Deer Lakes’ veterans lead way
With 10 seniors and five returning starters on the roster, it’s making things easier on Deer Lakes coach Josh Tysk. He doesn’t have to stress about the little things since so many players already know the routine and take on a leadership role.
“I’ve never had a team that was so veteran-heavy,” Tysk said. “The leadership aspect of our team is outstanding. I really don’t have to get involved in that. I get to simply coach because they take care of the little things at practice.”
Whether that means he can put players in different running situations or mix up defensive plays, Tysk has experienced players on the field who can handle that pressure, he said.
“It allows me to put guys in difficult situations because I know I can trust them. They know the game very well because they’ve been playing, and they’re so experienced, and they have that prior knowledge.”
Outside of a two-game slip to Hampton and Knoch mid-April, Deer Lakes has shown consistency on the mound and on offense. Through an 8-0 win against Indiana April 28, senior Sean Logan is batting .404 and is on a 13game hitting streak, while senior Zach Lubick is 4-0 on the mound. Lubick is also hitting .463 with two home runs.
“We’re at least getting two out of three aspects of the game where we’re playing perfect or very well,” Tysk said.
“We’re getting quality atbats at the plate, which is always a plus, but we’re taking advantage of little things. Doing the small things right to make the big things happen, which are wins, and that’s ultimately what we’re trying to do.”
Steel Valley
Steel Valley coach Tim Vickers figured he’d return a solid group of players this year.
What he didn’t expect is his pitching staff holding batters to 55 hits through the first 91 innings, marked by the Ironmen’s 8-1 win against Burrell May 1. On the mound, Tanner Cannon is 5-0, Nick Harhai is 4-0 and Trey Karfelt is 1-0.
“We kind of expected it would be a competitive team,” Vickers said. “We lost one senior due to graduation and that’s it. … I would say the pitching has definitely been a surprise. We knew coming in that Tanner has ace stuff, but we had no idea that Trey and Nick would be as dominant as they’ve been.”
The trio locate and mix up their pitches well, Vickers said.
While pitching has made Steel Valley competitive, its offense came alive in an 11-0 win against South Allegheny April 19. In that game and its next three, the Ironmen outscored opponents, 33-3.
Four players — Alex Ligeros, Andre Good, Joe Kraft and Trey Karfelt — are batting at .400 or above. Kraft has added two home runs and 19 RBIs.
Riverside
Though Riverside played well in the absence of pitcher Adam Jeanette, coach Dan Oliastro is happy to have him back at full force. After a back injury limited Jeanette for much of the season, he pitched a full game in a 3-1 win against New Brighton April 28.
Combine that with Riverside’s experience, and Oliastro feels good about how the Panthers are playing these days. Last season, Riverside defeated Neshannock, 1-0, for a WPIAL title before falling to Latrobe in the PIAA semifinal.
“A lot of these kids were with us when we went deep into the state playoffs, and they have good experience ,” Oliast ros aid. “They’re a good disciplined team.”