Matt Kouser transferred to St. Augustine Prep as a sophomore.
He walked into his first class that year and spotted JP Podgorski.
The two had been travel ball rivals and later played on the same team.
“I didn’t even know he was there,” Kouser said. ”I was like, ‘Yo, let’s go.’”
Two years after they almost accidentally became teammates, Kouser and Podgorski pitched the Hermits to the state Non-Public A title this past spring. Kouser, a Northwestern recruit, finished 6-1 with 0.83 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 50 2/3 innings. Podgorski, who is headed to Villanova, was 6-0 with a 1.71 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 57 1/3 innings. They are The Press Co-Players of the Year.
“It’s a luxury to have two guys like that to run out there,” Hermits coach Mike Ney said. “The team got behind them. Every single time our guys in the lineup, our guys in the field, knew one of those two guys were getting the ball there was a sense you can play with anybody.”
People are also reading…
Podgorksi and Kouser pushed each other during the season.
“We’re both very competitive people,” Podgorski said. ”That definitely played into it a little bit. Every time one of us went out there and had a good outing, the other one wanted to do better.”
Kouser was impressed with Podgorski’s ability to throw strikes.
“If you go off his stats, he throws 65% to 70% strikes, which is hard to do,” Kouser said. “He locates his fastball. He gets up in the zone with two strikes. He’s just overall a really good pitcher.”
Podgorski said Kouser is one of the mentally toughest competitors he’s seen.
“That plays a huge part in pitching,” Podgorski said. “When you’re out there, you have to believe nobody is better than you and he does a better job at that than most people I’ve met.”
Kouser and Podgorski were at their best in the state tournament. The two combined for a 1.88 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 22 ⅓ innings. The duo allowed 17 hits and walked just four.
“They didn’t shy away from the big moment,” Ney said. “You could see it in their eyes. You could hear it in their voice. You know those two guys were ready to go, and it wasn’t just talk.”
Team, Coach of the Year
St. Augustine didn’t meet expectations it wanted in the regular season and in the Cape-Atlantic League.
The Hermits more than made up for it in the state tournament.
St. Augustine won the third state Non-Public A title in the program’s history. The Hermits also won the South Jersey title for the seventh time in the past eight state tournaments. St. Augustine (20-9) is The Press Team of the Year, and Ney is the Coach of the Year.
After a fast start, St. Augustine struggled in May, finishing 5-7 in regular-season games. The Hermits lost in the first round of the Joe Hartmann Diamond Classic and didn’t win a Cape-Atlantic League division or league title.
“They stayed together and they found a way,” Ney said. “It was a roller coaster of a year. It was a big family environment. They loved each other. They leaned on each other. They never separated from each other. They believed in one another”
Ney, a longtime Hermits assistant, took over the program this season, replacing Mike Bylone, who led St. Augustine to two state titles and 319 wins. It’s one thing to be an assistant. It’s another to be the head coach.
Ney credited his staff — Avy Bermudez, Bill Chillari and Josh Walters — with helping make a successful transition.
“You don’t realize you’re front and center until you’re front and center,” Ney said. “You never realize how many people are hanging on every single word you say. At first, that was really strange. I had really good assistants who encouraged me to be myself. There were a lot of ups and downs at the end of the day, I’ve always loved to coach baseball. I’ve always loved having a relationship with the kids. I didn’t shy away from that and just tried to be myself.”
Welcome to the discussion.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.