Cliffside Park HS Baseball Coach Ben Luderer Dies at 30 from Coronavirus

Ben Luderer, a 30-year-old high school baseball coach at Cliffside Park in New Jersey, died Monday due to complications from coronavirus, according to Darren Cooper of NorthJersey.com.

Luderer was the starting catcher for the 2008 Don Bosco Prep team in Ramsey, New Jersey, that went a perfect 33-0 and was recognized as the national champion by several outlets.

Cliffside Park athletic director David Porfido said Luderer's death "should be a wake-up call for everyone," and Luderer's former high school coach, Greg Butler, added, "The message I want to get out there is that this is a war against everyone. Young people need to understand and take all the appropriate steps."

Per CNN, there are more than 803,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, contributing to over 39,000 deaths. That includes nearly 165,000 confirmed cases and 3,170 deaths in the United States.

According to NJ.com's Joe Zedalis, Luderer had gone to the hospital on Friday but was sent home. Porfido told Zedalis that "things went bad" for Luderer on Sunday night and he later died at his home. Porfido called Luderer "irreplaceable."

After a standout high school career, Luderer went on to play his college baseball at Marist, hitting .263 with two home runs and 35 RBI.

In addition to coaching at Cliffside Park, Luderer was a special education teacher at the School No. 6 middle school in Cliffside Park.