Baseball Heads to CACC Championship Weekend With Four Picked All-Conference

5/9/2023 12:00:00 AM

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Goldey-Beacom's trip to championship weekend at the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament will include picking up hardware as senior catcher Johnny Kampes (Colora, MD), junior third baseman Kyle Walker (Wilmington, DE) and junior pitcher Jake Kelchner (Collegeville, PA) were tabbed first team all-league with sophomore center fielder Christian Petrillo (New Brunswick, NJ) picked second team.

Kampes has beyond solidified his claim as one of the nation's top catchers and quite simply is one of the league's most feared players. A gifted athlete who is one of the College's elite among all sports, Kampes is a threat at all times with his incredible power, timely hitting and stupendous defense that has ended many opponents rallies.

One of the most exciting athletes to watch compete, Kampes is fourth in the country with a school-record 42 stolen bases (first in the CACC), 46th with a school-record 18 doubles (first in the CACC), second in the league with 48 RBI that is tied for the team record, third with 10 home runs, sixth with 61 hits and 11th with a .357 batting average.

Kampes also is first in school history with 49 stolen bases, fourth with 16 home runs, fifth with 81 RBI and fifth with 26 doubles.

Walker has been one of the program's most vital players with exceptional hitting on a consistent basis. This was witnessed earlier this season when the 2021 second team All-CACC pick went on a school-record 26-game hitting streak, during which he batted .362 (34-of-94) with nine extra-base hits and 22 RBI.

Another exciting athlete to see play, Walker is second in league with 66 hits, fifth with 44 RBI and ninth with a .359 batting average. He is first in school history with a .338 career batting average, second with 158 hits, second with 93 RBI, fourth with 27 doubles and fourth with 28 stolen bases.

Kelchner has been one of the conference's top pitchers, giving the Lightning consistently strong starts each time. Throwing at least six innings in seven of his last nine starts and notching at least six strikeouts five times, the southpaw is fourth in the league with a 3.48 ERA, sixth with five wins, 10th with 58 strikeouts and 26th with a .239 batting average against.

Among his highlights, Kelchner got a season-best nine strikeouts Friday in helping Goldey-Beacom complete a CACC Tournament first-round sweep of Jefferson in the squads' best-of-three series. His five wins are one shy of tying the program's single-season record and his 58 strikeouts are three off the top mark.

Petrillo has been an incredible addition with his solid hitting from the leadoff spot and more than impressive coverage of center field thanks his speed that at times seems hard to fathom. He is 18th in the country with 32 stolen bases (second in the CACC), third in the league with 15 doubles, fourth with 64 hits, 10th with .358 batting average and 14th with a .446 on base percentage.

Petrillo, who went 4-for-4 in the season opener February 10 against Chowan, paces the Lightning with 18 multi-hit games.

Goldey-Beacom is in the four-team championship weekend after its aforementioned triumph over Jefferson by scores of 9-5 and 5-3. The week in Waterbury, CT beings with GBC facing Post on Thursday at 11:00 am, followed by Felician against Wilmington (DE) after 2:00 pm. The champion of the double-elimination weekend earns an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

The NCAA Tournament's selection show is May 14 and the East Regional is scheduled to begin May 18.

Goldey-Beacom in last week's release of the initial East Region rankings was listed third. These rankings are the primary criteria in determining seeds and at-large berths for the NCAA Tournament. The region's three conference champions (CACC, Northeast 10 Conference and East Coast Conference) will join by four at-large selections to finalize the seven-team field that sends its champion to the Division II World Series in Cary, NC.

This marks the third consecutive year Goldey-Beacom (33-16, 16-8 CACC) has been in the regional rankings, a season in which the squad has four wins against nationally ranked teams and has broken the school record for most victories.

The 2021 squad won the CACC South Division title before notching two victories in the NCAA Tournament, its first since the program's reinstatement in 2017. The 2022 unit was ranked 14th nationally in the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll and recorded 27 wins, a school record until this year.

2023 CACC Baseball Tournament

Friday May 5
Goldey-Beacom 9, Jefferson 5
Goldey-Beacom 5, Jefferson 3 (GBC wins series, 2-0)
Felician 2, Bloomfield 1 (10 innings)
Felician 8, Bloomfield 0 (Felician wins series, 2-0)

Thursday, May 11
G1: Post ^ vs. Goldey-Beacom, 11:00 am
G2: Wilmington ^ vs. Felician, 2:00 pm *
G3: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 5:00 pm (elimination game) *

Friday, May 12
G4: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 11:00 am
G5: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser, 2:00 pm (elimination game) *

Saturday, May 13
G6: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 11:00 am
G7: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner (if necessary), 30 minutes after conclusion of game 6

* There will be a minimum of 40 minutes in between games.
^ Post (North) and Wilmington (South) won their respective division and received a first-round bye.

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