Joey Kurtz leads Buena baseball to statement victory over Audubon in Diamond Classic
BUENA – It’s not often a coach asks a player for coaching advice, but Jim Kurtz couldn’t help himself this summer.
Kurtz was the leader of the Buena Bulldawgs in the South Jersey South Shore Baseball League, and he got a welcome addition to his roster in former Double-A pitcher and Buena High School standout Denny Brady.
Kurtz’s son Joey took the bridge year and was returning for one final scholastic season at Buena, and Jim hoped Brady could give him a look.
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Brady obliged, and liked what he saw. In fact, he saw so much in Joey that their work continued into the fall and winter.
“He completely changed my outlook on baseball,” Joey said. “He changed how I threw, everything. It completely made me a new pitcher.”
The new Kurtz blossomed under Brady’s tutelage and he delivered his finest performance to date Saturday, spinning a one-hitter as eighth-seeded Buena silenced doubters with a 5-0 victory over ninth-seeded Aububon in the second round of the 49th annual Joe Hartmann Diamond Classic.
“Everybody said Audubon was better than us,” Kurtz said. “… This just shows we’re good. It shows we’re here. We can take on anybody.”
Buena improved to 16-1 on the campaign, but some South Jersey baseball fans wondered how good the squad was as only four of its wins entering Saturday had come against teams with a record above .500.
“It was a good measuring stick for us,” head coach Tom Carney said.
For Kurtz as well.
It’s been a long journey for the 19-year-old, who stopped playing baseball in eighth grade because his growth plates caused him so much pain he couldn’t throw.
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He returned to game in 2021 and played JV, then had a 4.07 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 22 1/3 varsity innings last year.
However, Kurtz struggled finding the zone, issuing 20 walks on the campaign.
“I only had a four-seam and a curveball, and kids would sit on my four-seam and smack it around,” he said. “I had to locate more so I ended up walking a lot of kids.”
Brady changed that as he taught Kurtz to throw a slider, two-seamer and changeup to better fit his delivery.
“He was throwing pitches that didn’t mesh with what his mechanics could give him,” Brady, now an assistant at Rowan, said. “We did a full revamp, but it was so natural for his (three-quarter) arm slot, he picked up on it right away.”
Kurtz kept the Green Wave completely off balance at Carolla Field as he finished with 7 strikeouts, just 1 walk and he hit a batter. The final out, a fly ball to right field, was the first to get out of the infield all day.
“I was kicking dirt around (all game), drawing figures with my cleats,” said outfielder Zach Strouse, who delivered a two-run single in the first inning, as did his twin brother Brandon, to give Kurtz an early 4-0 advantage. “Joey was dealing.”
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Kurtz is now 5-1 with a 0.77 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings this season. He’ll play at Goldey-Beacom next year.
“It’s incredible,” Brady said. “I got to see how hard he worked. … It’s super cool to see his work pay off, and now he’s getting money to go to school. The work he put in is more than repaying him.”
Second Round Diamond Classic roundup
(17) Cherry Hill West 2, (1) Shawnee 0 – Buena will host Cherry Hill West in the quarterfinals after the Lions upset the No. 1 seed. Ryder Garino was outstanding, tossing six shutout innings. He gave up 3 hits, walked 4 and fanned 10. Shawnee’s Jackson Logar had a no-hitter through six, but the Lions got two runs in the seventh, the go-ahead knock being Leo Orefice’s RBI single.
(12) Delsea 6, (5) Kingsway 3 – George Starr threw 3 1/3 innings of shutout relief and Konnor Reilly was 3-for-3 with a run and an outfield assist that cut down a runner at home as the Crusaders upset the Dragons to advance. Max Van Auken added a two-run single for the victors.
(4) Egg Harbor Twp. 9, (13) Cedar Creek 2 – Jason Salsbery and Braedon Thies each hit homers and Troy Sabott went six strong, allowing an unearned run on 3 hits while striking out 6 in the Eagles’ victory. Salsbery was 2-for-3 with a double, 2 RBIs and 2 runs, Cameron Flukey was 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs and a run, and Thies scored twice.
(3) St. Augustine 1, (19) Cinnaminson 0 – The defending-champion Hermits kept their repeat hopes alive as Joe Erace hit a walk-off single to beat the Pirates. John Podgorski spun a two-hitter with a walk and 12 strikeouts.
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(6) Bishop Eustace 8, (11) Haddon Heights 1 – Landon Mack went the distance for the Crusaders, allowing an unearned run on 3 hits and 2 walks with 9 K’s. Anthony Mascuilli was 4-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run and Christian Ovecka and Dante Bell each plated a pair.
(10) Cherokee 3, (7) Vineland 1 – Brody Minder and Grayson Bravo combined for a one-hitter as Cherokee took down host Vineland. Minder went 4 2/3 innings, allowing an unearned run on a hit and 5 walks. Bravo went the rest of the way for the save. Brett Chiesa was 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI.
(2) Gloucester Catholic 1, Paul VI 0 – Joe Vaccarella tossed a one-hitter to lead the Rams. He had 7 K’s and 3 walks. Sal Serici drove in the game’s only run with an RBI single in the opening frame. Nick Matteo threw very well in defeat, going allowing a run on 6 hits with 5 strikeouts over 6 innings.
Diamond Classic quarterfinal matchups
(17) Cherry Hill West at (8) Buena
(12) Delsea at (4) Egg Harbor Twp.
(6) Bishop Eustace at (3) St. Augustine
(10) Cherokee at (2) Gloucester Catholic
Josh Friedman has produced award-winning South Jersey sports coverage for the Courier Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times for more than a decade. If you have or know of an interesting story to tell, reach out on Twitter at @JFriedman57 or via email at jfriedman2@gannettnj.com. You can also contact him at 856-486-2431. Help support local journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Joey Kurtz throws shutout, Buena beats Audubon in Diamond Classic
