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For the Yankees' Anthony Volpe, the spirit of the Delbarton School is what fuels a run in the World Series

Wherever Anthony Volpe goes, his Delbarton brothers are there to support him. That was for Opening Day in 2023 at Yankee Stadium, when he made his major league debut. And that will be the case again this week when Volpe and the Yankees play the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.

Although Volpe grew up a Yankees fan, first on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and then in Watchung in Somerset County, he had never been to a World Series game. However, after the Yankees got the win last week, he said he felt like he was “in my brain.”

“It's a dream come true, but it's better than anything I ever dreamed,” Volpe said Saturday after the Yankees beat Cleveland to win the American League Championship Series. “As part of this group of guys and this team, we have the opportunity to do something historic and special. I mean, I couldn’t have dreamed of that.”

High school coach sees a “more comfortable” Volpe

Longtime baseball coaches Bruce Shatel and Tony Negrin arrived this week at Delbarton, the private high school in Morris County where Volpe roamed the diamond, and saw similarities between the 23-year-old professional shortstop and the student-athlete they met just a few years ago had looked after for a long time.

The big smile when Juan Soto hit a pennant-winning home run in the 10th inning? It was the same as when Volpe himself hit a home run in the Morris County Tournament or the NJSIAA Non-Public A Championship Games in 2019, his senior season at Delbarton.

The swings for contact and aggressive baserunning? This is nothing new for Shatel either.

Volpe slipped to seventh in the rankings, batting .310 with a double, eight walks and two stolen bases in nine postseason games. That's a significant improvement over his regular season average of .243 with 12 home runs and 60 RBI in 160 games.

“A lot of guys play their entire careers and never get the opportunity to have this experience,” Shatel said via text message. “I think he’s a lot more comfortable at the plate. He commands the strike zone well and hits the ball the other way. I think he’s stuck.”

From Delbarton's Fleury Field to Yankee Stadium

The day after graduating from Delbarton, Volpe was drafted by the Yankees in the first round, 30th overall. His house was full of teammates and friends.

Several members of the 2019 Green Wave baseball team still have an active group text. They include Jack Leiter, who joined Volpe in pro ball after two seasons at Vanderbilt University and made it to the majors with the Texas Rangers earlier this year; and Shawn Rapp, a pitcher who won the state finals and is now in the Cleveland Guardians organization.

That group text surfaced when Leiter made his major league debut in April, and again when the former Delbarton teammates faced off in early September. Volpe singled out Leiter, who was chased in the sixth inning.

More: That's what the top 1% could spend to attend the 2024 World Series at Yankee Stadium

“We will support Anthony, whether it be in the stadium, outside the stadium, on our community campus,” said Negrin, now Delbarton’s athletic director. “No matter where we are, we’re going to be at all of these games from the first pitch to the last. … It's surreal to think that five years ago he was fighting for a state championship with his Delbarton brothers, and now he's fighting for the World Series championship.”

Volpe and Leiter won gold medals with the U.S. U18 National Team at the 2018 Pan American Championships. Both planned to play for Vanderbilt University. But Volpe changed course after the Yankees made him their top pick. Leiter, the son of former Yankees and Mets star Al Leiter, praised his close friend as the “best defensive shortstop in the country” after the pair helped the Green Wave win the Morris County Tournament.

“I personally know from meeting him in the summer that he is the hardest to reach in the country,” said Leiter at the time. “There's nothing better than having him behind you. Every time I back up, he's always there: 'Go ahead, go ahead, attack the next one.' He's helpful mentally, helpful in terms of confidence, knowing my shortstop is going to make all those plays.

The story continues in the following video

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Anthony Volpe: Yankees shortstop puts BP ahead of World Series

Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe practices batting practice during a pre-World Series practice at Yankee Stadium.

Childhood dreams come true

Although Volpe has never been to the World Series in person, he attended the ticker parade after the Yankees won in November 2009 – squeezed into a metal barricade outside a Duane Reade Pharmacy on Broadway. Volpe's father proudly posted the photo on his Instagram this week: 8-year-old Anthony smiling for the camera amid a sea of ​​Yankees faithful along the parade route.

That was the last of the Bronx Bombers' record-breaking 27 titles.

Because Negrin and Shatel also grew up as Yankees fans, they have longer memories of more championships. But her relationship with her favorite professional baseball team has changed since Volpe wore the famous pinstripes.

“It’s hard not to tune in when you know Anthony is out there,” Negrin said. “We want him to know that we support him at Delbarton, every throw, every hit, every play. We love him like he loved this school and this baseball program. It’s a special time.”

Jane Havsy is a storyteller for the Daily Record and DailyRecord.com, part of the USA TODAY Network. For full access to live scores, breaking news and analysis, Subscribe today.

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