The Cathedral Prep Ramblers have refused to make excuses despite a rash of injuries that have sidelined several starters throughout their impressive 16-3 season and first-place standing in Region 5.

Wake Forest commit Luke Costello, senior Joey Spano Jr. (Mercyhurst commit), Joel Brennan (Penn State Wilkes-Barre commit), and sophomores KJ Williams and Joe Flanagan have all acquired season-ending injuries.

With so many key contributors out, others have had to step up their production and leadership. One of those players is sophomore Andrew Costello, Luke’s younger brother and a Wake Forest commit himself.

“With Luke and some of our other leaders out, I knew I had to take on more of a vocal role,” Andrew said. “I tried to lead by example and keep our team focused despite all the injuries.”

Andrew has certainly led well on the field, too, hitting .597, with 7 home runs and 29 RBI while taking over as the Ramblers’ cleanup hitter.

“As a hitter, I’ve been much more aggressive early in the count and taken advantage of pitchers’ mistakes more frequently,” Andrew said.

Junior Jason Fultz, a Clemson commit, has emerged as Cathedral Prep’s top two-way threat. He is batting .574 with 11 home runs and 35 RBI, proving to be one of the best hitters in the country while providing 52 strikeouts on the year as a pitcher.

“As a player, I’ve developed a lot in my approach as a hitter so that I can hit the ball to all fields,” Fultz said. “As a pitcher, I really developed my off-speed through the offseason. As a person, off the field, I grew closer with many of my teammates, which helped us function more as a team this season than in previous seasons.”

Fultz also advised younger players on maintaining consistency and persevering through struggles.

“For younger players, being consistent is the most important thing for a baseball player,” he said. “Pick at least one part of your game daily and work on it. Don’t be put down by failure either; it’s all a part of the process.”

Thanks to the contributions of Andrew Costello, Fultz, and others stepping into bigger roles, Cathedral Prep has managed to stay atop the region despite a depleted roster.