We’re No. 1! The Varsity Boys’ Baseball team and the Varsity Girls’ Softball team won their second straight Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference titles with victories in championship games on June 3. Two ACS players were also named the TSCAC MVPs — senior pitcher Dakota Hitchner and sophomore shortstop and pitcher Solomon Griffith. Varsity Boys’ coach Ray Picking was also named TSCAC Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year. We’re so proud of our student-athletes, head coaches, and assistant coaches for their dedication and hard work!
In the championship game, the ACS boys’ team took the top title beating Gloucester County Christian School 7-3, with sophomore pitcher Ryan Lomangino striking out 12 and walking 2. Ryan, Solomon, and senior Justin Choi were hot at the plate, each hitting home runs, joined by strong leadership from senior captain and first baseman Carl Phillips. Carl, Ryan, and Solomon were all named to the TSCAC All-Stars 1st team, and sophomore 3rd baseman Elijah Chapman was named to the All-Stars 2nd team. Thank you to the assistant coaches Dave Heuman, Kevin Iaconnelli, and Charlie Rhodes, scorekeeper Griffith, and team manager Trey Landwehr.
In the Varsity Girls’ championship game, junior Samantha Rhodes hit a double in the final 7th inning to bring in the winning run, with the Cougars winning 9-8 over Cumberland Christian School. Other strong players at bat were Dakota, who went 2 for 3 with a double and a triple, sophomore Emily Loeb who had a double with one RBI, and senior catcher Shannon Murphy who went 3 for 3 with two doubles and a three RBI triple. Shannon, Dakota, and Abby Vogel were all named to the TSCAC Softball All-Stars, 1st team, and Emily, Samantha, Kate Kelley, and Joanna Noto were named to the All-Stars 2nd team. Led by second-year coach Dara Kimmerley, ACS finished the season with a record of 9-1.
