Downingtown West's Drew Britt is a pitching and hitting force

When it comes time to enjoying his favorite hobbies away from the diamond, Downingtown West's Drew Britt picked the perfect college in West Virginia University.

"I like hunting and fishing," the ace hurler said. "There are a lot of great spots to do both not too far from the campus."

For now, Britt is focused on trying to help the Whippets claim the Ches-Mont League National Division title and make a strong showing in the upcoming PIAA District 1 Class 6A tournament.

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound senior righthander has impressed on the hill and at the plate. He went 2 for 3 with a grand slam and two-run home run in Wednesday's 16-0 shutout of Unionville and smacked another grand slam, his third of the year, in Friday's 11-1 defeat of West Chester East.

On the mound, Britt is 4-1 with a 0.61 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 23 innings. He has allowed 16 hits, 10 walks, and two earned runs.

Britt, who honed his skills with the East Brandywine Youth Association, mixes a fastball that sits in the high-80 mph range, a slider, and change-up. His fastball has topped out at 92.

"I like the slider because I can throw it at any point in the count," he said. "I can place it exactly where I want."

Britt whiffed eight and yielded five hits in six innings as first-place Downingtown West (15-3 league) handed neighboring and second-place Downingtown East (14-4) a 4-0 loss in a key league showdown on Monday. He did not issue a walk while throwing 80 pitches.

"Before the game, I was super-calm and confident," he said. "A big thing was that I kept the ball down in the zone and didn't give them much to hit."

Britt has been supported by junior righthander Adam Grintz and senior lefthander Jake Reese. Grintz struck out the side in the seventh vs. Downingtown East. Freshman Jack Ginsburg and junior Joey Blackburn, both righthanders, have aided the Whippets as relievers.

Adam Grintz and twin brother Eric, a rock-solid catcher, have committed to Tulane and North Carolina, respectively.

Of Eric Grintz, who was batting .438 with 19 RBIs and five homers through Thursday, Britt said, "He does a great job of framing pitches and blocking balls thrown in the dirt."

The squad also has offensive spark plugs in a trio of juniors: shortstop Tommy Eliason, third baseman Evan Williams, and second baseman Stephen Posner. Senior outfielder and No. 6 batter Andrew Ciliberto is another threat.

Britt, who played last summer for All-Star Baseball Academy, could be a late-round selection in next month's Major League Baseball draft. He was recently watched by scouts for the Orioles and Cardinals.

William Tennent senior third baseman Gregory Jose Delgado has smacked an area-best 10 homers. He was batting .458 with 24 RBIs and 23 runs through Wednesday. … Neumann-Goretti will visit Father Judge in a Catholic League matchup at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Ramp Playground. … Harriton's Jack Kochanowicz, a 6-6 junior righthander and Virginia recruit, has not given up an earned run and fanned 41 in 28 innings. … Malvern Prep (23-7) clinched its seventh Inter-Ac League title (two shared) in the last eight seasons with Tuesday's 4-3, eight-inning defeat of Springside Chestnut Hill. The Friars went 8-2 in league play this season. … Strath Haven senior shortstop and pitcher Anthony Viggiano, a Bloomsburg recruit, and Holy Ghost Prep junior catcher Philip Stahl were both hitting .581 through Wednesday.