Mt. Lebanon focused on baseball
This spring, Patt McCloskey finally can focus on what he does best. He can just manage the Mt. Lebanon baseball team.
Before the community installed an artificial surface on Wildcat Field, soon to be renamed Clint Seymour Field (see related article), McCloskey spent 75 percent of his ‘coaching’ time on field maintenance.
“It is so nice to have a turf field,” said McCloskey, who played on Lebo’s state championship team in 1998. “I am so grateful to the Mt. Lebanon community for providing our kids with this opportunity. I cannot begin to describe how much fun it is to be outside every day.”
Even last week, when the ground was covered with snow, the Blue Devils were able to get a full practice in outside. Plus, Lebo played three games last week, two at home.
“It makes it so much more fun to be a part of a baseball team when you never have to be inside,” McCloskey said of the refurbished field that runs along Cedar Boulevard in the heart of Mt. Lebanon.
While the Blue Devils were rained out at Bethel Park on April 11, they host Peters Township today at Wildcat Field. The first pitch will be thrown at 4:15 p.m. The Blue Devils enter the Section 5-AAAA clash with a 2-1 league record and a 4-4 overall mark. After opening last week with a 4-2 loss to Canon-McMillan, the Blue Devils ride a two-game winning streak into the contest. Lebo whipped Baldwin, 10-0, and Carrick, 12-2, in their section games last week.
Not bad for a squad with scant varsity experience. In fact, the Blue Devils return just two starters from last year’s team that ran the table (12-0) in section and finished 15-3 overall after falling to Norwin in the WPIAL playoffs. In fact, 16 of 19 players were lost from last year’s roster.
Seniors Eddie Jenkins and Bridge Dudley are back at shortstop and catcher respectively. Jenkins is leading the team in hitting, on-base and slugging percentage as well as doubles. Dudley trails only David Abbondanza and Andrew Smith after that in those categories.
“We don’t have a lot of guys with experience but Eddie and Bridge are doing everything that a coach could ask,” McCloskey said. “I’m very pleased with the leadership they have shown. They are two great kids. I am happy to see them off to such good starts both offensively and defensively. Both of them have stepped up with such huge plays defensively that don’t necessarily show up in the scorebook, but they have been game-changing plays.”
On the mound, Abbondanza, James Stocker and Collin Welling have been among the game-changers. Joey Lowen, Andrew Smith, Eli Friedman, Mark Linkowski and Alex Zigarovich also afford McCloskey many options and plenty of depth on the pitching staff.
In fact, they have held the competition at bay. For example, Lowen, Welling, Abbondanza and Zigarovich combined to shutout Shaler, 2-0, while Jenkins produced both runs after drilling two hits and walking once.
Aside from a 10-1 loss to Butler, the Blue Devils’ defeats have been close, including pre-season decisions, 2-0, to Pine-Richland and 5-4 in nine innings to North Allegheny. “With a few exceptions,” McCloskey agreed, “we have pitched very well and played very good defense.
“We have gotten a lot better since (the start of the season),” he continued. “The kids are focused and determined to compete each day in practice and in the games. We have competed extremely hard.”
While Abbondanza and Stocker share duties at first base when not pitching, Jenkins anchors an infield that includes Zigarovich and Smith as well as sophomore Ethan Cuccaresse. Lebo boasts depth in the outfield with Lowen, Welling, Friedman, Pat Mahon and Denis Pesacreta, both seniors, as well as junior Nate Bayer.
“Our lineup is in constant transition,” McCloskey said, “but our kids have done everything that we have asked, and they are an absolute joy to coach because they are giving everything that they have in practice every day. Since we have a turf field, it’s been a lot of long days out there, and we’ve asked a lot of them so far.”
So far, Lebo has reaped rewards.
“My assistant coach (Jeff Donati) says it all the time, ‘I see what I coach’ and that makes it very gratifying to be a part of this program,” said McCloskey. “As coaches, we can’t ask for anything more from our kids.”
The players, however, want more. As they continue to improve on a daily basis, their objectives are clear. “To compete for the section championship,” said McCloskey.
At the top of the week, Peters Township led the Section 5-AAAA standings with a 2-0 record but Bethel Park and USC were also undefeated at 1-0. Following Lebo is Canon-McMac at 1-1 while Baldwin and Carrick have yet to win a league game.
“Our section is very strong and every team is really good,” McCloskey said. “There’s little margin for error. We will have to play exceptionally well every single game to win. So we have to keep getting better each day.”
With the ability to play every day on their new turf, that’s a task the Blue Devils should be able to accomplish.
Wheeler leads USC
After tossing a no-hitter to beat Tennessee, 8-1, during the Rikken Experience Tournament in Myrtle Beach, Andrew Wheeler returned to the mound and led Upper St. Clair to victory, 6-2, against Canon-McMillan at McDowell Lane Field.
The senior scattered three hits and three walks over the course of seven innings. Offensively, he socked three hits, including a home run to raise his batting average to .616 on the season.
Wheeler is 2-0 as a pitcher with an ERA of .000. He has struck out 12 in two games.
The Panthers had a big week scheduled in Section 5-AAAA, hosting Baldwin (April 12), Bethel Park (April 13) and Mt. Lebanon (April 18) at 4 p.m. at the Boyce-Mayview Complex. USC travels to Peterswood Park to face Peters Township at 7 p.m. April 15.