If you look up gritty in the dictionary, you’ll probably see a picture of the 2025 Archbishop Carroll baseball team next to it.
There are few other ways to describe the Carroll club that is now 4-4 in the Philadelphia Catholic League following a thrilling 3-2 win over a competitive Conwell-Egan team Tuesday afternoon on the hilltop.
It’s not a play style that’s born out of want, but necessity. The Patriots have no big-time arms on the mound who can dominate batters with crazy movement or ridiculous velocity, and they are without a superstar hitter in their lineup. Still, the Pats continue to find ways to win time and time again.
“We have to make it ugly,” said manager Pat Dunn. “It seems like every day a new guy steps up. Today (Nick) Gilroy was great, hitting one, and it was probably a home run at any other field.”
While the Patriots don’t have a superstar yet, they may just have a budding one in Gilroy, a junior outfielder. Gilroy is batting .391 on the season with a 1.256 OPS through 10 games.
Gilroy has helped to embody the gritty play style the Patriots are coming to live by as well. Not expected to be a top option in the Pats lineup at the beginning of the year, the junior has taken advantage of his opportunities at nearly every point.
Gilroy hasn’t just been one of the hottest Carroll players at the dish, but he’s also made left field into a black hole for any baseball unfortunate enough to be hit out there, making a few huge catches throughout the game Tuesday and throughout the season.
“It was an awesome day,” said Gilroy. “We had Mark (Fohner) pitching, and Matt (McGaughey) behind him since we have some off days coming up. Their pitcher was good but we were able to get on him and we just had so much confidence coming into this.”
The senior pitching pairing of Fohner and McGaughey has been another staple of this new Carroll identity in 2025.
The unlikely one-two punch in the Patriots rotation has become one of the team’s strong suits this season. Both Fohner and McGaughey have eaten innings on a consistent basis and provided the Patriots with some steady defensive support through the first half of the season.
Both starters took to the mound in Tuesday’s game. Because of the team’s recent scheduling quirks, the Patriots were able to play around with their pitching staff as they pleased, having not stepped on the field for six days and having to wait yet another six before they took to the diamond again.
“We have to keep showing up and battling,” said Dunn. “These kids are tough kids. They deserve all the success in the world.”
Maybe the perfect epitome of the grit-and-grind play style and of Dunn’s “tough kid” proclamation is Drew Mulligan.
Mulligan, the centerfielder who has come up time and time again in the big spots, saw the spotlight on him once again today as he made the game winning relay throw to the plate to toss out Egan’s Gavin Hartley.
The senior outfielder is no stranger to the big moments, especially this season. Mulligan made his chops with some highlight catches in centerfield and by straight up smacking the baseball across the diamond. Mulligan is batting .308 on the year with a .935 OPS and .550 OBP.
It was with Mulligan where everything got started for Carroll as well. The centerfielder reached base in the first inning and hustled a first-to-home run to give the Patriots the early 1-0 lead off a Gilroy RBI double.
After he reached on a peculiar 7-4 fielder’s choice in the bottom of the third, the Patriot’s center fielder got the nod from the left fielder: Gilroy once again. He took off running on the second of Gilroy’s two RBI doubles as he rounded the infield for the Pats second run of the game, making it 2-0 Carroll.
“I have to give credit to my teammates,” said Mulligan. “They’ve pushed me everyday to be the best that I can, and our coach really instills in us that we need to get better each and every day.”
Gilroy soon crossed the plate himself after a Matt McGaughey RBI double played deja vu and sent a run across to make it 3-0 heading to the bottom of the third.
That’s where Egan’s superstar sophomore center fielder Brady Guzzie got his chance to shine. Guzzie knocked in junior Sean McGovern to make it a 3-1 ballgame.
McGovern then came right back out in the bottom half of the fourth and made it 3-2, helping to knock in another run.
As Fohner and McGaughey piggybacked, the Pats made their way through to the seventh inning, where McGaughey ran into just a little bit of trouble.
As Guzzie reached on an error, Tommy Kalita then made his way on base where he’d reach third on a passed ball. As Keegan Johnson lined out to center field for the second out, Hartley took to the dish in his pinch runners spot.
Hartley would be declared out by a few yards and after some spirited discussion between the Egan manager and the umpires, hands were shook and pleasantries were exchanged as the Pats claimed the 3-2 victory.
“Happy to get another Catholic League win,” said Dunn. “Our goal is the playoffs. It’s right there for us now we just have to go and get it.”
Go and get it is exactly what Carroll will need to do over these last few weeks. Alhough they’ll most likely have enough to make the Philadelphia Catholic League playoffs this season, big matchups with St. Joe’s Prep, Archbishop Wood, Bonner-Prendie, and Devon Prep await.
Next is the Hawks of SJP, who’ll pay a visit to the hilltop next week on a 4:00 PM face-off.
