Mt. Lebanon making another strong run on the diamond
Cold, wet and miserable, the Blue Devils of Mt. Lebanon have been this spring. But, at least, they are playing baseball and winning games that matter.
Though Lebo was 4-5 to start the week, the Blue Devils were tied for first place in Section 3, 6A with Canon-McMillan and Bethel Park. All three were 3-1 a third of the way into league action.
Though Patt McCloskey says this is the “worst weather” he has seen in his 19 seasons as manager, the Blue Devils have barely missed a beat because Seymour Field now features an artificial playing surface. The turf has enabled Lebo to conduct at least six practices in the snow this spring.
“It’s been miserable practicing in the cold but I’m eternally grateful to Mt. Lebanon for allowing us to use the field because I can’t imagine what we would have done this year without the turf. At least we’ve gotten out on the field and not on a parking lot.”
Though Lebo started the season dropping four of their first five exhibition contests to Shaler, 7-0, Pine-Richland, 5-2, Butler, 4-2, and Hempfield, 6-5, the decisions have helped lead the way to their fast start in the section. The Blue Devils upended top-ranked Canon-McMillan, 5-4, in the league opener then edged Allderdice, 4-3. Lebo rebounded from a disappointing loss to Baldwin, 4-3, to beat Bethel Park, 7-3.
Regarding the challenging non-section schedule, which also included a 4-2 win against Seneca Valley, McCloskey mentioned a debt of gratitude he owes to athletic director John Grogan.
“He understands the importance of the schedule and gets us to play the best teams in the WPIAL before the first section game. We saw the top arms and that got us ready to face the quality of arms in our section. Our pitchers also got to go against the top lineups.”
Mark Linkowski is one of Lebo’s aces. He is also considered one of the top throwers in the district after having tossed back-to-back shutouts in the playoffs last year. He is 1-1 this spring with eight strikeouts and only one walk in 16.33 innings of work. He threw four frames against the Big Macs and pitched against Bethel Park.
James Stocker is back on the mound after being sidelined last year by injury. Additionally, seniors Tyler Romanius (2-0), Spencer Curran and Brock McCormack have meshed well on the mound with sophomores Colin Dalson, Jack Palmerine and Cam Knox, providing strength and depth to the rotation.
“We have gotten a lot of good innings and contributions from the entire staff to win so far,” McCloskey said. “We will continue to need everyone to throw meaningful innings for the rest of the year.”
Lebo has received strong production from position players such as centerfielder Matt Dalesandro, third baseman Ethan Cuccarese and shortstop Alex Zigarovich. They have provided vital senior leadership for the Blue Devils as they blend in with newcomers like sophomore Dante Borris and junior Justin Duda, who handle second base. Finn Dugan, Cam Kennedy and Mark Palmerine, all seniors, complement Dalesandro in the outfield. Senior Christian George and junior Paul Linkowski have handled the catching and DH duties for the Blue Devils.
“We have continued to improve in all areas of our game. We hope that continues,” McCloskey said.
With only 12 section games in a season, McCloskey also notes that high school baseball isn’t real baseball like Major League Baseball where it’s a 162-game schedule.
“There’s no time for things to even out,” he said.
McCloskey reminds his players the team plays 12, one-game seasons. There is no pitching rotation as the Blue Devils go after each game as it comes. The entire season is basically like the playoffs, in that there’s so little margin for error.
“We are just trying to win as many of those one-game seasons as we can, and hope at the end that it’s enough to get us into the playoffs,” he said. “Where you finish in the section doesn’t matter, and your seeding doesn’t matter, because the WPIAL playoff format is a single-elimination tournament. We just want to get a chance to be in it again, and hopefully play well once we get in like we did last year.”
Last season, the Blue Devils reached the Final Four in the WPIAL tournament. After shutting out Fox Chapel, 5-0, and Bethel Park, 6-0, Lebo succumbed to Pine-Richland, 6-1, in the semifinals.
“If you can get in, seeding doesn’t matter, you get a chance to play well and go after your only goal all year, which is a WPIAL championship,” McCloskey said.
McCloskey acknowledges it won’t be easy even though the Blue Devils are currently in a good position to challenge for the section title.
“It’s going to be very, very tough,” he stressed. “The section is competitive top to bottom, and our only chance of winning against anyone is if we play our best. But, that’s what makes it so fun.”