Hopewell Pony League Baseball
Shulligan’s Hosts Hopewell Pony League Team Prior to Playoffs
The 2024 Playoffs begin tomorrow night and tonight Coach Jamie Yurcina’s Hopewell Pony League team got together for some team bonding prior to what they hope is a long playoff run.
Shulligan’s Bar and Grille hosted the Hopewell players and coaches for a team meal a night before their opener.
On Monday night, Hopewell will host Central Valley/Team McElhaney in the first round. First pitch from Hopewell’s Racoon Township field is set for 6 PM.
Despite registering 8 wins, Hopewell enters the playoffs as the No. 7 seed. The 2024 376 Western Pa Pony League playoffs will be highly competitive as the No. 1 and the No. 7 seed is only separated by 2 wins.
This Hopewell team has a legitimate chance as anyone to win the championship because of the strength of their pitching staff. The Vikings are deep and led by James Armstrong, Collin Davis, Camden Hoth, Luke Vukovcan, Andrew Arzberger, Ryan Gaguzis and Jackson Yurcina.
The key for Hopewell is what sort of production can they get from their bats. If they get hot, considering their pitching, they’ll be a difficult opponent.
Keep this in mind for the playoffs and something that will put pressure on the coaches is the pitch couches that each team has to adhere to. Depending on the number of pitches thrown, a pitcher will have to take mandatory days off. This prevents teams from relying on one or two pitchers and also keeps the long-term health of the pitcher in mind.
Thanks to Shulligan’s for providing the kids wings and pizza tonight! No one in our town is better at taking care of the teams in Hopewell than Mike Shutak and Shulligan’s!
