Like many others, Ben Magovern lost an opportunity when the 2020 high school baseball season was canceled before it started.

Magovern was one of several returning starters for Exeter who believed they could improve on a 12-9 record in 2019.

“It was terrible,” he said. “I really felt bad for the seniors. I thought it was just as bad for me. Those guys were my best friends and I couldn’t play with them, which was really a bummer.”

Instead of sulking, Magovern found a way to keep his pitching and hitting sharp. Almost every day, he threw to and hit with Asa Wilson, one of his classmates with the Eagles. He also strengthened his body by lifting weights.

And in July, he pitched very effectively against a team packed with top recruits in a showcase tournament in Georgia, effective enough to impress several Division I coaches. As a result, Bucknell offered him an academic and athletic financial package that Magovern has accepted.

“They’re recruiting me as a pitcher and as a hitter, which is another reason why I wanted to go there,” he said. “They’re giving me the opportunity to do both, which I really wanted to do at the next level.”

Magovern, a left-hander, pitches and plays the outfield and first base. As a sophomore in 2019, he batted .279 in 21 games with 12 runs and 14 RBIs and led Exeter with two home runs and seven doubles. He finished with a .429 on-base percentage and a .953 OPS and received all-division honorable mention.

He struggled on the mound, though, going 1-1 with one save and a 9.59 ERA in 15.1 innings. Suffice to say, he’s come a long way as a pitcher in the last year or so.

“Being 6-2 and left-handed, I thought he had a real good opportunity to play at the Division I level,” Eagles coach Justin Freese said. “He throws in the mid-80s. He has a lot of potential. I expect him to be one of the top pitchers in Berks County in the spring.

“He’ll bat in the middle of our lineup and he’ll project to be our No. 1 pitcher. I expect him to be in the conversation as a player of the year candidate.”

Magovern, who also plays basketball, carries a 4.0 grade-point average. He considered Lafayette, Columbia, Dartmouth and Hartford before choosing Bucknell, where he plans to major in business.

He becomes the second Exeter senior baseball player to be headed to a Division I program. He joins Wilson, a catcher who committed to Penn earlier this year. They motivate each other in baseball and in the classroom.

“They’ve been friends for a very long time,” Freese said. “They’re very competitive with one another. One pushes the other. Working side-by-side helps them achieve their goals. It’s a friendly competition that I think is very good.”

With the Exeter field closed, Magovern and Wilson worked out at the Oley Youth Fields, one of the few places in Berks County that remained available over the last several months.

“That’s all we could do,” Magovern said. “He’s one of my best friends. We’ve been close since we were little. He’s always good to work with. We always want to get better.

“We’re competitive in the classroom and on the baseball field. We always want the best for each other.”