Hosting its second annual All-Star Game in only its third season, the Philly Select Collegiate Baseball League paused its regular-season schedule Tuesday night to recognize its top performers with a showcase at Gwynedd Mercy University.
The game served as both a reward and a measuring stick — a chance to celebrate the players selected by their coaches after strong first-half performances, while also highlighting the level of talent that has helped the league continue to grow.
“This is recognition for the work they’ve put in this season,” said Andrew Lihotz, director of Philly Select Baseball. “Representing the schools that they play for is a big component of it, too.”
Team National, composed of players from Philly Bandits Red, Rake Baseball Collegiate, All-Star Academy Futures and the Philly Fightin Quakers, used one big inning and enough late pitching to earn a 9-6 victory over Team American, which featured players from Philly Bandits Black, the Philly Mummers and Total Skills Tropics.
After neither team pushed across a run through the first two innings, Team National broke through in the bottom of the third with a five-run outburst and never surrendered the lead. Team American answered with all six of its runs in the fifth, but Team National held on over the final two frames to secure the win.
For the players, the All-Star Game offered a rare opportunity to share a dugout with opponents they had spent the first half of the summer trying to beat.
“It was pretty cool,” said Team National shortstop Aidan Zakarewicz. “Playing against all of these guys for the first half of the summer, it’s nice to all come together for a game. This is the best of the best in this league.”
Zakarewicz, a two-way player at La Salle University spending the summer with Philly Bandits Red, helped spark Team National’s offense with a two-run double during the five-run third inning.
His approach in the at-bat was simple.
“The approach is kind of just looking for a heater I can handle,” Zakarewicz said. “I knew at some point in that at-bat, I was gonna get a get-me-over fastball, and I was trying to catch it out in front and put a good swing on it.”
Delivering in that moment against one of the league’s top arms carried meaning beyond the box score. For Zakarewicz, it reinforced the value of earning a spot in the game — and producing once he got there.
“It instills that confidence,” Zakarewicz said. “You’re playing with the best players in this league, and knowing that you can do it on this stage helps with personal confidence.”
Luke Sedor, Team National’s second baseman from Rake Baseball Collegiate and an incoming freshman at Arcadia University, also delivered a two-run double in the decisive third inning.
“It felt great,” Sedor said. “Nothing better than a barrel to the outfield. First time in this league, and it was an honor to play in this game. The goal was just go out there, put some good swings on the baseball, field the baseball, and have fun.”
Sedor said one of the reasons he joined the Philly Select League this summer was to face quality pitching before beginning his college career. Making the All-Star Game gave him another opportunity to test himself against some of the league’s best talent.
That opportunity is exactly what Lihotz hopes the league continues to provide.
As the Philly Select League grows, Lihotz believes the quality of play is making its college circuit an increasingly valuable summer destination for players looking to develop, compete and gain exposure in front of college coaches.
“It’s the high-level competition that we’re starting to gain,” Lihotz said. “As we look long term, continuing to provide a good product on the field, it’s a recruiting tool these days. It’s a good tool for guys who might be looking for a new home and a new fit. This is a good way for them to showcase their skills because college coaches come to our games, and that’s the look and feel of what we’re trying to create.”
With the All-Star Game complete, the league now shifts its attention to the second half of the season before the playoffs begin during the final week of July.
For one night, though, the focus was not on the standings. It was on celebrating the players who earned the respect of their coaches and peers through their performances during the opening weeks of the summer.
Beginning next week, they will return to their regular teams and resume the chase for a championship. But they will do so with the confidence that comes from being recognized among the best the Philly Select Collegiate Baseball League has to offer.
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