Pitching feeds Big Macs
Canon-McMillan battles in section for postseason bid
Scrambling to find a reliable starting pitcher hasn’t been an issue for Canon-McMillan’s varsity baseball team.
The Big Macs actually have a supersized arsenal of arms this spring.
“We bring 19 players to our varsity games and we can put any one of 11 of those guys on the mound at any given time,” seventh-year coach Frank Zebrasky said.
Pitching depth has helped Canon-McMillan (7-3, 4-2 through Tuesday) make a push as a true contender in the Section 5-AAA title chase.
The Big Macs, who trailed frontrunner Mt. Lebanon by two games in the standings through Tuesday, opened the month of April with five consecutive wins, including three in a row last week.
“We’ve done pretty well,” Zebrasky said. “We’ve had some quality pitching with some timely hitting and our fielding continues to improve.
“Being able to use that many pitchers definitely stands out.”
Canon-McMillan opened last week with a 6-2 decision against Carrick before slipping past Baldwin the next day, 7-6. They went on to knock off Bethel Park the following afternoon, 63, but closed out the week with a 5-2 loss against Peters Township.
“We were sort of happy to play four games,” Zebrasky said. “We feel we have enough depth to compete daily. We would like to play four or five games every week, but our schedule and the weather prevents that from happening.”
Junior right-handed pitcher Matt Mish, senior righty and Washington & Jefferson recruit Clay Martin as well as junior righty Luke Blanock headline Zebrasky’s starting rotation. Senior Jared Beach, a Gannon recruit, along with junior Connor Coleman, junior Austin Berger, junior Josh Palma, senior George Carson and junior Hunter Stouden also have each contributed from the mound.
When they’re not pitching, Beach starts in right field with Martin at first base and Coleman at shortstop. Senior Chandler Palyas, a Marietta recruit, usually leads off and starts in center field.
Junior catcher Tanner Plechnick starts behind the plate, while Carson and senior Andrew Wuenstel share duties as designated hitters.
“We also start three freshmen,” Zebrasky said. “We have a great combination of senior leadership with key juniors also contributing.”
Zebrasky also has been excited by the return of Blanock, who missed last season after being diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, which is a rare form of bone cancer.
“I can’t describe Luke as anything other than a warrior,” Zebrasky said. “He has two wins on the mound and pitched nine complete innings with 11 strikeouts. That’s all while he was starting chemotherapy.”
With its first half of section contests completed, Canon-McMillan was slated to start its second portion of Section 5-AAAA games this week against Upper St. Clair on Wednesday and Mt. Lebanon Thursday.
The Big Macs defeated the Panthers, 7-5, on April 1 but lost to the Blue Devils, 6-2, on March 30 .
“Everyone in our section is in the same situation besides us,” Zebrasky said. “We’re the only team to have played our first six games, so they’ll all be playing more games this week.
“It’s very important to have quality pitching in this section. We don’t have that one dominant guy, but we do have strength in numbers and a lot of quality of arms.”
Zebrasky just hopes his team’s offense picks up down the stretch.
“Pitching is going to keep us in games until we collectively hit well as a unit,” he said. “We’ve been relying on different people every game. We have guys who have been through the wars and who can get big hits.
“We need to be able to get as many kids involved hitting the ball. Once we consistently do that, success will continue to follow.”