Catholic

  • 2023 SEASON RECAP

    August 12th, 2023

    CHARLOTTE, NC – Head Coach Kevin Glossner’s team wrapped up the 2023 season on May 9th, losing to West Forsyth in the first round of the state playoffs.  The Cougars finished the year with an overall record of 17-7, finishing the regular season in 3rd place in the Southwestern 4A Conference, behind Butler and Providence.

    POWER ARMS

    Catholic has seen an influx of quality pitching in the program over the last several years.  During the 2023 season, the bulk of the innings were eaten up by Jake Young, Zach Vigre, and Brody Roderick.  Young finished the year with 30 IP, a 2-2 record, and a strong 1.59 ERA.  Vigre finished with a 1.50 ERA over 28 innings, with a striking 22 Ks to 2 BBs. Roderick's 1.63 ERA over 25 innings was strong for the junior RHP.  The Diamond Cougs also saw contributions on the mound from freshman Alex Hoffman (31 Ks over 17 innings), junior Jack Hedrick, senior Drew Heiser, junior Mason Child, senior Payton Wildman, junior Chris Chester, and senior Joe Hickman.

    HOT BATS

    The Cougars were led offensively by senior Jake Kernodle.  Jake anchored the middle of the lineup, finishing the season with a .357 average, with 4 HRs and 22 RBIs.  Junior Evan MacIntyre was a spark at the top of the order, batting .388, with an OBP of .551.  Junior John McKillop was another big bat for the Cougars, finishing at .366, with 2 HRs and 12 RBIs.  Sam Hucko, Joey Hall, Elliot Johnston, and Matt Sermeno were also big contributors offensively.  Senior Cam Daigle put together a quiet, yet really good senior season.  Freshman Alex Hoffman also held his own as a first-year varsity player.

    THANK YOU SENIORS

    Eleven seniors saw their high school baseball careers end on the field at West Forsyth.  The coaching staff would like to thank the following seniors for their contributions to the baseball program over the last few years: Avery Kafka, Joe Rotola, Elliot Johnston, Cam Daigle, Drew Heiser, Payton Wildman, Jake Kernodle, Jake Young, Joe Hickman, Zach Vigre, and Jake Reichert.

    Two seniors will continue playing baseball at the collegiate level.  Jake Kernodle is heading to Princeton University to continue his academic and baseball career.  Jake Young will move to the mountains and continue his career at UNC Asheville.

    THANK YOU COACH GLOSSNER

    Shortly after the conclusion of the 2023 season, Kevin Glossner announced his retirement.  Coach Glossner spent 16 years with Catholic Baseball, including 7 seasons as the Head Varsity Coach.  The entire Charlotte Catholic community thanks Coach Glossner for his leadership and guidance over the last 16 years!

  • 2022 SEASON RECAP

    May 13th, 2022

    CHARLOTTE, NC – Head Coach Kevin Glossner’s team wrapped up the 2022 season on Tuesday evening, losing to Marvin Ridge in the first round of the state playoffs.  The Cougars finished the year with an overall record of 17-10, finishing the regular season in 2nd place in the Southwestern 4A Conference, behind nationally-ranked Providence.

    DOMINANT STARTING PITCHING

    Catholic was led by the pitching staff for most of the year.  Seniors Will Hanson and Joey Ruller anchored the staff.  Hanson finished the season with a 4 and 3 record and an ERA of 1.92.  Hanson struck out 69 batters in 43.2 innings.  Ruller was dominant in several of his outings, finishing the season with a 3 and 2 record and a 1.85 ERA.  Ruler struck out 80 batters in 37.2 innings.

    QUALITY BULLPEN OUTINGS

    The Cougar bullpen played a big role this season as well.  Sophomore LHP Mason Child stepped into a huge role out of the pen, becoming the go to guy late in games.  Child threw 18 innings this season, with 32 strikeouts, earning two saves.  Junior RHP Jake Young was another strong option for the Cougars.  Young finished the year with three saves, striking out 20 in 21.1 innings.  Sophomores Jack Hedrick and Brody Roderick, along with Juniors Payton Wildman, Drew Heiser, and Joe Hickman, all contributed out of the pen throughout the year as well.

    STRONG OFFENSIVE NUMBERS

    Several Catholic hitters had big offensive seasons, putting up big numbers and producing in big spots when needed.  Junior 3B Jake Kernodle led the charge, batting .381, with 6 doubles and 2 home runs, while driving in 19 runs..  Sophomore infielder Matt Sermeno hit .313 with 4 doubles and 2 home runs, driving in 13 runs.

    Sophomore outfielder Evan MacIntyre did a great job in the leadoff spot, and fellow sophomore John McKillop did a great job in the middle of the lineup, belting 2 home runs and driving in 17 RBIs.  Senior infielders Nick Smith and Tommy Hoefling had good years offensively as well, with Smith hitting 3 home runs.  Junior catchers Zach Vigre and Jake Reichert split time behind the dish, both doing a great job managing the pitching staff.  They both helped offensively too, with Vigre finishing at .258 and Reichert at .385.  The Cougars also received offensive contributions from junior outfielder Joe Rotola and sophomore infielder Joey Hall, as they stepped in and filled a variety of roles.

    THANK YOU SENIORS

    Seven Cougar seniors saw their high school baseball careers end on Tuesday night: Dom Artieri, Joey Ruller, Tommy Hoefling, Jack Bhojwani, Nathan Peine, Will Hanson, and Nick Smith.  These guys have been an instrumental part of this program for the last several years and will forever be etched in the history of Catholic Baseball.

    Three seniors will continue playing baseball at the collegiate level.  Both Will Hanson and Joey Ruller will be attending Queens University of Charlotte next year, where they will join the Royals pitching staff under head coach Ross Steedley.  Nick Smith is heading to Tallahassee CC, where he will play under head coach Mike McLeod.

    NEXT UP

    The Catholic Baseball players will be moving into their summer baseball seasons.  Several players will be playing with the area’s top-ranked travel teams, traveling across the southeast to compete in various showcase events.  Catholic Baseball will continue to lift weights throughout the summer, and plan to begin fall practice in early September.

    Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@diamondcougs) for updates throughout the summer.

  • CATHOLIC BASEBALL HISTORY

    Cougar Baseball has a rich history, dating back to the early 1980s.

    CCHS Baseball was led by longtime skipper Randy Belk for 34 years, retiring after the 2016 season. Coach Belk was a math teacher at CCHS for 16 years and the Dean of Students for 21 years. He led the Cougars to 460 wins on the baseball field, winning Conference Coach of the Year six times throughout his career. His teams won numerous conference championships and made the state playoffs in each of his last 14 seasons. The 1987 team lost in the state semi-finals and the 1988 team lost in the state championship game.

    The 2011 Cougar Baseball team is the most decorated team as of late. The 2011 squad holds the state record for most consecutive shutouts (10) and most consecutive shutout innings (71). This team was also named the 2011 Hot Stove Team of the Year by Tripp Roakes and the South Charlotte Sports Report. The 2011 team lost in the third round of the state playoffs to Weddington HS.

    From 2010 to 2013, Catholic Baseball won 4 straight conference championships.

  • Charlotte Catholic High School Athletics
    7702 Pineville-Matthews Rd.
    Charlotte, NC 28226