Patrick Kilgus’ final swing of the season was his biggest one.
After spending much of the summer searching for the swing he knew he had, the Rake Baseball Collegiate first baseman found it at the perfect time.
With a championship hanging in the balance and the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Kilgus launched a go-ahead, two-run home run over the right-center field wall, lifting Rake to a 4-2 victory over Philly Bandits Red.
That swing earned him Championship Game MVP honors and helped Rake secure the 2026 Philly Select Collegiate Baseball League title Thursday night at Warminster’s Munro Park.
When asked if he knew it was gone off the bat, Kilgus did not hesitate.
“Yeah,” Kilgus said with a smile. “Yeah, I did.”
The home run was the biggest moment of the night, but Kilgus had already played a key role in helping Rake erase an early deficit.
In the bottom of the third inning, with two outs and the bases empty, Kilgus delivered a single to right field. He then came all the way around to score from first on Luke Sedor’s game-tying RBI double off the wall in left field.
“I was going all the way,” Kilgus said.
Kilgus’ approach in that at-bat came from studying the hitters ahead of him and reflecting on his first trip to the plate.
“Our first two batters both swung first pitch and got out, so I was looking to see a pitch right there,” Kilgus said. “I was sitting off-speed because he threw me all changeups my first at-bat, and he threw me one that was right in the middle and I pulled it to the right side.”
The performance continued a strong postseason stretch for Kilgus, who ripped an RBI double and added a single in Rake’s 7-4 semifinal victory over the Philly Fightin’ Quakers the night before.
For Kilgus, the timing of his breakout came after a summer spent rebuilding his confidence at the plate.
After not seeing any game action during his freshman season at West Chester University, Kilgus admitted the beginning of the summer was a challenge.
That made the home run, and the trip around the bases, even more meaningful.
“It felt really good. I’ve been looking for that for a while,” Kilgus said. “It was tough at West Chester, not hitting at all, not seeing live pitching, so the beginning of the summer was a struggle.”
As the season progressed, however, Kilgus began finding consistency and trusting his swing again.
“Later in the playoffs, I started barreling balls and felt a lot more confident in the box, which I felt led to that home run,” Kilgus said.
Rake head coach Stuart Drossner saw Kilgus’ emergence as the latest example of a player stepping up when the moment mattered most.
“He’s been awesome all year long,” Drossner said. “It was just a matter of getting him up in the right spot and having a big hit. We said it before the game: ‘Big players play big in big games,’ and he stood out today.”
Kilgus’ emergence mirrored the way Rake found its identity throughout the second half of the season.
“The team really started getting hot later in the season, especially during the playoffs,” Kilgus said. “We started swinging it a lot better, and our pitchers did their jobs.”
Kilgus also credited the team’s chemistry for helping Rake make its championship run. Throughout the season, he said the group maintained a loose approach while continuing to compete at a high level.
“It was phenomenal,” Kilgus said of playing with his Rake teammates. “I love this group of guys. We have a bunch of fun and don’t take anything too seriously. It’s summer ball. You can’t take it too seriously. We’re just here to get reps and have fun with the guys.”
When Rake needed one big swing in its biggest game, Kilgus provided it — a fitting conclusion to a summer in which he rediscovered his confidence, his timing and his moment.
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