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Joe Tiroly’s plan worked the way just as he had hoped.
If Tiroly’s sophomore baseball season at Rider went well enough, he had decided to enter the transfer the NCAA baseball transfer portal and look to play at a high-level Division I school.
A 2023 Pennsbury graduate, Tiroly ended up in the ACC at Virginia after excelling for Rider in 2025 and continued performing well for a Cavaliers team that reached the NCAA regionals in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Next up for Tiroly is the June 22-27 MLB Draft Combine in Phoenix and then the July 11-13 draft in Philadelphia, where he is projected to go anywhere from the third to the eighth round.
“I’m excited to see how everything plays out,” Tiroly said.
Primarily a second baseman and No. 3 hitter in the lineup, the 21-year-old Tiroly batted .319 and led Virginia in home runs (16), RBIs (66) and hits (76) with a .984 OPS (second).
Playing at NCAA regionals for the first time, the 6-foot, 205-pound Tiroly hit a three-run homer (and had four RBIs) in the Cavaliers’ 15-11, 10-inning win over Southern Miss on May 30. He was named to the all-tournament team.
“It was cool to play in a playoff environment when the games meant more,” Tiroly said.
Pennsbury wins championship: Downs Owen J. Roberts to earn District One baseball 6A title
Tiroly’s season didn’t start ideally as he suffered a Jones fracture when a teammate fell on his right foot last fall, which required surgery and prevented him from running or seeing live pitching until Feb. 11. He got his customary spring at bats on the fly in early-season games, and it took until the middle of the year to feel like himself on the baseball field.
“It was definitely a struggle at first,” Tiroly said. “The second half, I switched bats, got out of the (walking) boot, my foot started to feel healthy, and I found my rhythm and played the way I wanted to play.”
Pennsbury head coach Joe Pesci is pleased everything worked out for Tiroly.
“We called him Captain America in high school because he kind of did everything (on and off the baseball field),” Pesci said. “He’s a wonderful teammate and wonderful leader. Joe is almost a compilation of every single good kid, good leader we’ve had all in one and a great player, too.”
During his sophomore year at Rider, Tiroly boasted a .377 batting average with 18 home runs, a single-season program record of 70 RBIs, 66 runs scored and was voted third-team All-American.
A Yardley resident, Tiroly entered the portal and visited Duke, which he really liked. But once Duke head coach Chris Pollard and staff left for Virginia and Tiroly visited Charlottesville with his family, he knew that was the place for him.
“Charlottesville felt like home to me,” Tiroly said.
While the schools didn’t play during the ACC regular season, UVa faced Georgia Tech and fellow Pennsbury classmate Ryan Zuckerman in the conference tournament, with the Yellow Jackets winning 16-10. Tiroly hit a two-run homer among his three hits and had three RBIs, and Zuckerman, a third baseman who is also projected to be drafted next month, provided two hits and scored two runs.
“It was really cool,” Tiroly said. “I talked to him after the game and he was like, ‘Finally’. It was kind of a full-circle moment.”
“It was special to share the field with him again,” Zuckerman said, “We grew up playing (Morrisville) Little League together.”
While he played some third base in college (and at Pennsbury) and an MLB team could choose to utilize him there, Tiroly has more experience at second. But he’ll gladly play wherever he’s asked at the next level.
“The draft is such a weird (experience because) anything can happen,” he said. “I feel like I’ve had a good resume in college and am ready to move on to pro ball. I’m hoping to go as high as possible.”
Tom Moore: [email protected]; @TomMoorePhilly is a sports columnist for PhillyBurbs.com. Support our journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Virginia's Joe Tiroly, Pennsbury grad, eyeing MLB Draft selection
Continue reading...
If Tiroly’s sophomore baseball season at Rider went well enough, he had decided to enter the transfer the NCAA baseball transfer portal and look to play at a high-level Division I school.
A 2023 Pennsbury graduate, Tiroly ended up in the ACC at Virginia after excelling for Rider in 2025 and continued performing well for a Cavaliers team that reached the NCAA regionals in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Next up for Tiroly is the June 22-27 MLB Draft Combine in Phoenix and then the July 11-13 draft in Philadelphia, where he is projected to go anywhere from the third to the eighth round.
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“I’m excited to see how everything plays out,” Tiroly said.
Primarily a second baseman and No. 3 hitter in the lineup, the 21-year-old Tiroly batted .319 and led Virginia in home runs (16), RBIs (66) and hits (76) with a .984 OPS (second).
Playing at NCAA regionals for the first time, the 6-foot, 205-pound Tiroly hit a three-run homer (and had four RBIs) in the Cavaliers’ 15-11, 10-inning win over Southern Miss on May 30. He was named to the all-tournament team.
“It was cool to play in a playoff environment when the games meant more,” Tiroly said.
Pennsbury wins championship: Downs Owen J. Roberts to earn District One baseball 6A title
Tiroly’s season didn’t start ideally as he suffered a Jones fracture when a teammate fell on his right foot last fall, which required surgery and prevented him from running or seeing live pitching until Feb. 11. He got his customary spring at bats on the fly in early-season games, and it took until the middle of the year to feel like himself on the baseball field.
“It was definitely a struggle at first,” Tiroly said. “The second half, I switched bats, got out of the (walking) boot, my foot started to feel healthy, and I found my rhythm and played the way I wanted to play.”
Pennsbury head coach Joe Pesci is pleased everything worked out for Tiroly.
“We called him Captain America in high school because he kind of did everything (on and off the baseball field),” Pesci said. “He’s a wonderful teammate and wonderful leader. Joe is almost a compilation of every single good kid, good leader we’ve had all in one and a great player, too.”
You must be registered for see images
During his sophomore year at Rider, Tiroly boasted a .377 batting average with 18 home runs, a single-season program record of 70 RBIs, 66 runs scored and was voted third-team All-American.
A Yardley resident, Tiroly entered the portal and visited Duke, which he really liked. But once Duke head coach Chris Pollard and staff left for Virginia and Tiroly visited Charlottesville with his family, he knew that was the place for him.
“Charlottesville felt like home to me,” Tiroly said.
While the schools didn’t play during the ACC regular season, UVa faced Georgia Tech and fellow Pennsbury classmate Ryan Zuckerman in the conference tournament, with the Yellow Jackets winning 16-10. Tiroly hit a two-run homer among his three hits and had three RBIs, and Zuckerman, a third baseman who is also projected to be drafted next month, provided two hits and scored two runs.
“It was really cool,” Tiroly said. “I talked to him after the game and he was like, ‘Finally’. It was kind of a full-circle moment.”
“It was special to share the field with him again,” Zuckerman said, “We grew up playing (Morrisville) Little League together.”
While he played some third base in college (and at Pennsbury) and an MLB team could choose to utilize him there, Tiroly has more experience at second. But he’ll gladly play wherever he’s asked at the next level.
“The draft is such a weird (experience because) anything can happen,” he said. “I feel like I’ve had a good resume in college and am ready to move on to pro ball. I’m hoping to go as high as possible.”
Tom Moore: [email protected]; @TomMoorePhilly is a sports columnist for PhillyBurbs.com. Support our journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Virginia's Joe Tiroly, Pennsbury grad, eyeing MLB Draft selection
Continue reading...
