Apr 17, 2018 4 min read

It was about this time last year when everything went south for the South Fayette High School baseball team.

Not in terms of location, such as where the Lions travel to play their first few games each year, but rather a much colder spot – outside the WPIAL playoffs.

After a 5-2 start to begin last season, South Fayette lost seven of its last nine games, including five by three or fewer runs, to sink the Lions in the Section 2-AAAA standings.

At 6-3, and 4-1 in section play this season, South Fayette coach Ken Morgan and his players frequently remind one another of how a promising season can quickly turn into a forgetful one.

“It’s something we talk about pretty often,” Morgan said. “Not that we like looking back at it. It just shows how valuable every game is. You have to keep pushing and give everything you have.”

Tied for second place in the section with Central Valley, and behind first-place and prohibitive favorite Blackhawk, the Lions are riding a three-game winning streak in which they’ve scored 29 runs. In those games, the pitching staff, which has turned into a team effort with nine players finding their way onto the mound, has surrendered only five runs.

The depth of the Lions goes far beyond the mound, according to Morgan.

“I don’t think we had the depth and mental makeup to get us over that hump (last season),” Morgan said. “When you get off to a hot start, it can go to your head. It was a point of emphasis of mine to continue moving the ball forward this year.”

The only time South Fayette has dropped the ball was in a 3-2 loss to Blackhawk a little more than a week ago. The two other losses were against Helias Catholic High School from Jefferson City, Mo., during a trip to Tampa, Fla., to begin the season.

“We went up against a good team and it was humbling,” Morgan said about Helias, which beat the Lions 12-4 and 15-4.

“We rebounded from that with two wins and came back north with momentum. This is a more cohesive team. They play as one. They understand their roles, and those roles are much more clearly defined. The embracing of those roles has paid dividends. They are selfless. They do it with a smile. It’s a fun group to coach.”

Eight Lions have a batting average above .300, led by junior captain Mitch Dunay, who is hitting .444. Six players have eight hits or more. Seven have at least one double. Five Lions have several RBI.

That’s assisted a pitching staff that has gone nine deep and includes senior Tyler Bedillion, who has a team-best three wins in 19 1/3 innings. Junior Richie Dell has a pair of victories and hasn’t allowed an earned run in 12 innings.

“It’s funny because when you try to sit down and map out starting pitchers, everything is all peachy until you remember you play in Pennsylvania,” Morgan said. “None of that is going to happen. We have used a lot of arms, some by design and some by necessity. But it isn’t a disadvantage to us. While teams are struggling to find guys to put on the mound, I struggle on who to decide to pitch next.”

The Lions are in their fourth season under Morgan. South Fayette made the playoffs in 2016 but failed to qualify in 2015 and last year.

“We’re pretty hungry,” Morgan said of the Lions wanting to get back to the postseason.

“My goal as their coach is, whenever they touch the field, we are going to play the same way every time. You have to take the field every single day with that exact same mentality.”