Jul 13, 2015 By Eleanor Bailey 3 min read

Despite a disappointing defeat to South Allegheny, 6-5, in 11 innings in the first round of the American Legion playoffs, the future of baseball is bright in Upper St. Clair.

In a league that showcases the talents of 17- and 18-year-old players, some of whom already have one year of college experience under their belts, the Panthers competed with relative youngsters. Their roster featured three rising seniors, 10 soon-to-be juniors and four freshmen.

According to manager Brian Lohman, who excelled in baseball and football at Mt. Lebanon High School and the University of Pittsburgh, the graduating seniors and several juniors from the scholastic varsity team were committed to AAU teams this summer but fortunately because the USC recreation program fielded two Colt League clubs, the Legion program was able to bring players up a level.

“The kids responded very well to increased competition,” said Lohman. In fact, he noted how the Panthers battled their way into the playoffs. With an undefeated mark of 12-0, Moon won the regular-season title in Ward 6 followed by Elizabeth-Forward (10-1) and Bethel Park (7-4-1).

“The greatest challenge for this group had been adjusting to the overall speed of the game. The current high school and college players in the league are faster and more experienced at all of the positions, not to mention a little more physically developed than our 16 year olds,” Lohman said.

The young players have had to make adjustments not only regarding the fundamentals, such as pitcher pick-offs, bat and foot speeds as well as power, they have had to learn how to use wooden bats, required in the league. For many, it was their first exposure to the natural material.

“The players have instinctively ‘upped’ their game because they realized that this is the competition they’re going to see at the varsity level next year,” Lohman said.

Bright spots this summer and for the seasons ahead included a pitching rotation featuring Tommy Bash, Alex King and Stephen Darby, all rising juniors, as well as hitters Jackson Geisler, Dylan Wynseck and Spencer Lohman, all of whom batted at a .400 clip or better. Other players such as Tanner Cichinni, King, Bash and Bobby Martin have hovered around the .300 mark or better.

“The strength of this group is their cohesiveness,” said Lohman. “Each one of them is beginning to realize that the “sum of the parts” is greater than one single player.

“Legion play has proven to them that routine plays need to be made and that physical and mental errors will cost you a game so they’ve really done an excellent job this summer at preparing themselves for each game.”

Anthony Rhad, Ryan Williams, Jack Martin, Wes Slater and Isaac Andres as well as the “call-ups” Alex Gasper, Jonah Auslander, Justin Filippa and AJ Palmieri have done the job for Lohman’s Panthers.

It’s been a great blend and balance, on the mound, in the field and at the plate. According to Lohman, the pitchers have been keeping the ball low in the zones, working ahead in counts and utilizing different speeds and that has helped us to be in just about every game we’ve played. Meanwhile, though a little more consistency at the plate could have prolonged USC’s playoff life, Lohman said that he was pleased with the hitting, particularly the top half of the order. “They provided ‘pop’ in our line-up,” he said. “Even our freshman call-ups have shown they can handle themselves at the plate and in the field when called upon which to me is a positive sign for USC baseball moving into the future.”