Baseball teams prepared for postseason run
Mt. Lebanon, Peters Township and Bethel Park enter the WPIAL baseball playoffs on solid footing.
The Blue Devils and the Indians won section banners with 9-1 marks in their respective classifications while the Black Hawks are the reigning state champions.
Lebo has some history on its side as the Blue Devils embark on a quest for a championship in Class 6A. The Blue Devils were state champions in 1998 as well as WPIAL winners in 1959, 1993, 2002 and 2006. They were runners-up in 2001 and 2012.
Pat McCloskey knows the challenges though of replicating history. The Lebo manager played for the Blue Devils and was a member of that state championship club.
“Any one of the teams in this tournament can win the title,” he said. “We will be playing a championship-caliber team in each round.”
North Allegheny is the defending Class 6A champion. The Tigers tied Pine-Richland for the Section 1 banner with a 7-3 record. Central Catholic took third and Butler and Seneca Valley tied for the fourth and final playoff spot.
Upper St. Clair, Hempfield and Norwin out of Section 2, rounded out the playoff field.
The Blue Devils swept the Panthers and the Knights but split with the Spartans in section action. They beat NA and Pine but lost to Seneca Valley and Butler in non-section play.
Lebo finished 12-7 overall and finished regular-season action with a 1-0 triumph against Chartiers Valley, which qualified for the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs along with South Fayette.
In the triumph, Jack Smith struck out 10, and allowed only one hit and one walk.
Tanner Donati scored the lone run. After singling to lead off the game, he advanced two bases on wild pitches and reached home on an error.
“Our pitchers have been throwing strikes and have given us a chance in each game,” McCloskey said. “We need to continue to improve the way we hit, play defense and run the bases,” he added if the Blue Devils are to be successful in the postseason.
Indians solid
Meanwhile, Peters Township has been impressive on the way to a 17-1 regular-season record. The lone loss, a 7-6 defeat to Albert Gallatin, came on the heels of a sweep against Bethel Park.
The Indians ended the regular season with wins against Hempfield, 7-5, and USC, 7-1.
Columbia recruits Sam Miller and Jack Kail have been two of PT’s many leaders. Miller is a standout pitcher while Kail, who had four hits against USC, anchors the defense at shortstop.
“Sam has had a great season and Jack has been amazing at short,” said PT manager Rocky Plassio.
Wes Parker is another ace on the PT pitching staff along with Tucker Ferris, Bryce Thompson and Luke Markowski.
Against USC, Parker pitched four innings, striking out six, in picking up the win. Offensively, he had two hits and two RBI while Drew Ripepi tagged three hits and drove in a pair of runs.
Thompson tossed three scoreless frames in relief of Parker. He struck out three in picking up the save.
Overall, Ferris, who anchors the outfield with Thompson and Nick Sampson, is 4-0 with an 0.88 ERA.
“We have had many leaders on this team,” Plassio said. “Our pitchers have all been really strong on the mound and we have had consistent hitting all season and our defense has been terrific.”
The Indians enter the playoffs confident for those reasons as well as they fact they have faced strong competition.
“I feel like our kids have played a really strong schedule which should help to prepare them for what’s to come,” Plassio said. “I am confident in our group that we can be very competitive in the tournament.”
PT’s attention span will fuel success in the playoffs. In prepping for the post season, the Indians tweaked the finer aspects of their game, particularly base running and situational hitting.
“We need to understand that we must focus on every situation put before us, pay attention to the little details and not allow ourselves to become complacent at any time. We cannot afford to have lapses in judgment or focus and we must capitalize on the opportunities that our opponents present us.
“If we can maintain our focus and stick to our approach, we should have a good chance of being very successful. We are anxiously looking forward to the opportunity to compete with the rest of the field. It should hopefully be a lot of fun.”
BP ready
Bethel Park, meanwhile, hopes to replicate last year’s success. The Hawks rebounded from a loss in the WPIAL championship game and won the PIAA title.
Many of last year’s elements have contributed to a 14-2 regular season. The lone losses were to Peters Township.
“Now that we are in the postseason, the success we experienced last year can be a plus. The players can utilize and provide confidence in big moments moving forward,” said BP skipper Pat Zehnder.
“The 5A field is extremely deep. So everyone needs to be ready for a dog fight from the first round game on. Everyone has a target on their back, because it is a lose-and-go-home scenario. So I don’t think it matters if a team is facing the defending state champions at this point. Everything is on the line. No one wants to go home before reaching the mountaintop.”
Though the Hawks did not win the section title, Zehnder is pleased with how his players have been able to perform at their best while taking opponents’ best shot.
Evan Holewinski has led a strong pitching staff that has included Nathan Vargo, Ryan Walsh, Nick Gasper, Evan LeJeune, Sebastian Schein, Cody Geddes and Will Sokira.
Holewinski enters the playoffs with a 6-0 record and a 1.09 ERA. He has 32 strikeouts in 32 innings.
Geddes is the leading hitter with a .438 average that includes seven doubles, two triples and two homers. He has 17 runs and 13 RBI.
Ben Hudson (.366) and Bo Conrad (.390) lead the team with 16 RBI each followed by and David Kessler and John Chalus (.348) with 15 and 13 respectively.
Ray Altmeyer and Dylan Schmude provide pop in the lineup with their .364 and .386 averages.
“Pitching continues to be a strength,” Zehnder said. “Offensively, we are doing a great job working quality at bats and finding ways to be productive. That will be important as we face high quality arms in the postseason.
“The defense is still performing at a high level,” Zehnder continued. “That will be important against such a deep field of hitters in 5A.”