Two for the Show Andrew Amaro OPC ’11 and Kenny Koplove OPC ’12 are wearing the Fightin’ red and white and hoping to lead a Phillies revival.

by Mark F. Bernstein OPC ’79

Approaching from the south, the road slightly older young men chase their The Crosscutters are the Phillies’ short- into Williamsport, Pa., goes right past dreams at Susquehanna Bank Park, home season rookie league team, one of the Howard J. Lamade Stadium, home of the of the Williamsport Crosscutters of the lowest rungs on the long ladder that, for a Little League World Series. On a warm New York-Penn League. This summer, that talented few, will someday lead to Citizens August afternoon, it is packed with young team included two players familiar to Penn Bank Park. And the PC pair are eagerly people chasing their dreams. Charter fans: Andrew Amaro OPC ’11 and climbing it, having both been selected A few miles to the north, a group of Kenny Koplove OPC ’12. by the Phillies in last summer’s amateur draft, Koplove in the 17th round, Amaro in the 35th. Six PC Athletes Sign to Play Division I Amaro entered PC in the sixth grade; Approximately 20 percent of each Penn Charter graduating class is recruited Koplove was a lifer. Although they played to play sports in college. Currently, alumni are competing in the ACC, Ivy, Patriot, side by side for four years – leading Rick Centennial, NESCAC, CACC, SCIAC, SoCon and Big 10 conferences. PC expects more Mellor OPC ’69’s squad to the 2009 Inter- athletes to sign at the February and April 2016 deadlines. Ac title along the way – they have been competing against each other for as long as they can remember in AAU ball. With parents, extended family, coaches, friends and teachers watching, six PC student- athletes signed letters of intent in November to play their sport in six Division I schools. Koplove was a star pitcher and shortstop for the Quakers, a three-time all-state and Name University Sport first team all-Inter-Ac selection. “Kenny Ken Bergmann University of Connecticut Baseball was born to be a baseball player,” Mellor Drew Gallant University of Massachusetts Lacrosse said. As a freshman, Koplove was named Jean Gleason Drexel University Crew the Southeast Pennsylvania Rookie of the Sean McKee Fairfield University Lacrosse Year, and as a senior he was named the Emily Smith Elon University Track and Field, Cross Country Gatorade/ESPN Pennsylvania Player of the Sally Stanley University of North Carolina Crew Year. But Duke University, which recruited More photos on flickr.com/photos/penncharter/sets. him, wanted him to play only shortstop. Though he pitched just two innings for the

28 • Fall 2015 Fall 2015 • 29 Blue Devils as a freshman and none as a sophomore, Koplove still wanted to pitch. Before last season, his manager agreed to let him try. Koplove proved so good that he was able to hold down both positions, setting a team record with 11 saves while hitting .275 as the team’s regular shortstop. That brought Koplove to the attention of major league scouts. In June, he was sitting by the computer in his parents’ house in South Philadelphia when his agent called. The Phillies wanted to draft him, but first they needed to know if he would sign a contract if they did. Koplove and his parents had a quick decision to make. Signing meant leaving Duke before he had earned his degree, but the chance to fulfill a lifelong dream to play professional baseball – and for the Phillies – made the (Previous page) Andrew Amaro OPC ’11 at bat for the Williamsport Croscutters. (Above) Kenny Koplove decision easy. OPC ’12 in action for the Williamsport Crosscutters. “Your hometown team, you can’t do any better than that,” he explained. After buying himself a new glove, Koplove put the The choice to sign with the Phillies was also he stole 16 bases and hit .400. The Phillies rest of his signing bonus in the bank. He a no-brainer for Amaro. He was an all-Inter- drafted him in the 47th round in 2011, intends to finish his studies once his playing Ac second baseman who was as hot on the but he decided to attend the University of days are over. base paths as he was at the plate; as a senior, Maryland instead. After his junior year, Amaro transferred to the University of Tampa and led the team to the NCAA Division II playoffs. Even so, it was not certain that he would We’re psyched! be drafted. In order to avoid hanging on Sports writer Ted Silary OPC ’69, retired from a 36-year career every selection during the three-day draft, he decided to stay off the Internet. He at the Philadelphia Daily News, will be on campus several days a learned of his selections during a pickup week writing about and photographing PC athletics. His work basketball game when his phone began to will appear online at penncharter.com/sportszone. buzz with congratulatory phone calls. One Silary will continue to publish TedSilary.com, his popular website might think that Amaro’s uncle, Ruben about high school sports. OPC ’83, then the Phillies’ general manager, Silary has covered high school sports in Philadelphia since December would have tipped his nephew off, but he 1975, first for two years for the old Philadelphia Bulletin, then from December 1977 through played it close to the vest. August 2013 for the Philadelphia Daily News. At Penn Charter, he wrote for The Mirror and, as a Both Koplove and Amaro have had strong senior, wrote a weekly wrapup on PC sports for the now-defunct Germantown Courier. A lifer family support. In addition to Amaro’s uncle, at Penn Charter, he played varsity football and basketball. his grandfather played for the Phillies in the On his website, Silary explains that he had opportunities to “move up” to college or 1960s, while his father, Dave OPC ’80, played professional beats at the Daily News, but politely declined. “Why would I give up the best job at briefly in the Chicago Cubs organization. this paper? There’s nothing more enjoyable than reporting on the triumphs of young people.” Koplove’s older brother, Mike, a Chestnut Hill Academy alumnus, played in the majors for seven years and is now a scout for the Los Angeles Angels; and sister Erica OPC ’08 was a three-time All-Inter-Ac softball pitcher for PC and had an ERA of under 2.00 on two championship teams.

