Holy Ghost Prep’s Team 60 makes history
BENSALEM, Pa. (BVM) – What’s a better way to celebrate an anniversary than by making history? Holy Ghost Prep’s Team 60, which commemorated the 60th anniversary of baseball at the Bensalem private high school, did just that as they made the state championship game for the first time in program history.
The path to the state championship was an arduous one for the Firebirds that began with a slow start. The expectations were high for Team 60 as the program was coming off back-to-back PIAA District One Class 4A Championships in 2019 and 2021 (the 2020 season did not have district playoffs due to COVID-19).
On April 27, Holy Ghost Prep lost to Pennsylvania powerhouse Malvern Prep by a score of 13-11 to fall to 7-5 on the season.
Most teams would crack under this type of pressure, but not this squad. Due to Holy Ghost’s unique position as an independent school, the coaching staff and athletic department get to handpick each opponent on their schedule. When Coach Greg Olenski made this year’s schedule, he knew his team could potentially struggle early on. But he also knew that going through the ringer would prepare them mentally come playoff time.
“I wanted to combine the 20 toughest opponents that I saw and put us in a very adverse situation with the schedule we played,” Coach Olenski said. “Putting our guys through the ringer would be better off. We were able to gain a competitive advantage, playing the toughest opponents day in and day out and it also prepared us for the playoffs.”
From that point forward everything seemed to click for Holy Ghost. The mistakes in the field were fixed, they were more disciplined at the plate, and the pitching rounded into form.
The biggest X-factor to the team’s performance was a change Olenski made off of the field. He decided to bring in Brian Cain, a mental performance coach whose list of previous clients include Cy Young winners, UFC Champions, and Olympic Medalists. Cain, in conjunction with Olenski and the rest of the coaching staff, emphasized a “pitch-by-pitch” approach and instilled that resilience which defined the 2022 roster.
“Our guys really focused on the mental game, and I think that’s what really separated us from any other high school in the state of Pennsylvania,” Coach Olenski said about the team’s mental toughness. Baseball is 90% mental and 10% physical, so for us, it was breaking down the game within the game. You can’t get too high or too low and for our guys they stayed neutral throughout the entire time and basically got to the point where they knew they were going to win.”
Following the loss to Malvern, Holy Ghost would go on an unprecedented run. In their final six regular season games, they went 6-0 with a run differential of 71-19, for a total of plus-52.
In the PIAA District One Class 4A Playoffs, they completed the three-peat. All the more impressive, the Firebirds defeated Collegium Charter and New Hope-Solebury without allowing a single run.
3 PEAT! District 1 4A CHAMPIONS ⚾️ #BurnTheBoats #ChampionshipCulture pic.twitter.com/xTWDC3DWZN
— Holy Ghost Prep Baseball (@HGPBaseball) May 26, 2022
Despite the impressive hot streak to end the season, Holy Ghost had only done the bare minimum at this point. It’s expected that they win districts.
Convincing victories over Littlestown and Saucon Valley in the first two rounds of states would only add to their run, but their true test would be Monsignor Bonner, a nationally ranked team who also beat the Firebirds in states last year.
In a tightly contested affair, the Firebirds narrowly edged the Friars 4-3. Junior standout Reese Accord went 1-for-2 in the afternoon with two RBIs. On the mound, senior Nick Henn picked up the victory as he pitched 4.1 innings without allowing a single earned run.
Holy Ghost Prep gives up a run in the bottom of the seventh, but holds on to beat Bonner-Prendie, 4-3, to earn its first ever trip to the PIAA Class 4A championship game.@LyzzStallings @TheIntellNews @HSGameOn @MelissaMHM pic.twitter.com/QNBYOzXzoV
— Joe Fite (@JoeFite1) June 13, 2022
The single greatest moment in program’s history, all the sweeter coming against the team that bested them the year before. 60 years after the program’s inception, they were finally in a state championship game against the Montour Spartans.
Unfortunately, Holy Ghost could not get the job done. They had multiple three-run leads including a 9-6 lead going into the top of the seventh, but in the end, they would fall 10-9.
While the Holy Ghost Firebirds didn’t achieve their ultimate goal, Coach Olenski is still incredibly proud of this team. He remarked on the growth he saw in his players, not only as athletes, but people as well.
Holy Ghost Prep enters the 2022-23 season with 14 players, most notably Matt Goldenbaum, who has verbally committed to the University of South Florida and Aiden Robbins, who has committed to Seton Hall University. Olenski also noted that they’re bringing in the best freshman class in program history.
He expects the team to be competitive from top to bottom, but there is one goal set in his mind: to win a state championship.
