1979 Baseball Team
The 1979 Baseball Team had the most successful season in school history. Under the leadership of Coach Frank Trotman the team posted a 23-3 record and gained a reputation throughout the area for solid defense, superior pitching, timely hitting and fundamental execution. The Hawks won the State Group II championship as well as the South Jersey Group II and Colonial Conference championships.
In recognition of these accomplishments the team was ranked by the Courier Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Bulletin as the top team in South Jersey. Coach Trotman was named Coach of the Year, and several team members were named to the All-Conference and All-Group II teams, with Steve Flacco also named to the All-South Jersey team.
Team members included seniors Flacco, Bill Bradley, John Castellano, Eric Dezii, Peter DiCiano, Eric Holloway, Phil Lagakos, Scott Low, Jay Nungesser, Brian Peterson, Joe Purisky, Mike Settles, and juniors Phil DiAngelo, Rich Kasilowski, and Kevin Madden.
The word which best describes the team is unselfish. An unselfish attitude shared by the team members was a major factor in the success they enjoyed playing baseball together throughout their years at HTHS.
The road to the state championship included many exciting wins. South Jersey Group II victories against Middle Township and Pennsville lead the team to the state tournament. In the semi-finals they faced previously undefeated South Brunswick. The Hawks rallied to tie the game with two outs in the last inning and eventually won in extra-innings by a 4-2 score to advance to the state championship game. In the championship game against Verona the Hawks again combined solid pitching with timely hitting to gain a 3-1 victory and the state title.
The win against Verona for the state championship was made all the more special when the Hawks softball team captured the state title that same day.
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