The Leiter-Volpe Game
September 2nd, 2024
On Thursday, June 6th, 2019, Jack Leiter and Anthony Volpe proudly held up the Delbarton flag after the Green Wave’s 4-3 win over St. Augustine in the Non-Public A baseball state championship. For most Delbarton athletes, walking off the field after a state championship victory is often the final hurrah in their baseball careers, and the days playing with or against New Jersey friends end as quickly as they started. Volpe and Leiter defied those odds. Just three days before their victorious season came to a triumphant close, Delbarton’s shortstop got a call from the New York Yankees and was drafted 30th overall in the first round. Leiter received a similar call; the Yankees wanted him, too. Due to drafting complications and an interest in pursuing his original commitment to Vanderbilt, Leiter decided that college would be next in his journey.
In a 2022 Delbarton film, the two friends sat down with their former head coach Bruce Shatel and discussed the possibility of their paths crossing in MLB and Delbarton’s positive impact on their lives. In the interview, Volpe smiled and expressed “how awesome” it would be if he faced Leiter at the professional level. He continued, “it’s even giving me goosebumps thinking about it now, but that would be awesome.” Coach Shatel commented on both of his stars being drafted, labeling it a “surreal moment. To see them have that kind of recognition and opportunity to further their careers is… you just can’t put it into words.” When addressing the possibility that they could face off in MLB, Coach Shatel noted that “it’s going to be a real smile for [him].” He predicted that Leiter would start off Volpe with a breaking pitch knowing how competitive he is.
Before Volpe’s first game for the Yankees, I asked Coach Shatel to reflect on some of his experiences with Anthony. Coach emphasized Anthony’s “laser focus in the classroom and on the baseball field”. He added, “Anthony is one of the most polite, humble, hard-working young men you could ever meet. On top of that, he is a fierce competitor.” I also spoke with Mr. Charles Johnson, the Math Chairperson at Delbarton, at this time, and it was evident that Leiter was extremely serious about his grades as well. Mr. Johnson admitted he “didn’t even know he played baseball until the spring.” In addition, he mentioned, “until then, he was just a smart kid that I felt could go to engineering school.” Mr. Johnson also added that he had “Anthony Volpe and Jack Leiter in the same Algebra II class.”
Though both Leiter and Volpe were committed to Vanderbilt during high school, their decisions to separate would surely mark the last time they would play on the same field, right? Think again. After Leiter finished a successful collegiate career and Volpe rose up the ranks in the Yankees Farm System, the stage was set. On September 2nd, 2024, Jack Leiter and Anthony Volpe made Delbarton history. For the first time in a decade, the two laced up their cleats and hustled onto the same field in an official game. September 2nd marked the first day that two Delbarton graduates opposed each other in Major League Baseball, a day the entire Delbarton community was hoping would come for years.
After an introduction that included ESPN speaking with Coach Shatel, and multiple mentions of the two friends, Volpe took the first pitch he saw from Leiter, a fastball, and laced it into right field for a single. The next at-bat, Volpe hit a deep fly ball to left field that soared through the sky, heading right towards the left field seats – until it was caught on the warning track. After they traded successes, Volpe and Leiter gave each other a smile, signifying the importance of Delbarton’s lasting brotherhood on and off the field. The Leiter-Volpe game will live on in the hearts and minds of the Delbarton community for a long time, but everyone hopes that this is just the beginning.
