Trojans maintain high expectations
Carmichaels’ Joel Spishock gets a hit against Sewickley last season.
California’s Johnny DeFranco makes a catch against Greensburg Central Catholic last season.
A high school baseball season is often filled with minor adjustments to a team’s batting order, defensive positions and how to best use a pitching staff.
California head coach Nick Damico did all three before the the Trojans even had a preseason scrimmage.
An injury to the projected top starting pitcher can cause drastic changes, but as the Trojans prepare to start the season with a non-section game against Washington Thursday, expectations have not changed: compete for a WPIAL title.
Why not? The Trojans won the championship in 2014, lost in the title game last season, have qualified for the PIAA playoffs in five of the last six seasons, have won at least 20 games in three consecutive seasons and have not missed the WPIAL playoffs since 2008.
“We have a lot of guys coming back and we have a lot of new guys who will see some time,” Damico said. “It is exciting. We’re going to have that strong offense again. Our pitching has improved a lot, and our infield defense will be tough again, too.”
The pitching took a hit since junior Drake Johnson, who led California in ERA last season, began having shoulder issues during preseason workouts. Senior Louden Conte, who batted .514 with an area-best 50 runs last spring, is now the Trojans’ top pitcher.
The move forced Damico to realign his infield, shifting Conte from shortstop to second base and junior Johnny DeFranco from second to short. The move is designed to preserve Conte’s arm.
It’s fitting that the early theme for California’s season has been constant adjustments. Conte, who pitched throughout the postseason last year, is ambidexrious, switching gloves and throwing arms when he faces a left-handed batter.
“With Louden pitching now, we have to do some new things,” Damico said. “We have a couple kids trying out for first base, we have two outfield spots open and we made a change at catcher. It’s all about playing consistent, clean baseball.”
Damico’s decision to move senior KC Zajicek from catcher to the outfield was out of necessity after losing center fielder Aaron Previsky, the Observer-Reporter’s Player of the Year in 2015. Previsky batted .486 with six home runs, 39 runs and a school-record 52 RBI in 23 games.
There is plenty of talent returning, including Zajicek and junior Nathaniel Luketich, who moved from first base to catcher. Luketich batted a team-best .552 with 45 RBI and 34 runs in 2015. Luketich will also pitch this spring after not being able to throw last season because of an injury.
DeFranco batted .500 as the Trojans’ No. 2 hitter in the order and Alex Adams is expected to play third base.
Questions remain and the final result is unknown, but the one constant for the Trojans throughout preseason workouts is focus. It all stems from the disappointment of losing in the WPIAL title game to Greensburg Central Catholic and in the PIAA Class A quarterfinals to Juniata Valley.
“There’s been a lot of improvement since we started workouts in October,” Damico said. “I think they’re hungry, especially after last year’s loss. We don’t mention it, we don’t talk about it, but I think it’s still there; that hunger to avenge the loss.”
Carmichaels surprised many last spring when it upset seventh-seeded Sewickley Academy in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs. But the Mikes lost in the quarterfinals to eventual WPIAL champion Greensburg Central Catholic and enter 2016 with plenty of question marks surrounding its lineup.
Four-year starting catcher Michael Blasinski graduated after batting .479 with three home runs, seven doubles and 25 RBI in 2015. The Mikes took another hit when third baseman/pitcher Bill Bowlen, who batted .404 last spring, decided to not play this season.
With the second and third hitters in the batting order gone, head coach Richard Krause will turn to junior first baseman Joel Spishock and senior outfielder Jacob Wamsley. Both batted over .350 and combined for 40 runs.
“We weren’t that strong offensively as it was last year,” Krause said. “I don’t know where people expect us to be, but right now we are a work in progress. (Spishock and Wamsley) are going to have to carry the load.”
If there is a silver lining, it stands on the mound. Senior Jacob Kinsell is back after winning six of eight starts last season, including a 3.10 ERA and just 15 walks in 49.1 innings. Though Bowlen is gone after throwing 15 innings, Mike Ludrosky is back as the second starter in the rotation. The senior went 5-1 in six starts last season.
“I’m eager to see how Kinsell looks this spring,” Krause said. “He’s looked pretty good so far, but you won’t know until he’s facing batters. He’ll see the best teams on our schedule, but he’s gotta do it.”
Josh Bogucki, Hunter Phillips and Colin Reynolds are competing for the job to replace Blasinski behind the plate.
The Bearcats finished third in Section 1-A and lost in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs to Serra Catholic, 2-1, snapping their four-game winning streak. All but one player return this spring, including four starters who batted .300 or higher.
Senior Robbie Schlutz leads the group after batting .409 with seven doubles and 16 RBI. The top four pitchers are also back, led by Riley Nickeson, who allowed just 13 runs in 39 innings.
Ty Mitchell, Hunter Neely and Josh Hughes are also back for head coach Dion Jansante.
The Rockets missed the postseason with a 5-10 overall record and a fourth-place finish in Section 1-A. They lost seven of nine to end the season, including a three-game stretch where they were outscored by California and Carmichaels, 32-5.
Mapletown finished sixth in Section 1-A last season and had a 0-15 overall record. The Maples allowed double-digit runs in every game and were outscored 217-31 with five scoreless games.
The Pioneers finished fifth in Section 1-A with both of their wins coming against Mapletown. They also defeated Cameron, W.Va twice and Kennedy Catholic in non-section games.
After reaching the WPIAL playoffs in 2014, the Eagles missed the cut last spring, finishing fifth in Section 5-A and two of its three section games were against winless Cornell.
Avella’s biggest challenge will be replacing Santino Paris, who batted .600 with 10 doubles, five home runs and 31 RBI. He was also the Eagles’ top pitcher.
The Greyhounds missed the postseason last spring and pitching had much to do with it. They allowed at least nine runs in nine of their 10 losses, leading to a fourth-place finish in Section 2-A. Seven seniors are gone, including Luke Beveridge and Brandon Lenhart. Monessen’s top returning pitchers are Nick Baker and Cory Fleming.
Other returning players include Marc Gibson, Tyler Caterino, Zachary Baker and Antonio Rhome.