After 19-0 win, Gloucester Catholic heads to Vegas

Those neon lights in Las Vegas lure more than 30 million visitors every year.

But the members of the Gloucester Catholic baseball team aren't typical tourists.

The Rams won't travel to the desert in Nevada this week seeking casino entertainment, gambling action, or all-you-can-eat buffets.

South Jersey's No. 1 baseball team will be looking for manicured fields, top-level competition, and validation of its lofty national ranking.

"We can't wait to get there," Gloucester Catholic senior first baseman John Brue said after his team's 19-0 victory over Deptford on Monday in a Tri-County Diamond Division game. "It's going to be a great experience for us."

Gloucester Catholic (4-0), ranked No. 1 in South Jersey by The Inquirer and No. 6 in the nation in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25, will play four or five games in Las Vegas.

The Rams will open Wednesday morning against Whittier (Calif.), which has an 11-3 record. They also will face Bishop Manogue (13-3) of Reno, Nev., and Dougherty Valley (8-2) of San Ramon, Calif., in pool play.

The 12-team tournament features host Bishop Gorman (13-2), which is No. 9 in MaxPreps' Xcellent 25. The Gaels, who are led by Louisiana State recruit Joey Gallo, Pepperdine recruit Evan Dunn, and Arizona State recruit Johnny Seward, could play Gloucester Catholic in Saturday's semifinals or finals.

"I'm not sure whether we're ready or not," Gloucester Catholic coach Dennis Barth said. "But we're going out there to try to win the thing."

Gloucester Catholic played more than a dozen preseason scrimmages. But all four of the Rams' regular-season games have been shortened by the 10-run mercy rule, since they have outscored opponents by 60-1.

Senior lefthander Dan Higgins pitched a no-hitter and faced just 16 batters in Tuesday's five-inning victory over Deptford. Junior designated hitter Giovanni Gussen led the offense by going 3 for 4 with four RBIs, while Brue was 2 for 3 with three RBIs, and senior third baseman Brett Tenuto was 2 for 2 with three runs scored.

"Our whole thing is that if our pitchers throw strikes, we feel like we can compete with anybody," Barth said. "But it's easy to throw strikes when you're up, 10-0. It's a little different story when it's a 2-1 game or a 3-2 game.

"That's what we have to find out."

The Rams are playing in the prestigious tournament for the second consecutive year. They went 3-1 in Las Vegas last season, losing to Bishop Gorman by 4-1 in the semifinals and beating an Oaks Christian team that featured San Diego State recruit Trevor Gretzky, the son of hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky, in the third-place game.

"We're more experienced this year," said Brue, a St. Joseph's recruit. "We know what to expect. We're going to see some great teams, but we're ready for it."

Deptford    000 00 - 0 0 2

Gloucester Catholic    626 5x - 19 14 0

WP: Dan Higgins. LP: Joe Shapley.

2B: GC-John Brue, Brett Tenuto, Giovanni Gussen.

3B: GC-Rob Alessandrine.