With a fastball that seems to be getting stronger and an ability to quickly make adjustments, Mike Shawaryn may get to live his baseball dream sooner rather than later.

 A right-hander at Gloucester Catholic High School, Shawaryn has been on the radar of major league scouts for quite some time. There hasn’t been a game this year where a collection of men haven’t settled in behind home plate, radar guns in one hand and notebooks by their side.

When you have big-league potential, everyone wants to see it. And when it comes to this year’s amateur draft, the University of Maryland recruit heads the list of South Jersey’s top prospects.

\”Mike has the best chance of going, and going the highest,\” one area scout said. \”Mike could be someone who sits 92-94 comfortably with the ability down the road to touch the mid- to upper 90s.\”

The draft begins tonight; with the first two rounds broadcast on MLB Network beginning at 7 p.m. Rounds 3-10 are slated for Friday, with rounds 11-40 on Saturday.

Courier-Post Staff

PINE HILL — The voices of support were loud and clear from the very start.

\”Get ’em Murph. Sit ’em down Murph.\”

They proved to a sign of big things to come on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon for baseball.

John Murphy set the tone in the first inning, retiring the side with three consecutive strikeouts. The sophomore would go on to sit down nine batters all together and scatter four hits as Gloucester Catholic defeated St. Augustine 7-0 to win the Non-Public A South title at Overbrook High School.

In search of their fourth straight state championship, the Rams (28-5) will take on Seton Hall Prep for the crown Saturday at Toms River East. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.

\”John is a young kid on the mound but he really knows how to throw the ball,\” said junior shortstop Phil Dickinson. \”He throws strikes. When he’s on the mound, we don’t have a doubt in our minds. We’ll do the work behind him.

\”You can’t ask for anything more than what he gave us.\”

Dickinson helped provide the Rams’ with an offensive spark. His three-run double to dead center in the second helped give the top seed an early cushion. Pat Hiester then followed Anthony Harrold’s double in the third with a two-run homer to left-center.