It wasn’t that the stars were aligned.
More like the angry clouds were aligned.
And it couldn’t have worked out any better for Jake Marchesano and his team.
Marchesano was a dominant pitcher for the Archbishop Ryan High School baseball team, and he came into the season as a perfect 1-2 punch with fellow senior Dave Perez. The duo was expected to give the Raiders a very formidable pitching staff.
But shortly after the season started, Perez was forced to give up pitching due to a minor injury. He still contributed in the field and at the plate, but it left the Raiders with just one established starter.
“It was tough losing him as a pitcher because he’s really good, but he still really helped us in the field and with his bat,” Marchesano said. “And Sean Cahill did a great job for us, he stepped up and was great.”
Cahill had a good season and was one of the reasons the Raiders made the playoffs.
But thanks to some rain, the Raiders needed only one pitcher to get them through the always-tough Catholic League playoffs.
Marchesano pitched well in Ryan’s first playoff game, a 4-1 victory over Conwell-Egan in the first round. Then, after the game was bumped two days because of rain, Marchesano was able to pitch in the semifinals where he spun a gem, helping the Raiders defeat Archbishop Wood 2-0 to advance to the Catholic League championship.
Ryan fell short in the title game, losing to Bonner-Prendergast, but by reaching the finals, the Raiders also secured a District 12 championship and advanced to the state playoffs. The run didn’t last long, Ryan fell to Fleetwood 3-1 in the first round of the state tournament just hours after Marchesano and his senior class graduated from high school.
It wasn’t the result they wanted, but it marked the end of a great season that allowed Marchesano to prove to the Catholic League he’s one of the best pitchers out there.
“It worked out great that I was able to pitch the first game and because of the rain, I was able to come back and pitch in the semis,” Marchesano said. “I had confidence in everyone on our team, I knew they could do it, but when you’re playing, you always want to be in the game. I knew the other guys would put everything into it, but I was happy I was pitching.”
The run to the championship was the perfect ending for Marchesano who had quite the varsity career.
Freshman year, he made the team as a shortstop and white the team went winless that year, he proved he was a piece that could be counted on for years.
By his junior year, the shortstop was more of a pitcher. He worked on improving his skills so much, he not only earned a scholarship to pitch for the University of Delaware, he was named the best pitcher in the Catholic League that year.
It’s been a great four years both in baseball and in school.
“I kind of grew into becoming a pitcher, when I realized how strong my arm was, I started working on it more,” Marchesano said. “I was getting better and I liked it a little bit more. It worked out.
“I loved Ryan. It was a great school. Graduating was exciting and fun, but it’s also a little sad, too. I’m going to miss everything about it. The people and the coaches. I learned so much while playing there. I think I’ll miss the players and the coaches the most. We were always close, but this year we were all very close. And our coaches, they really care about us and always looked out for us. It meant a lot playing with them.”
Marchesano might be done with high school, but that doesn’t mean his schedule is getting any lighter.
He’s bound for Delaware in August, and for the next few months, he’ll play for his summer league team while working on the Blue Hens’ strength and conditioning program.
At Delaware, on top of pitching, he’ll major in kinesiology with the goal of becoming either a physical therapist or a strength and conditioning coach.
It will also mark the first time in his memory that he won’t be at Ryan regularly cheering on the Raiders.
“I’ve been at Ryan my whole life because all my brothers played here,” Marchesano said. “It was nice to have them, they were always there for me. My parents, too. I’ve been very lucky. Ryan was great.”
