TOWAMENCIN – North Penn’s baseball history is rich, with several decades of big area baseball names having stepped between the lines. The depth of the Knights’ history may only be challenged by the depth of its future, and on Friday night it will be past, present, and future on the field as the Knights take on Lansdale Catholic for their annual Community Knight at the Ballpark, 7pm at Hostelley Field.

This year, the evening will begin with the induction of three Knights baseball alumni into the Knights of Fame. Dave Livezey, class of 1957, Dave Rittenhouse, class of 1961 and head coach from 1981-1998, and Bob McCreary, head coach from 1999-2011 will be enshrined into the NP Baseball Hall of Fame during a pregame ceremony. Following the pregame ceremony, area community and middle school players will take the field in uniform with the Knights for the National Anthem, bringing past, present, and future together for a celebration of local baseball. All community and middle school players are invited to be on hand.

“I have always thought it is very important for the current and future players to understand and appreciate those who have come before them. It’s easy to get caught up thinking that the now is everything, but all of us –players and coaches – are just dots on the radar in terms of the scope of the whole program,” Knights head coach and class of ’97 alum Kevin Manero explained.

Organized in conjunction with the Nor-Gwyn Baseball Association, this will be the annual Community Knight event which also gives young players in the North Penn feeder programs a chance to come out and see the Knights play under the lights. In past years, several hundred fans have turned out for the event.

“What we hope is that the younger student-athletes in our district will get excited to wear a Knights uniform themselves someday, and hopefully seeing the older kids playing baseball will help inspire them to want to continue on in this great game,” Manero added.

This year’s addition of the Knights of Fame induction (the third annual hall of fame ceremony) brings extra attention as well on North Penn Baseball alumni. Dave LIvezey graduated from North Penn in 1957. As a senior he was an honorable mention All-League recipient, and 5 game winner as a LHP, garnering 5 of NP’s 9 wins. In his senior year, Livezey threw 4 shutout wins over Springfield, Upper Moreland, Hatboro, and Quakertown. He went on to make many headlines in the Perkiomen Valley Twilight League and was signed by the Cincinnati Reds, where he even roomed with Pete Rose in spring training.

Dave Rittenhouse was a coach at NPHS from 1974-1998, coaching baseball and soccer. As the head baseball coach from 1981-1998, his teams won 6 conference titles and one district title in 1984 (NP’s first district title). Rittenhouse is also a graduate of 1961, when he was the 1961 NPHS MVP Athlete at North Penn, batted .408 with a .770 SLG % and added 3 HR. He played soccer, basketball, and baseball at NPHS and was inducted in NPAAA Hall of Fame in 2005.
Bob McCreary spent 12 season as the Knights head coach from 1999-2011. In that span of time, his Knights put up remarkable numbers. Under the McCreary regime, North Penn won 7 conference titles (including 3 in his first 4 years as head coach), 2 district titles in 2005 and 2008, and North Penn Baseball’s first state title in 2009.

Previous inductees into the Knights of Fame include Carl Giuranna, Don Ryan, Ron Erb, Lee Saverio, Charlie Prediger, and Steve Miller.
The pregame ceremony kicks off at 7pm, and first pitch vs. Lansdale Catholic is slated for 7:30pm, at Ben Hostelley Field on Hancock Rd. in Upper Gwynedd

.