South Fayette savoring time together on the diamond

Time is fleeting. Ken Morgan knows this. That is why the South Fayette baseball coach is relishing the 37 days from when the Lions open section play on April 2 at Peters Township until the regular season ends with an exhibition contest at Moon on May 9.
“The seasons go fast and these guys’ high school careers fly by so you have to enjoy every moment. It’s really important to slow it down and enjoy watching them grow as players and people.”
In 10 seasons, Morgan has seen many players develop into responsible citizens. Many are employed or in the process of getting jobs. Some have gotten married. Some are even on his coaching staff.
“It’s awesome to see, but it’s really rewarding and cool to witness the maturity and growth of freshmen to their senior year. It is very much like parenting; have to slow time down and enjoy where your feet are.”
The Lions’ paws are firmly planted on progress this spring as they return only three starters from last year’s 16-5-1 squad that finished runner-up to Bethel Park in Section 2 and lost to Plum, 5-4, in the quarterfinals of the 2023 WPIAL Class 5A tournament.
Tyler Skeen moves from second base to shortstop this year to fill the gap caused by Michael DiMartini’s matriculation to Penn State.
The senior also looks to be SF’s pitching ace replacing the strong arms lost to graduation as Tyler Pitzer is now pitching for the University of South Carolina and Chase Krewson is pitching at Duke. Both also are outfielders.
Gino Satira is a returning starter at first base, but he will man shortstop when Skeen is on the mound. Satire is SF’s No. 3 pitcher.
Anthony Diodata started in the outfield last year and can play every position. However, the junior will be the starting center fielder this year.
Chaz Kosko, Tyler Schepis, Bo Stover, Dom Kushner, Jack Bishop, Ethan Rose and Brayden Harris are the newcomers filling vacancies caused by graduation.
A junior, Kosko catches. “He has a strong arm behind the plate. A bigger kid, he blocks well,” Morgan said.
A defensive replacement in 2023, Schepis starts at second base this year. Morgan describes the senior as “very solid in the field, scrappy. A blue collar guy.”
Kushner starts in left and Bishop in right fields. Both are seniors.
Kushner possesses “high energy” and is a “great athlete,” says Morgan. He saw limited action last year because of overcrowding in the outfield last year. “Very fast, slender build with a good arm,” Morgan said of Bishop.
A right-hander that throws sidearm between 88-90 MPH, Rose is SF’s No. 2 pitcher. He can also play first base.
A junior, Harris will platoon and push for a starting spot in the outfield. “Brayden is extremely athletic and aggressive, but very raw and learning his body. Would expect a large contribution from him,” Morgan said.
The Lions will also rely upon seniors Adam Caye and Nick Battistone, juniors Connor Rynn and Ethan Keener as well as sophomores Brad Bauman, Bo Stover and Issac Jutca
“I think our strength is going to reside in the closeness of this team,” Morgan said. “They really care about each other and are willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. I believe us to be very scrappy, a mix of driving gaps and playing small. While on the mound we will look to be efficient with our starts, throw strikes, use the defense and extend outings.”
The Lions opened the 2024 campaign with a shutout win, 8-0, against Central Catholic. Skeen, Rose, Satira and Rynn combined for a 3-hitter. Stover and Diodata collected two hits apiece while scoring two and three runs respectively. Satira smacked a three-run single while Skeen, Bishop and Rose collected base hits to round out SF’s offensive attack.
After the away-and-home series with Peters Township, South Fayette continues Section 2 play battling Bethel Park-at Purkey Field on April 8 and at home on April 9. The Lions will also battle Connellsville, Trinity and Upper St. Clair (April 29-30) in league play.
“Each and everyone of the section teams are tough,” Morgan said. “I expect great games and matchups. I am looking for these guys to continue finding unique ways to impact the game. Causing chaos and being a really hard team to play.
“Our expectations are to put a product on the field that reflects what we stand for in the program. Hard working, blue collar, hustlers who are tough as heck to play against,” he concluded.