Kehoe’s move to leadoff pays dividends for Bonner-Prendie
MECHANICSBURG » Earlier in the season, Bonner-Prendergast coach Steve DeBarberie decided to make a subtle but effective change to his batting order.
Sophomore Jaxon Kehoe had started the season batting out of the two-hole, one spot behind the Friars’ best hitter, junior Kevin McGonigle. But that set up didn’t last long once DeBarberie started noticing a trend.
“We had (Kehoe) in the two-hole a lot of the year but we ran into teams just pitching around McGonigle,” DeBarberie said. “Jaxon is a hell of a player. We felt that if we had the Catholic League MVP hitting behind him, teams would be more reluctant to give (McGonigle) a free pass. And Jaxon is doing a great job in the leadoff spot.”
Flipping Kehoe and McGonigle has paid dividends for the Friars as they enter Monday two wins away from the school’s first PIAA baseball championship. Bonner-Prendie plays District 1 champion Holy Ghost Prep in a PIAA Class 4A semifinal game Monday at Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth. First pitch is 4 p.m.
Kehoe has thrived at the top of the lineup. He works long counts to allow the rest of the lineup to get a good look at the starting pitcher. He will drop a bunt for a hit or slap a single to center, then create havoc with his good speed and instincts
on the base paths.
“It’s great to hit at the top,” said Kehoe, who starts at third base. “I mean, I have the best hitter in the state behind me and then a bunch of other guys who can do the same thing, do a lot of damage. So being up top is the most important spot.
For the season Kehoe is slashing .344/.408/.421 with five doubles, 22 runs scored and 10 stolen bases. In the state quarterfinal game against Montoursville last Friday, Kehoe finished 2-for-3 with a walk and three runs scored as Bonner-Prendie rolled to a 13-0 win in five innings.
“I’m just always trying to get on base for the people behind me,” Kehoe said.
A two-year varsity starter, the sophomore Kehoe’s older brother, Tyler, was an All-Delco at Archbishop Carroll and is playing for the Peninsula Pilots of the Coastal Plains League. Jaxon “Bam” Kehoe was a standout on the Ridley Area Little League 9-10 team that won district, regional and state titles in the summer of 2016.
When he’s not manning the hot corner Kehoe is DeBarberie’s top relief pitcher. He threw a scoreless inning to close out the Friars’ win in the
quarterfinals.
“Jaxon is so versatile,” DeBarberie said. “Whether it’s defensively, offensively or pitching, he can do a lot. He can bunt at any time, he’s fast and he can steal a base. He’s a great utility weapon to have in your arsenal.”
The Friars are in the state semifinals for a second year in a row. The memory of last year’s heartbreaking loss to Wyoming Area is still fresh in the players’ minds. B-P led by three runs with two outs and no one on base in the seventh inning, but Wyoming Area rallied in remarkable fashion and
won 5-4.
This season has been about redemption for the Friars, and the next step is getting past the semifinal round.
With a 25-1 record, the nationally ranked Friars were always considered the favorite to get back to the state semifinals and compete for a state championship. The team is loaded. In two PIAA tourney games this spring, they have outscored the opposition, 21-1.
Holy Ghost Prep (175) is sure to be a tougher matchup than Montoursville. The Firebirds advanced to the semifinals with a 6-1 victory over
District 11 champion Saucon Valley. Last year the Friars defeated the Firebirds in the state quarterfinals, 9-7.
The Bonner-Prendie and Holy Ghost Prep winner meets either District 7 champion West Mifflin or District 7 runner up Montour (not to be confused with Montoursville) Thursday at Penn State’s Lubrano Park for the PIAA championship.
“It’s going to be a great game and I think there’s going to be a great crowd. Both local schools, which is nice,” DeBarberie said. “They’re a great team, but I know our guys will be ready for it.”