Haverford senior Will Hoffman achieved a feat rarely seen at the high school baseball level: a perfect game. A perfect game is where a pitcher successfully doesn’t allow a single runner on base for the duration of the game. An accomplishment of this caliber hasn’t been seen on the Ford diamond since the days of former MLB pitcher and Haverford alumnus Mark Defelice in the early 1990s. Hoffman fanned a mind-boggling fifteen batters over seven innings of work as the Fords blanked Harriton 7-0 on April 24th. Other contributors included Ryan Cassidy, who was two for three on the day with two RBIs, and Shane Durkan who went one for three with an RBI. 

This incredible feat came off the heels of Fords sophomore Jimmy Boyle’s masterful outing against Springfield two days prior. Through seven innings of work, Boyle struck out twelve, allowing only two hits. The Fords shut out Springfield 9-0 that day. 

These two wins put Haverford at 9-5-1 on the season, a record that has shattered expectations based on the Fords’ last two years of play. Entering the first of the two shutouts, the Fords sat in 6th place in the Delco Baseball power rankings. These wins boosted them to a top-five slot. 

Hoffman’s perfect game was the third consecutive complete game shutout tossed by a Fords pitcher. During that stretch, the Fords outscored their opponents 22-0. 

This winning mentality for the Fords is a new experience with their combined record for the past three seasons being 13-51. The last time the Fords finished with a record above .500 was 2016. 

Part of the Fords’ recent success should be credited to the team’s newcomers. Game-changing pitchers like Jimmy Boyle and Gavin McClafferty are backed up by the consistent bats of Ryan Cassidy, Shane Durkin, and Cam McCormack. Fords seniors Will Hoffman, Will Timar, Christian Cerelli, and John Sharkey are playing at a higher level than ever before. 

District playoffs are fully within reach as the Fords enter the last part of the season. The Central League is also in play, but the Fords might be forced to fight tooth and nail against the powerhouse of Strath Haven. Haven sits atop the Central League with a 9-2 conference record while Haverford sits at 7-4. Overall, Fords baseball is worth keeping an eye on this season as the race for the Central League starts to heat up.