'You Do The Best You Can'

by Marc Narducci | Jun 6, 2025

Even though it wasn’t the ending that Cherry Hill West baseball coach Dan McMaster wanted, he could appreciate what his team was able to accomplish this year.

West was in the Olympic Conference National Division race until a late-May 4-1 loss to eventual champion Bishop Eustace. The Lions also qualified for the South Jersey Group 3 playoffs, only to face a talented Ocean City team in the first round.

Ocean City, led by Alabama commit Evan Taylor, beat West, 6-3. Taylor struck out 10 in six innings. The Lions were 16-11 with one more makeup game left at press time.

“Winning 16 games in the Olympic Conference and you draw a guy going to Alabama is a tough draw, but you know no one feels sorry for you,” McMaster said. “You just go out and do the best you can.”

And that is what the Lions did while playing their usual demanding schedule.

“I am proud of our them this year, what they did, our seniors, all the success that they’ve had in this program, all the big games they played, I just think it validated their career and their success.”

As McMaster stated, the senior class did its share of winning big games.

None more so than last year when Cherry Hill West were the champions of the 32-team Joe Hartmann Diamond Classic, which consists of the best teams in South Jersey.

This year, West was even impressive in some of its losses, including a 5-4 defeat to Schalick, and a 6-4 loss to Eastern—two clubs that have been consensus Top 15 teams in South Jersey throughout this year.

There was also a 3-0 first round loss to two-time defending state champion Gloucester Catholic in the first round of this year’s Diamond Classic.

Talk about difficult draws.

The most impressive win was a 10-6 triumph over Bishop Eustace the first time the two played this season. Eustace has been a Top 10 South Jersey team for most of the year.

West was a veteran team with great senior leadership. Center fielder Grant Fournier entered that final game batting .409 with a team-high 32 runs scored. while playing stellar defense. Third baseman Aiden Ryder, who hit two home runs in that playoff loss to Ocean City, was batting .371 with 29 runs scored through 27 games.

Classmate Zachary Smith posted a 1.47 ERA in 47 2/3 innings, while fellow senior Ricky Orlandi had a 1.17 ERA in 24 innings.

There is also a strong junior class, led by pitcher Isayiah Pierce-Gonzalez, who had a 1.89 ERA in 44 1/3 innings and Ryan Breeze, with a 1.54 ERA in 22 2/3 innings. Fellow junior outfielder Jeffrey Cassano sports a .342 batting average.

Yes, the seniors will be difficult to replace, but McMaster expects the Lions to be contenders each year for a division title, a sectional championship and the Diamond Classic.

It doesn’t always work out that way, but by and large, this is among the best programs in South Jersey and as the win total showed, West was again a highly competitive team against a demanding schedule.

Photo: Zachary Smith pitching for Cherry Hill West / Marc Narducci

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Author: Marc Narducci

'You Do The Best You Can'

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