Scranton faces a familiar opponent when it opens the District 2 baseball playoffs Tuesday night.

The Knights host Lackawanna League Division I foe Delaware Valley in the first round of the Class 6A subregional tournament. It marks the third straight season the teams have met in the first round; Delaware Valley has won each of the past two years.

“We have to focus on Delaware Valley before even thinking about playing in the second round or third round,” senior Thor Kelly said. “Delaware Valley has eliminated us the past two years in the first round, so we have to focus on that. I know I remember those losses. I hope the team does.”

A three-year varsity player, Kelly is Scranton’s leader. Coach Jamie Higgins said it is a lot of fun watching him play.

“He’s a very intense, very competitive kid,” Higgins said. “He loves baseball. Not just playing the game, but the preparation and the hard work. He gets himself ready in the offseason. It’s baseball 365 days a year. And he brings that baseball mentality. He knows the game and plays it the right way. He’s critical of himself, knows things he needs to improve on.

“We lean heavily on him. He’s what makes us go.”

After going a combined 6-7 with 70 strikeouts in his sophomore and junior years, Kelly this season is 6-3 with a 3.04 earned-run average and 41 strikeouts. Among his highlights was a 10-strikeout effort in six innings in a win over Wallenpaupack on April 4 and a complete-game, four-hit shutout against West Scranton with one walk and eight strikeouts April 21.

“Pitching-wise, I feel like I’ve done pretty good compared to the past two years,” Kelly said. “I had almost 56 innings pitched and had a few more strikeouts. I felt like I had a lot more control and velocity this year. I did add a splitter and it definitely helped me a lot.”

Higgins said Kelly isn’t a pitcher who is blow away hitters, but keeps them off-balance. He doesn’t try to overthrow and hits his spots.

“If it was up to him, he’d pitch every game,” Higgins said. “He really does take care of his arm. He’s religious about that. Goes to the gym, does his running.

“With him on the mound, I feel like we have a chance to beat anybody. He can throw three pitches for a strike. He never gets rattled. He understands we have youth at some positions and bad things are going to happen. But above all, he maintains his composure. It really rubs off on the rest of the team, especially the young players.”

Offensively, Kelly is batting .266 (17 for 64) with three doubles, 13 runs and six RBIs out of the top spot in the Knights lineup. He does what good leadoff hitters do — sees a lot of pitches — and is comfortable hitting with two strikes.

“He knows the different approach he has to take depending on the count, the pitcher, the situation,” Higgins said. “He’s capable to laying down a bunt. He uses all fields. He’s just a complete hitter. He can find a gap once in a while, but he’s a line-drive singles hitter. Getting him on base in tantamount to our success because, not only can he steal a base, he can take an extra base. He doesn’t make bad decisions. It’s all instinct with him.”

In Scranton’s final two regular-season games — wins over West Scranton and Pocono Mountain West — Kelly went a combined 5 for 7 with two RBIs. That’s a confidence boost, both for him and his teammates heading into the postseason.

“We’re definitely carrying some momentum; we’ve scored double-digit runs the past two games,” Kelly said. “I think that will really help us going into the playoffs. The whole team has really picked it up batting-wise.”

One of the keys to the team’s success this season, Kelly believes, has been better team chemistry.

“Our team basically is our whole friend group,” he said. “Outside of school, we hang out all the time. It’s not just one group of guys here, another group there.  We’re all one big group.”

During the Lackawanna League Division I season, Scranton and Delaware Valley split their two meetings, each winning on the road. The Knights won, 8-6, on April 9 and the Warriors returned the favor May 3, 10-3.

Compared to past years, Higgins believes the Class 6A tournament is wide open.

“Hazleton is good, but they don’t have one through nine Division I players like they’ve had. And Russ (Canzler) is an excellent coach,” Higgins said. “Williamsport, it’s tough to gauge where they’re at. They’re always good, but their schedule isn’t as strong as District 2. Wilkes-Barre’s got (pitcher James) Bottger. If you face him you’re going to be in for a long day. And DV’s not bad either. But that’s baseball. Anyone can beat anyone. You have one pitcher, you can win that one game, then kind of scrape together that second game and hopefully you’re still in it. Then you can come back with you’re No. 1.”

For Scranton, that No. 1 is Kelly.

“As Thor goes, we go,” Higgins said. “I’ve coached him for three years and this is the first year I saw him smile. He’s having a good time. The game is fun for him and he loves it. Again, the more Thor Kellys you have, the better chance you have to win games.”

Originally Published: May 20, 2025 at 12:00 AM EDT