Members of the Quakertown Community High School baseball team were able to hone their pitching skills during a one-on-one coaching session recently with Hall of Famer and Phillies pitching legend, Steve Carlton. Sponsored by St. Luke’s University Health Network and Sports Medicine, the clinic took place on the grounds of Quakertown’s newest multi sports field at the Sixth Grade Campus located on the corner of S. 9th and Main Streets, where construction started in June 2023.
Just as Carlton won the 1980 World Series as the starting and winning pitcher in Game 6, playing on artificial turf, Quakertown’s new field coincidentally has the same material. The state-of-the-art field, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year, will be used for baseball, soccer, and other sports. Another benefit of the new field is its location, which is within walking distance of the high school.
“It is important for our kids to get outside and socialize together. Sports participation can lead to greater academic success, as well as more engagement and better performance in the classroom,” said School Board President Glenn Iosue. “In taking advantage of the booming real estate market near our schools, the School Board creatively funded this new project with land purchased some years ago. Located off Pumping Station Road, the property was sold to a developer for a profit of approximately $5 million dollars to fund costs for the field. Now Quakertown has its very own state-of-the-art field to showcase our fantastic athletics program,” he said.
St. Luke’s is a long-standing supporter of the school district and is funding an upgraded digital scoreboard. Also, St. Luke's is partnering with the school district to provide more services at no cost such as athletic trainers and ambulances at athletic events.
The multi sports field provides a much-needed home field for the Panthers Baseball Team. The team, led by Coach Jonathan Pallone, has made the community proud by making the district playoffs for the past six years. The Panthers were one game shy of qualifying for the state tournament earlier this year. Additionally, the team has proven their dedication on and off the field by receiving national recognition for their academic success.
For the fifth year in a row, the Panthers received the American Baseball Coaches Association’s 2022-23 ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award, which recognizes college and high school programs from across the country that posted a GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale for the entire 2022-23 academic year. Quakertown was one of seven high school teams in Pennsylvania to receive this prestigious recognition, demonstrating their commitment to excellence on the field and in the classroom.
“We are incredibly proud of our baseball team here at Quakertown, who have proven the ability to balance their athletic pursuits while remaining focused on their education, demonstrating academic excellence time and time again,” said Dr. Matthew Friedman, Superintendent of Schools. “Here at Quakertown, we emphasize that ‘student’ comes first in a ‘student-athlete’ and excellence in the classroom is just as important as it is on the field. We thank St. Luke’s for their continued support and partnership with Quakertown Community School District and Steve Carlton for this unforgettable experience for our students and community who were able to meet a baseball local legend while fine tuning their skills on the field.”