(Credit: Trevor Lugara/Facebook)
"That kid, the qualities he brings to the mound, I have never seen anything like it," coach Kevin Manero said
North Penn senior pitcher Trevor Lugara capped off a dominant final season on the mound with a long list of accolades, none more fitting than being named the 2025 Baseball Athlete of the Year.
According to The Times Herald, from the very first pitch of the season in Vero Beach, FL, Lugara was nearly untouchable. In his senior debut on March 15, the left-hander faced 12 Mount Pleasant batters and retired them all, striking out six on just 44 pitches — 34 of them strikes — in a four-inning perfect outing.
That early brilliance set the tone for an unforgettable campaign, according to the article.
Lugara went 10-1 with a 0.74 ERA across 85 innings, striking out 89 batters while walking just 10. Opponents hit only .159 against him, and he posted a WHIP of 0.671, per The Times Herald. He started 13 games and appeared in several others, commanding the zone throughout.
“Trevor Lugara’s a first ballot hall of famer for us,” North Penn head coach Kevin Manero told The Times Herald. “That kid, the qualities he brings to the mound, I have never seen anything like it.”
Lugara’s dominance was on full display in the most important games, per the report by The Times Herald. In 11 high-stakes starts — including Suburban One League Colonial matchups and postseason games — he threw nine complete games. According to the article, he only pulled early twice due to pitch count limits: once in his first league start against CB East and again in the ninth inning of the PIAA 6A state final.
North Penn’s push to the SOL Colonial Division title began with Lugara on the mound. In the league opener, he held CB East to one unearned run over 6 2/3 innings, according to the article. He followed that with a complete-game win over CB South, allowing two hits and no earned runs. Against CB West, he went the distance again in a 3-2 win, per the report.
His next two outings were shutouts. He tossed a one-hitter against Souderton and followed that up with a 1-0 win over Pennridge, striking out nine, The Times Herald said. His only loss came in the final league game, a 1-0 defeat to Pennridge in which the only run scored was unearned.
Lugara earned SOL Colonial Player of the Year, finishing 5-1 in league starts. North Penn won the division at 10-5, topping a tight field of contenders that included CB South, CB West, and Souderton, according to the article.
In the District 1-6A playoffs, Lugara pitched five shutout innings in a 12-0 second-round win over Council Rock South. He followed that with a seven-inning complete-game victory over Coatesville in the semifinals, closing the game with a perfect final frame after the Knights rallied in the top of the seventh.
“I just got up there ready to win the game,” Lugara said.
North Penn went on to claim its first District 1 title since 2008.
In the state playoffs, Lugara delivered three more gems. He went the distance in an 8-2 win over Ephrata in the opening round. Then, in the state semifinal against Neshaminy, he threw a three-hit shutout with five strikeouts, reaching 200 career strikeouts in the process.
“Isn’t that awesome,” Manero said, “when your pitcher doesn’t have his best stuff and he throws a three-hit shutout in the state semifinal?”
On just three days’ rest, Lugara took the mound one final time in the PIAA 6A state championship, throwing eight shutout innings and striking out eight. He exited after the ninth with the score still 0-0. The Knights eventually fell, 1-0, in the 13th inning.
“Obviously the biggest game of my career, and I knew it would be my last time pitching in a North Penn uniform ever,” the Bloomsburg commit said. “So I just wanted to give it everything.”
