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| Coach James Finn, Ryan Deitrich, Jimmy Stokes, & Coach Chris Drowne |
Captain of Hill’s varsity baseball team, Jimmy Stokes has ranked as one of the School’s top pitchers for the past two years and will head the 2009 rotation. He currently holds the School’s pitching award, and he finished last season with an E.R.A. just slightly above 2.00.
Jimmy's baseball career has taken him across the country, playing with the New York Yankees Area Code Team in the summer of 2008. Comprised of top prospects from the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states (Maine to Virginia), the Area Code Tournament was held in Long Beach, Calif. from August 5 through 10, 2008. Jimmy also played with the Bandits Baseball team, made up of top players from throughout the Philadelphia region, and he played in tournaments in Georgia, Virginia, and New Jersey.
This fall, Jimmy will join the men’s baseball team at Elon University, headed by Coach Mike Kennedy, the coach of the 2009 U.S.A Baseball National Team (Collegiate). The Elon Phoenix were the 2006 and 2008 Southern Conference Regular Season and Tournament Champions.
Click here to read an article about Jimmy's acceptance to Elon that appeared in the March 23, 2009 edition of the Pottstown Mercury.
“Jimmy has been the ‘scourge of Lawrenceville’ since his fourth form (sophomore) year, defeating them over there during their alumni weekend before a vociferous crowd of Lawrenceville hecklers,” notes Hill Head Coach James Finn, Ph.D. “A fearless competitor, he repeated the feat there last season. Jimmy has quietly led by achievement, and he’s developed a smoother delivery and good movement to complement the increased velocity on his fastball and an effective breaking pitch. He works hard off-season and in season. We Hill coaches have considered it a privilege to work with him. Elon will certainly have acquired a legitimate competitor to bolster their pitching rotation in the 2010 season.”
A three-sport Hill honor student, Ryan Deitrich has been one of the varsity baseball team’s most consistent hitters for the past several years, finishing either first or second on the team for overall batting average. He also received All-MAPL and All-Area honors for his contributions during the 2008 season with the varsity boys’ soccer team. This fall, Ryan will head to the University of Pennsylvania to play Division I baseball for the Quakers.
“For the past two seasons he has unselfishly and effectively stepped up to fill the vital role of catcher, though he would rather have played elsewhere in the field,” said Head Coach Finn. “Ryan has also accomplished some quality relief work on the mound to complement his offensive production. Easily one of the best overall athletes in the school, Ryan drew the attention of the Penn coaching staff last season while the team was competing in the Philadelphia area. It will be interesting to see where Penn will use this gritty, courageous competitor on defense, but there remains no doubt about his capability to contribute significantly on offense. For the present, we Hill coaches enjoy working with Ryan and watching him continue to develop.”
Click here to read an article about Ryan's acceptance to Penn that appeared in the March 31, 2009 edition of the Pottstown Mercury.