The Collegeville Spiders 14u team entered the bottom of the fourth inning of Saturday’s game against the Philly Bandits 14u with its back against the wall.
Trailing 6–2, their 17-game win streak was in jeopardy of being snapped.
But something clicked for Collegeville in the bottom half. The Spiders erupted for five unanswered runs, sparked by smart baserunning and timely hitting. DJ Haines capped the rally with a two-out, two-run double that gave the Spiders the lead and sent the entire team pouring out of the dugout to greet the runners.
Sean Ortiz shut the door in the top of the fifth, sealing Collegeville’s 18th straight victory of the summer. The Spiders later dropped the second game of the doubleheader, but that fourth-inning surge in game one was a perfect snapshot of what defined the team all season — togetherness and fundamentals.
“We've done it in the past, so we knew we could do it,” said Matt George. “We knew we were in it and there's nothing we couldn't do.”
Before the loss to the Bandits in game two, the Spiders' last defeat came against the Anderson Monarchs 14U on June 10. Four of the wins came at the Pocono Tourney from June 28–29, where Collegeville swept through the field. They scored at least 10 runs in eight of those wins and spun four shutouts during the streak.
“It is a feat to win 18 games at any level,” said head coach John Duffy. “These kids play for one another, and we play hard. You heard them say twice that they’re coached hard. They play hard. Everything we try to do is hard.”
Duffy may not take the field, but his fingerprints are all over the streak.
Throughout every game, he’s a constant voice — shouting reminders, offering encouragement, reinforcing situational awareness, and pushing fundamentals. He also played a pivotal role in restarting the entire Collegeville summer program and already has built a special connection with his players in just year two.
“He's been hard on us when we are being lazy at practice,” George said of Duffy. “He really pushes us to do well in the games and win.”
“I feel like, coaching, he's one of the best around,” Ortiz added. “He may be hard on us sometimes, but he's hard on us when we need to open our ears and take it so we can do better in the upcoming games.”
While playing sharp, fundamental baseball helped fuel the win streak, the team’s bond and energy were just as important.
In the first inning of game one, every Spider crowded around the dugout entrance — cheering on the batter, heckling the opposing pitcher after every ball. The energy was so high, the umpire eventually had to ask the players to stay within the fence.
The noise didn’t stop. No one sat. Cheers rang out for every pitch.
“I feel like it's very important [to have that energy] because, at the end of the day, we're all one big team and one big family,” Ortiz said. “As long as we're all in it together, we win as a team and we lose as a team. We all get the same consequence, whether good or bad. So, I feel like we ride or die with each other, and having that energy together makes a big difference.”
With the playoffs approaching, the Spiders’ win streak has positioned them comfortably atop the Philly Select League 14U division. Duffy and his players are now looking to turn the page and chase a new streak — through the postseason.
Duffy has coached since 2000, from the college level to his current summer post, but even with more than two decades of experience, he’s never seen anything quite like this.
“We have a little tradition where after we win, we start every post-game talk with a clap,” Duffy said. “I walked out and said, ‘Hey, this is the first time I'm ever going to do this. I know we just lost, but let's clap it up. I'm 51 years old and I've never been part of a team that's won 18 games.’
“I pointed to Coach Glavin, who's 25. ‘Have you ever been a part of an 18-win team?’ And I said, ‘Guys, look around. No matter what level, it's really hard to win 18 games. Look at your teammates and know that you guys have had a great summer so far.’”
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