Wherever Anthony Volpe goes, his Delbarton brothers have his back. That was true for Opening Day in 2023 at Yankee Stadium, when he made his major league debut. And that will be true once again this week, as Volpe and the Yankees play the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.

Though Volpe grew up a Yankees fan, first on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and then in Watchung in Somerset County, he's never actually been to a World Series game. However, after the Yankees clinched last week, he said he felt as if he had, "in my brain."

"It's a dream come true, but it's better than everything I ever dreamed," Volpe said on Saturday, after the Yankees defeated Cleveland to win the American League Championship Series. "To be part of this group of guys and this team, we have the opportunity to do something historic and special. I mean, I couldn't have dreamed of this."

High school coach sees a 'more comfortable' Volpe

Reached this week at Delbarton, the private Morris County high school where Volpe roamed the diamond, longtime baseball coaches Bruce Shatel and Tony Negrin saw similarities between the 23-year-old pro shortstop and the student-athlete they'd mentored just a few years ago.

The broad smile when Juan Soto hit a 10th-inning, pennant-winning home run? It was the same as when Volpe himself homered in the Morris County Tournament or the NJSIAA Non-Public A championship games back in 2019, his senior season at Delbarton.

The swings for contact and aggressive baserunning? That's nothing new to Shatel, either.

Sliding into the seventh spot in the order, Volpe is batting .310 with a double, eight walks and two stolen bases in nine postseason games. It's a significant improvement over his regular-season average of .243 with 12 homers and 60 RBI in 160 games.

"A lot of guys play their entire career and don't ever get to have this experience," Shatel said via text. "He looks much more comfortable to me at the plate. He has good command of the strike zone, and he's hitting the ball the other way. I think he is locked in."

From Delbarton's Fleury Field to Yankee Stadium

The day after his Delbarton graduation, Volpe was drafted by the Yankees in the first round, 30th overall. His house was full of teammates and friends.

Several members of the 2019 Green Wave baseball team still have an active group text. That includes Jack Leiter, who joined Volpe in pro ball after two seasons at Vanderbilt University and made it to the majors with the Texas Rangers earlier this year; and Shawn Rapp, a pitcher who earned the win in the state final and is now in the Cleveland Guardians' organization.

That group text lit up when Leiter made his major league debut in April, and again when the former Delbarton teammates faced each other in early September. Volpe singled off Leiter, who was chased in the sixth inning.

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"We will be supporting Anthony, whether it's in the stadium, outside the stadium, on campus in our community," said Negrin, now Delbarton's athletic director. "Regardless of where we are, we're going to be tuning in from first pitch to last pitch for all of these games. ... It's surreal to think that five years ago, he was competing for a state championship with his Delbarton brothers, and now he's competing for the World Series championship."

Volpe and Leiter earned gold medals together with the U.S. under-18 national team at the Pan-American Championships in 2018. They both planned to play for Vanderbilt University. But Volpe changed course after the Yankees made him their top pick. Leiter, the son of former Yankees and Mets great Al Leiter, praised his close friend as "the best shortstop in the country, defensively," after the pair helped the Green Wave win the Morris County Tournament.

"I know personally, from facing him over the summer, he's the hardest out to get in the country," Leiter said back then. "It doesn't really get any better than him, having him behind you. Every time I reset, he's always there, 'Get ahead, get ahead, attack the next guy.' He's helpful mentally, helpful confidence-wise, knowing my shortstop is going to make all those plays."

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Childhood dreams coming true

Though Volpe has never been to the World Series in person, he attended the ticker-tape parade after the Yankees won in November 2009 — crushed into a metal barricade in front of a Duane Reade pharmacy on Broadway. Volpe's dad proudly posted the photo on his Instagram this week: 8-year-old Anthony smiling at the camera amid a sea of Yankees faithful along the parade route.

That was the last of the Bronx Bombers' record 27 titles.

Since Negrin and Shatel also grew up as Yankees fans, they have longer memories of more championships. But their relationship with their favorite pro baseball team has changed since Volpe pulled on the famous pinstripes.

"It's hard not to (tune in), knowing Anthony's out there," Negrin said. "We want him to know we're supporting him at Delbarton, every pitch, every at-bat, every game. We love him like he loved this school and this baseball program. It's a special time."

Jane Havsy is a storyteller for the Daily Record and DailyRecord.com, part of the USA TODAY Network. For full access to live scores, breaking news and analysis, subscribe today.

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This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: For Yankees' Anthony Volpe, Delbarton School spirit fuels a World Series run