Baseball Posts Third Straight Shutout, Faces O’Connor in Semifinals
The Brophy baseball team posted a 5-0 shutout over O’Connor to advance in the AIA 6A Conference playoffs on May 4. The Broncos will face No. 6 O’Connor in the semifinals on Friday at 4 p.m. at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa. The Eagles won an elimination game on Tuesday over No. 3 Liberty.
Brophy (24-5) is looking to make its first AIA semifinal since 2012, when the Broncos played Chaparral in the final.
Johnny Casale (8-1) pitched five scoreless innings, allowing just three hits, and Benton Hickman closed the game with two scoreless innings.
Brandon Wirtz knocked in the first run with a second-inning single to score Jack Ryan. Wirtz finished 2-for-3. Matt Niezgodzki had the big hit in the fifth. After loading the bases with walks to Casale and Meissner and a single by Cornejo-Farner, Niezgodzki singled to plate two runs, recording his 28th and 29th runs batted in on the season. They added a fourth run on a wild pitch.
Brophy College Preparatory celebrated its 76th commencement on Saturday, May 18, at 9 a.m. in Robson Gymnasium. This graduation was significant for the Class of 2024, who began their high school journey remotely due to the pandemic.
The Class of 2024 demonstrated resilience and connection despite the challenges of starting their education online. Their unity and adaptability were evident throughout their time at Brophy, embodying their class theme: “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
Valedictorian Doer Leo He delivered a memorable speech, drawing parallels to the movie "Finding Nemo" and encouraging his classmates to persevere with the phrase, "Just keep swimming." President Bob Ryan and Principal Jim Bopp also spoke, highlighting the graduates' resilience and urging them to be agents of positive change.
The ceremony concluded with a strong sense of pride and accomplishment, celebrating the Class of 2024's journey from remote learning to a united and triumphant graduation.