the infield all season with Gold Glove play at second base.

“Jack’s fundamentals are top tier,” Griffis said. “He has good hands and solid range. Jack reads batters and knows how we are attacking each hitter. He moves a lot pre-pitch to put himself in the best position.”

Wildcats whitewashed

On Monday afternoon, Eisele and his teammates were hitting on all cylinders in a key divisional battle with Western Wayne.

Honesdale ace Peter Modrovsky drew the starting nod and turned in yet another outstanding effort on the mound. The senior southpaw twirled a complete game shutout, allowing just two hits while piling up 10 strikeouts and not walking a batter.

Modrovsky now boasts a perfect 5-0 record and a minuscule 0.32 ERA. He leads the team in innings pitched (42), strikeouts (80) and WHIP (0.82). He’s also held opposing batters to a paltry .147 average.

The Hornets gave Modrovsky all the support he needed in the top of the third and Eisele was the catalyst. The scrappy senior fell behind in the count versus Western Wayne starter Ethan Grodack. However, he battled his way back and eventually lined a single to left field.

Moments later, Eisele aggressively went first to third on a Modrovsky single, then trotted home courtesy of a Nick Greene basehit. Grant Tonkin made it 2-0 with an RBI single to right. The Hornets then executed two straight safety squeezes, plating a pair of runs and increasing the lead to 4-0.

Eisele finished the day with three hits in four plate appearances, raising his average to exactly .400 on the season.

With the win, Honesdale improved its overall record to 11-5. The Hornets are 7-3 in league action and rank second among District 2 Class 4A teams with a power ranking of .594835.

“It was a good team win,” Eisele said. “Peter did his thing on the mound and we made the plays behind him. At the plate, we did what we had to do to generate some runs. Personally, I just want to keep playing well and do whatever I can to help the team succeed.”

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Senior standout Jack Esiele leads Honesdale baseball team