Top performers from South Jersey baseball from fourth week of regular season
Before the scholastic baseball season heads into May, we take a look back at the final full week of April.
Here are some of the top performers on diamonds across our seven-county coverage area in South Jersey.
Which player had the best week? Here's your chance to vote for your choice in the poll at the bottom of the story. Voting will close on Thursday at 4 p.m.
Cherokee's Brett Chiesa was last week's winner, earning 38.6 percent of the over 8,000 votes recorded.
Records and stats are through Sunday's games.
More: Top performers from South Jersey baseball from third week of regular season
Burlington County Scholastic League
Jack Jordan, Delran. The sophomore drove in five runs as the Bears closed out the week with three straight wins, including the title at the Papa Bear Tournament. Jordan had a hit in all four games for the week, raising his batting average to .263. He doubled and knocked in three runs in the semifinal win over Doane Academy.
Brody McLaughlin, Holy Cross. The senior batted .400 with five RBIs as the Lancers went 2-1 for the week. McLaughlin raised his batting average to .344 with 11 hits and 11 RBIs.
Terrill Yankson, Willingboro. The senior fired his second no-hitter of the season, shutting down STEMCivics over five innings in a 22-2 win on April 22. Fourteen of the 15 outs Yankson recorded were by strikeout. He’s 2-1 on the bump with 32 Ks over 13 innings, allowing just three hits over the stretch.
Colonial Conference
Chase Ladik, Collingswood. The sophomore drove in seven runs as the Panthers completed a 4-0 week, including the title at the Roseboro. Ladik extended his hitting streak to eight games and he has a knock in 11 of 12 games this season, raising his batting average to .357 with 11 runs scored and 11 RBIs.
Cole McKenna, West Deptford. The junior batted .545 with two homers and seven RBIs as the Eagles soared to a 3-1 record, including the title at the Pop McKenna Tournament. McKenna reached base 10 times during the stretch (six hits, four walks). He had three RBIs in the semifinal round of the McKenna Tournament and scored twice in a 7-5 win over Clearview in the final of the McKenna Tournament.
Tyler Wiltsey, Audubon. The junior scored six runs and drove in five as the Green Wave went 3-1, including a 5-2 win over Paul VI in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic on April 26. Wiltsey has 16 hits, 13 walks and 18 runs scored for the Green Wave. After posting batting averages north of .400 in the previous two seasons, Wiltsey boasts a .421 batting average this spring with hits in 12 of 13 games.
Milestone: Audubon head coach Rich Horan earned his 600th career win with the Green Wave’s 18-0 decision at Paulsboro on Saturday.
Olympic Conference
Dante Bell, Bishop Eustace. The sophomore scored six runs and drove in five more as the Crusaders went 4-0 for the week. Bell homered and knocked in three runs during an 8-7 win over Shawnee on April 24. He has scored twice in three of his last five games, tying him with Landon Mack for the team lead with 12.
Brett Gable, Cherokee. The junior southpaw fired a seven-inning no-hitter with 13 strikeouts during Cherokee’s 7-0 win over Cherry Hill East. Gable has won his last three turns, racking up 25 strikeouts over 18 innings during the span.
Jonathan Young Jr., Cherry Hill West. It was just another week at the office for one of the state’s best hitters. The Alabama-bound senior batted .529 (9-for-17) with eight runs and 11 RBIs. Over his last seven games, Young is batting a piping hot .727 (16-for-22) with four homers and 22 RBIs, guiding the Lions to a 6-1 mark over the stretch. He walked off a 3-2 win over Clearview in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic with a homer.
Tri-County Conference
Tate DeRias, Gloucester Catholic. The senior batted .727 (8-for-11) with three runs scored and four RBIs as the Rams picked up three more wins. DeRias fired 6 1/3 innings of shutout ball against St. Augustine in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic on April 28. He allowed one hit and struck out 13 while knocking in the decisive run in the ninth inning. DeRias has yielded just one knock in his last 18 innings of work, striking out 32 over the stretch.
Stephen Devanney, Pitman. The senior collected his 123th career hit, tying the program record. Devanney is hitting north of .450 for his career and has 82 RBIs and 36 stolen bases for the Panthers.
Mike McGinley, Delsea. The senior became the program’s all-time hit leader with 119. He had two knocks against Manchester Township on April 28 to earn the record. McGinley is batting .402 for his career.
Cape-Atlantic League
Ryan Beebe, Hammonton. The senior twirled a six-inning gem in a 3-1 win over Oakcrest on April 25. He struck out a career-high 11 batters during the outing, which lowered his ERA south of 1.00.
John Leonetti, Absegami. With eight hits in four games, the senior lifted his season batting average over .430. Leonetti delivered a pair of three-hit performances, including one in a 10-8 triumph over Haddon Township in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic on April 27.
Matt Pashley, Ocean City. The senior went 3-for-4 with two RBIs as the Raiders knocked off Lenape 11-4 in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic on April 28. He also had two knocks and an RBI in a 10-5 victory over Mainland on April 24. Pashley is batting .457 with nine RBIs for the season.
Tom McGurk is a regional sports reporter for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Top performers for baseball in South Jersey for fourth week of regular season
