The wait was finally over for Nazareth Academy’s Ryan Pacyga and Morton’s Ryan Crowley.
Six months after winning the 2008 Continental Amateur Baseball Association High School World Series with Bergen Beach, the two senior pitchers finally received their championship rings late last month.
“The team with the best pitching usually wins,” Pacyga said. “That was the case with our team.”
Bergen Beach, which has its headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, collected its 15th CABA World Series title after going 11-0 at the Euclid, Ohio tournament. The team included college prospects from 13 states and defeated amateur traveling teams such as the Columbus Cobras, Maryland Select and Florida American Legion, which Bergen Beach beat 13-5 in the CABA championship game.
Pacyga pitched two complete-game shutouts with 10 strikeouts in both starts and was named to the all-tournament team. Crowley pitched a win over Lake Erie Baseball and surrendered no runs. Ian Gardek of Crystal Lake South and Trey Martin of Wheaton North also were members of the team.
“It was by far the best team I’ve played on,” Crowley said. “I learned a lot about composure and how to present yourself on the field.”
Ironically, Crowley and Pacyga began playing travel ball against one another when they were 11 years old. Crowley, a Berwyn resident, was with the Berwyn Bulldogs while Pacyga was with Prairie Gravel. Last summer was Pacyga’s fourth season with Bergen Beach and the first for Crowley.
“It was great to have him aboard,” Pacyga said of Crowley. “We wanted to show that Illinois has a great crop of players.”
Notable
Well-known Bergen Beach alumni include Alex Rodriguez and Johnny Damon of the New York Yankees, Todd Helton on the Colorado Rockies, Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers and Brian McCann of the Atlanta Braves.
& quotable
“It’s a humbling experience to match yourself up against the best in the country. It was an honor.”
— Ryan Pacyga, Nazareth Academy pitcher
By the numbers
CROWLEY
1.07 ERA as a junior for Morton in 2008
102 Strikeouts for Morton in 2008
PACYGA
.292 Batting average as a Nazareth junior in 2008
3-2 Pitching record for Nazareth in 2008
College bound
After finishing their high school careers this spring, Crowley and Pacyga both will take the mound in college. Crowley is headed to the University of Missouri and Pacyga will play at John Carroll University in Ohio.
