Three members of the 2019 Boyertown Grizzlies Jr Legion state championship team have received awards recognizing their individual accomplishments. Ethan Ferraro won the Twin County League MVP award, Zach Rothermel won the Twin County League Outstanding Pitcher award, and Cole Kratz won the Jr Legion State Tournament Batting Champion award.
Ethan Ferraro won the Twin County League MVP award by contributing to his team's success in all aspects of the game. He was the starting third baseman for the team, as well as one of the three pitchers in the starting rotation. Statistically, he batted .327 for the year, leading the team in RBI with 29 and doubles with 8. In the state semifinal game, he tied the game on a heads-up steal of home when the catcher lobbed the ball back to the pitcher. He had a .965 fielding percentage for the regular season and playoffs, committing only 4 errors over 27 games. On the mound, he pitched 48 1/3 innings, second most on the team. His impressive 1.303 ERA for the year was an even more impressive 0.677 for the playoffs. He was the winning pitcher in the league championship and state championship games. Ferraro was a leader both on and off the field and a key piece in the Grizzlies' state championship run.
Zach Rothermel won the Twin County Outstanding Pitcher award by delivering strong pitching that kept improving as the team made its championship run. He led the team in innings pitched (51 2/3), strikeouts (49), ERA (1.084) and batting average against (.197). His regular season ERA of 1.694 improved to 0.636 in the regional playoffs and he did not allow an earned run in 9 innings of work across 2 state playoff games. He was the starting pitcher in the state championship game, holding Uniontown to 4 hits, 1 walk, and 1 unearned run over 7 innings of no-decision work. His team also turned to him in other big games, including the first regional elimination game (4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 K, 1 BB), the first regional championship game (7 IP, 10 H, 0 ER, 5 K, 0 BB), and the state playoff winner's bracket final against the Boyertown Bear Cubs (2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 K, 3 BB). The Grizzlies went on to win all of those games.
Cole Kratz won the Jr Legion State Tournament Batting Champion award thanks to a team-best .462 batting average in the state playoffs. He notched 6 hits in the state playoffs to lead the team, with 3 of those hits being doubles (also leading the team). His 6 walks also contributed to his team-best .650 OBP. Statistics alone does not fully capture his contribution to the team at the plate. As the Grizzlies lead-off hitter, Kratz reached base safely to start all 5 state playoff games (1 double, 3 walks, 1 HBP), putting extra pressure on opposing pitchers. He also walked off two separate regional playoff elimination games with line drive hits, to earn the Grizzlies their state playoff berth. His playoff batting performance was no fluke, as he also led the team with a .543 batting average during the regular season.