Athletes of the Week April 5
Mason Fluharty
Solid as a block, Mason is destined for the big leagues. The left-handed pitcher drafted out of Liberty University in 2022 by the Toronto Blue Jays is already with the Triple A affiliate Buffalo Bison. Mason was in Toronto’s spring training camp as a non-roster invitee and did nothing to dissuade the organization; he is a prize on the rise. Cape baseball fans will always remember Mason recording the final out in the 2018 state championship win over Caravel at Frawley Stadium. Mason played A ball for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in 2023. Mason struck out all three batters he faced in his first game as a Bison, then pitched two scoreless innings the next night versus the WooSox as the Bison won 2-0. “He has lights-out stuff,” said his high school coach Ben Evick.
Burke Healy
Burke, a junior lacrosse player, has been hanging around the Cape attack zone since he was a freshman. He’s one of those energy-efficient players who doesn’t force the action. He can finish and score by working the corners of the net. Wednesday afternoon, during a tough 15-9 loss to LaSalle at Washington College, Burke had a rare fourth-quarter hat trick as the Vikings outscored the Explorers 6-4 in the final period. Burke had a goal in each of the previous Cape wins over Polytech and Tatnall. Coach Geoff Shupard, said, ”Burke did a good job of stepping up late in the game and showing that he’s working hard, learning and improving.”
Mairead Rishko
Mairead is part of a Beacon brigade of girl athletes who played all sports together through middle school and actually won the championship in the boys’ league at The Factory. Mairead was a designated shutdown defender. March 26 in a 14-2 home win over Queen Anne’s County, Mairead notched a hat trick of three goals in only the second game of her high school career. Last winter, she was on the basketball team, switching from varsity to JV as needed. The JV team finished the season unbeaten with a record of 17-0. And she was on the state championship field hockey team this past fall that beat Smyrna 1-0 in the final game. Coach Lindsey Underwood said, “Mairead has done a great job coming in for us and stepping into a starting position. She is scrappy all over the field and finds the seams well on offense. She is consistent with her play all over.”
Barritt Ross
Freshman Barritt Ross, a 2023 graduate of the Cape baseball program, plays centerfield for the Ursinus College Bears. In a doubleheader sweep of Gettysburg March 30, Barritt cracked a go-ahead home run in game 2 won by Ursinus 15-12, a performance that included 3 RBIs, 2 hits and 3 runs scored .He also stole a base and pitched two-thirds of an inning. In game 1 of the twin bill, a 7-6 Ursinus win, he was 1-for-3 with a run scored. Barritt is batting .281 over 19 games with 11 RBIs and a .386 slugging percentage . The 9-11 Bears were set to play at Haverford College April 4. Cape coach Ben Evick said, “Barritt is one of the best defensive outfielders we’ve ever had at Cape. He goes and gets everything.” A Cape contingent went up to Ursinus for the second Gettysburg game and saw Barritt crack his go-ahead home run.
