Ventnor, NJ, Native C.J. Egrie Wins Major College Baseball Award
The Holy Cross baseball team entered the season with a big win over nationally ranked Auburn and never looked back.
The Crusaders used that win to propel them to an outstanding season led by Ventnor, NJ, native and Holy Spirit High School alumnus, C.J. Egrie, who was named the Patriot League Baseball Player of the Year for the 2025 season.
"Many of those people have reached out in the last few days to congratulate him; it means so much to us," said CJ's mom, Lisa, through a text message.
Breakout Season for Egrie
Egrie is having an outstanding junior season, hitting .325 with six home runs and a Patriot League best 32 stolen bases (13th best in the country) and 59 runs scored, a program single-season record. The speedster also ranks third with a .524 slugging percentage.
In addition to being named the Patriot League Player of the Year, Egrie was also named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.
The team opens play in the Patriot League Tournament on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Lehigh, which you can watch on ESPN+.
From Holy Spirit to Holy Cross
Egrie is a 2021 Holy Spirit graduate who holds the school record with 83 stolen bases, hitting .341 during his time with the Spartans.
He was also a team captain and second-team All-State and first-team All-South Jersey football player during his time with Absecon, where he holds the school record for interceptions with 14.
"Steve Normane and AJ Russo took a chance on an undersized athlete, which paid off in three state titles, multiple division crowns, and worked through the COVID pandemic, to give him the path that led him to Andover," CJ's mom, Lisa, continued.
I had the opportunity to coach Egrie when he was growing up in Ventnor, NJ, from age 13 to 15. He was a very important member of the 13-Year-Old Atlantic Shore Babe Ruth All-Star team that advanced to the World Series in Mountain Home, Arkansas, playing second base and batting No. 2 in the lineup.
"It goes without saying, his community experience starting with ASHORE, and especially Holy Spirit has given him such a solid foundation. They taught him so much about how to play the game the right way," CJ's mom Lisa continued.
South Jersey baseball fans may remember many of these local kids who played on that World Series team and continued their baseball careers in college.
He was as competitive a player as I have ever had, and his speed was a difference-maker. He was a team player who was willing to do whatever was asked to try and win a game, often suggesting to lay a bunt down to try and help the team win.
Places we miss in Margate and Ventnor
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