30 • Fall 2015 Koplove recalls one particular welcome- to-the-minors moment this summer, when he surrendered his first professional home run. Holding a 7-1 lead against the Vermont Doc Tops 300 Lake Monsters, Koplove fell behind in the Doc Mittica, a founder and architect of PC softball, has been racking count to the first batter he faced leading off the seventh inning. up the stats over the years, including a milestone 300th win. “It was the [ninth] hitter [in the batting by Ben Skinner OPC ‘15 order],” he explained, “so I said, ‘I’m just going to throw a fastball down the middle and Donald J. Mittica is known to his players and his patients – whatever happens, happens.’” That may have he is a licensed chiropractor with a practice in Lafayette Hill worked in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but – as Doc. not in the New York-Penn League. The batter Doc started the Penn Charter softball team from scratch launched a towering home run over the left in 1992 and has built an impressive program and record of field wall. It taught Koplove (who won the achievement. He has a 308-141 record in 24 seasons, with the game anyway) a valuable lesson: “Well you 300th win coming on May 1, 2015. In those seasons his teams can’t do that anymore. Every single pitch, you have won seven Inter-Ac titles and, just last season, one state have to be locked in.” independent school title. He is the only head coach our softball program has had since its inception. Amaro played off the bench for the Mere stats do not define or represent what Doc strives to Crosscutters but says he does not feel accomplish as a coach. This is not to say that Doc has not pushed and coached his girls to overmatched by life as a professional. “It’s victory, but to him there is more to coaching than a win or a loss. similar to college ball except we’re getting To Doc, the true success of a coach is determined by how much an athlete grows as an paid,” he explained. “The adjustment has been individual. Doc coaches softball, and he coaches about life. not drastic at all. You sleep in, lift weights, Mikayla Cimino OPC ’15 recalled that one of Doc’s life lessons is that skill and talent spend eight hours at the park, and then repeat will only take one so far, but that heart and passion will make one great. “Doc was always every day.” It’s what he loves to do. reminding us that we were in the driver’s seat and that if we wanted to do big things, we “Andrew is going to be a baseball lifer,” have the talent to do so, but we need to find the heart and energy in order to come out Mellor predicted. “He’s going to coach on top,” Cimino said. somewhere.” Doc teaches respect, said sophomore Ciara McGee, and confidence: “One of my The pair performed well in their debut favorite things that he said to us this season was to respect everyone but fear no one.” seasons. Koplove finished with a 2-3 record, striking out 27 batters in 34 innings. Amaro hit .218 playing first base, right field and designated hitter, and was sent up briefly to play for the Phillies’ minor league affiliate in Lakewood, N.J. The old high school teammates often make it a point to sit together on the long team bus rides. Both say they are thrilled to be chasing their boyhood dreams, but in almost any situation it is easier to get Koplove to do the talking. “I’m playing a child’s game, and it’s awesome,” he gushed. “I get to watch nine innings of baseball every night against future big leaguers.” Who knows? Maybe those future big leaguers will include two OPCs. For legions of hungry Phillies fans, they can’t get there fast enough. PC

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