Abington’s Mike Fogley (31) high-fives an Abington coach during a game against North Pocono in Dunmore, Pa., on Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (ISAAC DIAZ/STAFF PHOTO)
Abington’s Noah Troy (7) throws a pitch during a game against North Pocono in Dunmore, Pa., on Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (ISAAC DIAZ/STAFF PHOTO)
Abington’s Luca Bossi (3) swings against Old Forge at the West Scranton Little League Field in Scranton on Thursday, July 2, 2026. (ISAAC DIAZ/STAFF PHOTO)
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Abington’s Mike Fogley (31) high-fives an Abington coach during a game against North Pocono in Dunmore, Pa., on Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (ISAAC DIAZ/STAFF PHOTO)
BY HOLDEN MOSTOFSKY
CORRESPONDENT
The Abington Minors Baseball team is one step closer to a state championship.
Abington defeated Valley East, 9-4, in the Section 5 championship final Wednesday night to advance to the state tournament, which is at Upper Providence Little League in Phoenixville.
The team is 9-0 in the all-star season, outscoring its opponents, 120-15.
“We’ve been able to do that with solid pitching, consistent pitching and defense,” Abington coach Paul Keeler said. “The most impressive stat to me is the runs allowed rather than the runs scored because for 10-year-old baseball, that’s an impressive number. That means you have players who are throwing strikes, and that means you have players who are making plays in the field.”
Abington will face Section 2 champion Ingomar on Monday at 10 a.m.
Keeler said the team will have to continue to play similar to past games in hopes of advancing further into the tournament.
“We need the defense we had in the first two games of sectionals, preferably not the start of the last game of sectionals,” he said. “In practice, we’re working on defense. Over the past two to three days, we’ll continue to work on defense, and we’ll have live at-bats just to keep us fresh on what we want to do at the plate. Ingomar looks like a very solid team. They’re from a big Little League from a very strong section. So we know we have our work cut out for us. We’re excited. Our kids are very, very excited. We, as the coaching staff, are excited, and you know we look forward to playing them.”
Abington’s pitching depth is one of the team’s biggest strengths.
“Stephen Strauch pitched a game with no walks and a shutout over five innings, and Ford Eckenrode in the championship pitched a complete game with no walks, as well,” Keeler said. “Those two guys threw two great games to get us there. Connor Mitchell pitched the opening game of the sectionals, and also did a great job getting us through a very competitive game, and also has great velocity and is hard to hit.”
The pitching staff is also backed by a strong defense.
“We have Noah Troy, Patrick Scanlon, Santo Zanghi and Jack Keeler who can all consistently throw strikes and throw a mix of pitches to keep offenses off balance,” he said. “Then we present good defense behind them, and that’s what makes us a strong team to beat.”
While Abington has a strong defense, they also have power at the plate and lineup depth.
“Our team’s advantage is that we’re tough top to bottom,” Keeler said. “The back of our lineup is scoring runs and has a very high on-base percentage, so teams aren’t getting a breather with us when they get to the back of our order. We have kids that are putting the ball in play, getting on base, and can drive the baseball, even our savvy baseball players at the back of our order.”
Keeler is no stranger to a state tournament.
He coached the Abington Majors to the state final last year before ultimately losing in the title game.
“Both groups are great groups, and we as a coaching staff really stress that being part of a team means sacrificing part of yourself for the collective greater good,” Keeler said. “We also remind the boys, because they put a lot of pressure on themselves, that this is a baseball game and they should have fun. Mistakes are going to be made.
“We want to win a district title. We want to win a sectional title, and we want to win a state title. That is our objective. But the overall objective is for them to have a good time, make memories and work together for a common goal that’s bigger than themselves.”
Roster: Jack Keeler, Connor Mitchell, Stephen Strauch, Ford Eckenrode, Noah Troy, Santo Zanghi, Rowan Walsh, Patrick Scanlon, Mikey Fogley, Drew Cognetti, Luca Bossi, Declan Horutz.