Carpenter Cup experience caps Hunter Ray’s sensational high school career

Posted: June 28th 2024

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com

Hunter Ray might be a fan of the New York Yankees, but he still got goosebumps each time he took the field at Citizens Bank Park during the Carpenter Cup.

Ray, who graduated from Lower Cape May Regional High School earlier this month, played in the region-wide all-star tournament for the Tri-Cape team for the second straight year. 

Tri-Cape, made up of the top players from the Tri-County Conference and the Cape-Atlantic League, lost in the title game earlier this week for the second year in a row, this time falling 3-2 to the Inter-Ac League of the Philadelphia area.

Early-round games in the tournament are played at Ashburn Field in nearby South Philadelphia, with the semifinal and championship games staged at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies.

“It was my second year playing in the tournament, so I’ve been through it before, but you still get that surreal feeling every time you step into the park where the pros play,” Ray said. “It’s just so cool to compete with the guys and you get to play where Bryce Harper plays every day.”

HUNTER RAY

Ray, who is headed to Division I Fairleigh Dickinson University to play next scholastic year, doubled and scored for Tri-Cape in his only plate appearance in Wednesday’s 3-2 loss in the title game. The hit, which one-hopped the fence near the left-field corner, came in his final plate appearance as a high school athlete.

“I definitely have thought of that,” Ray said. “For our Carpenter Cup team, we wear the hat from our high school team as part of our uniform. So that was the last time I played in a Lower Cape May hat. When I took it off after the game, I was like, ‘Wow, I’m never going to wear a Lower Cape May high school hat again as a player.’ Now I’m focused on college and getting better every day and enjoying the journey. This is another step in it.”

That journey was helped along the way by Ray’s father, Rich, who spent countless hours with him and his siblings around sports. Rich Ray passed away suddenly during Hunter’s sophomore year.

“I feel like he’d be proud of me,” Ray said. “It’s easy to stop and easy to give up. Every day, I think, “What would he want me to do?’ Would it be sitting on the bed or the couch slouching around or going to the field or getting swings in the cage or hitting the weight room? Little things like that. Every single day, he’s my motivation.” 

Ray’s efforts at the Carpenter Cup capped a brilliant two-sport high school career. As a senior in baseball, he batted .434 with 18 extra-base hits, including 14 doubles, for a team that finished 16-12 and won two state playoff games. He finished just three hits shy of 100 for his career. In football last fall, Ray, a dual threat quarterback, completed 70 of 114 passes for 1,055 yards and six touchdowns and also ran 57 times for 473 yards and 13 scores. 

Ray is playing baseball for the Toms River-based Shore Stallions in a league for younger college players this summer. Then he’ll turn his attention to what he hopes is a rewarding college career.

“Not everyone gets a chance to play Division I baseball, so it’s exciting,” said Ray, who plans to major in finance at FDU. “I was willing to take an opportunity just to even play one more year, let alone four more years. I have the opportunity to play the game I’ve loved since I was a kid.”