Baseball

NJ PREP A CHAMPIONS

2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

Blair’s baseball program is highly competitive. We play a 24-game schedule against strong Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) opponents (Peddie, Lawrenceville, Hun, Hill and Mercersburg) and top public high schools. The season culminates with the New Jersey prep “A” tournament. Blair's JV team (freshmen and sophomores) plays a 14-15 game schedule.

The School's Wakefield Diamond is one of the finest baseball facilities in the state. It includes a beautiful bluegrass infield with DuraEdge infield mix, an outfield with college dimensions, state-of-the-art dugouts, pitching/fungo machines, two indoor and two outdoor batting cages, four outdoor bullpen mounds and three indoor mounds.

Blair's baseball philosophy is to be as fundamentally sound as possible. The team concentrates on proper mechanics for each phase of the game and then incorporates them into game situations. No detail is too small. Players must be ready to play every pitch for the team to be successful. Blair teams are always well prepared and are in the hunt for the MAPL and New Jersey prep championships every year.

Many Blair baseball players have gone on to play at the collegiate level at schools including Vanderbilt University, University of Maryland, University of North Carolina-Wilmington, Brown University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, University of Virginia, Creighton University, University of Massachusetts, Old Dominion University, Rollins College, Rider University, Babson College, Widener University, Wofford University, Ohio Wesleyan, Ohio University, Lafayette College, Trinity College, Nicholls State, Union College, Middlebury College, Dickinson College and Lynchburg College.

For more information on Blair baseball, email Coach Haase.

Teddy Cillis ’13
Selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 2018 MLB draft

Blair gave me the tools to not only be successful on the diamond, but also the skills to thrive in the classroom and beyond. I am grateful for the experiences I gained at Blair that allowed me to further my baseball career with the Kansas City Royals organization.

Liam Sabino ’14
Selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2018 MLB draft

Attending Blair started me on the path that has led me to where I am today. The entire experience of living away from home at such a young age, going to school and interacting with people I came to admire became my classroom. There isn’t much I come across in my life now, especially with the life I lead and the journey that brought me here, that I didn’t encounter at Blair first, and that’s the definition of preparation through experience. For a parent, I’d imagine that’s exactly what you’d want for your child: the comfort of knowing that he or she will graduate a prepared, well-rounded individual, associated with influential people in their lives going forward. Being a Blair student from 2011 to 2014 was a pivotal time in my life, filled with incredible lessons and memories, and I would encourage anyone with the opportunity to attend to seriously consider it.

About Coach Haase

A 1999 graduate of Rutgers University, interim head varsity coach Gary Haase has worked as a senior probation officer for the state of New Jersey for the past 17 years. He is also co-owner of the Sussex Stags, a semi-pro football team based in Newton, New Jersey, that he has coached for a number of seasons since 2010. Prior to coaching at Blair, Coach Haase served as offensive coordinator at North Warren Regional High School (2003-2008), offensive coordinator of the northeast Pennsylvania Miners (2009) and defensive coordinator at High Point High School (2011-2012). Coach Haase resides in Blairstown with his wife, Kerry, and three children, Zach, Luke and Bryn.

Contact Coach Haase at haaseg@blair.edu for any questions.

About Coach Russell

Michael Russell joined Blair’s history faculty in 2019. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history at Georgetown University (1998); JD at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law (2008); and master’s degree in teaching at the University of the Cumberlands (2013). A former attorney in the Massachusetts state courts, Michael taught history for six years prior to coming to Blair at Dubai American Academy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Asia Pacific International School in Seoul, South Korea, and Taipei American School in Taipei, Taiwan. He teaches modern European history and Advanced Placement comparative government and politics at Blair; he also coaches JV boys’ soccer and varsity baseball. Michael and his wife, Associate Dean of College Counseling Shana Russell, are the housemasters of Freeman Hall, where they reside with their sons, Teddy and Ripley. The Russell family enjoys traveling the world to experience new cultures, foods, sights and geographies.

View directions to athletic events. To read recaps about past events, go to the "Team News" tab above.

Click here to download the Gamechanger App.

View more photos from the 2020 season on Blair's Photoshelter or past years on Blair's Flickr.

Blair Baseball Alumni Playing in College

Blair’s baseball program is highly competitive. We play a 24-game schedule against strong Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) opponents (Peddie, Lawrenceville, Hun, Hill and Mercersburg) and top public high schools.

The season culminates with the New Jersey prep “A” tournament. Blair's JV team (freshmen and sophomores) plays a 14-15 game schedule.

The School's Wakefield Diamond is one of the finest baseball facilities in the state. It includes a beautiful Bermuda grass infield with DuraEdge infield mix, an outfield with college dimensions, state-of-the-art dugouts, two outdoor batting cages and four bullpen mounds.

Blair's baseball philosophy is to be as fundamentally sound as possible. The team concentrates on proper mechanics for each phase of the game and then incorporates them into game situations. No detail is too small. Players must be ready to play every pitch for the team to be successful. Blair teams are always well prepared and are in the hunt for the MAPL and New Jersey prep championships every year.

Many Blair baseball players have gone on to play at the collegiate level at schools including Vanderbilt University, University of Maryland, University of North Carolina-Wilmington, Brown University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, University of Virginia, Creighton University, University of Massachusetts, Old Dominion University, Rollins College, Rider University, Babson College, Widener University, Wofford University, Ohio Wesleyan, Ohio University, Lafayette College, Trinity College, Nichols State University, Union College, Middlebury College, Dickinson College and Lynchburg College.

For more information on Blair baseball, email Coach Delwiche.

Meet Coach Thomas

Matt Thomas earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations from the University of Central Florida (2005) and brought more than a decade of government and public policy experience to his role as a Blair history teacher when he joined the faculty in 2017. He began his career as a staff assistant to Senator Bill Nelson before becoming a lobbyist and government-relations specialist in 2007. Matt worked for two major Washington, D.C., law firms over the next 10 years, serving as an advisor to attorneys and clients on a variety of issues before the U.S. Congress and federal agencies; his areas of expertise include energy, the environment, data and cyber security, federal funding and appropriations, and financial regulatory reform. He authored articles for several publications, including Law360, Lexology and Inside Cybersecurity, and co-authored a textbook chapter covering federal policy perspectives on the rise and use of big data. Matt teaches U.S. history and western civilization at Blair and coaches 3rds boys’ basketball and JV baseball. He lives in Hillside House with his wife, Assistant Dean of College Counseling Britt Freitag.

View directions to athletic events.

View more photos from the 2020 season or past years on Blair's Flickr.