For Weatherly’s baseball team this season, it wasn’t about the wins and losses. Instead, it was about the growth.

The Wreckers officially ended their season Tuesday afternoon with a 15-0 loss to Nativity in the District 11 Class 1A semifinals at North Schuylkill.

Interim head coach Rob Bryan saw plenty of improvement along the way despite the team’s overall 2-19 record.

“From the beginning of the season until now, it is a completely different team,” said Bryan. “It’s amazing.

“Even though we lost, you can see how these guys developed throughout the season.”

In spite of their struggles, Bryan noted how the team kept its focus and determination along the road. The Wreckers battled through more valleys than peaks with a young club that featured six freshmen and seven sophomores.

“They always came out with a lot of enthusiasm because they simply love the game,” beamed Bryan. “A lot of them didn’t have a high baseball IQ, but you could see how they became better with their overall game.

“We could have lost games 50-0 in the beginning of the season, but later in the season, they became more competitive and confident.”

Bryan stated the club’s pitching is a work in progress, as they lost graduate Jack James, their top starter from last year’s team.

However, he was impressed with the play of freshmen Joey Esposito, sophomore Jerry Donadi, and junior Corbin Wagner — all of whom were consistent contributors.

Freshman Kyle Reiner was hurt most of the season and returned for the last few games. He is expected to play a major role next season.

“Joey was our best hitter as a freshman, and he worked on his pitching,” said Bryan. “Jerry also worked his way on the mound, and he could play a few positions for us.

“Corbin was our starting left fielder, and he hadn’t played baseball since Little League. But he progressed, and we expect some good things for him as a senior next year.”

Bryan noted that a number of players will be playing Babe Ruth this summer. It will be another step to work to turn the fate of a budding program.

“The program has taken a big hit since COVID,” stressed Bryan. “But we’re confident in the direction of the program.

“We have a strong freshman and sophomore class and a good eighth-grade class behind it. We’ll continue to grow next year. But in 2027, Weatherly baseball will be a force to be reckoned with.”

WRECKING BALLS ... Bryan, a 1993 Weatherly graduate and baseball standout, replaced Ken Jacoby, who stepped down for an unspecified reason two games ago. Bryan also is an assistant boys basketball coach. Weatherly dropped previous meetings with Nativity, 20-0, on April 4, and 15-0 on May 1 … Weatherly’s lone wins were both against Lincoln Leadership Academy, winning its season-opener 17-2 on March 20, and posting a 16-4 rout on April 16 ... Reiner and Ray Montz had Weatherly’s only hits against Nativity on Tuesday.