Feczko helping North Catholic on mound and at plate
Ryan Feczko’s coach said Feczko wasn’t on top of his game Monday in Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic’s PIAA Class 2A opener.
That was good news for North Catholic’s opponent, Union City. Just not good enough. “He didn’t have his best stuff, but his ‘a little off’ is sometimes as good as everybody’s best,” coach John Haggerty said.
Feczko tossed a one-hitter, walked one and struck out eight in an efficient, 85pitch complete game that helped North Catholic to a 7-2 win. The Trojans (19-5) beat Conemaugh Township ina quarterfinal Thursday.
Less than a week earlier, Feczko pitched six strong innings and was the winning pitcher in North Catholic’s 5-2 triumph against Serra Catholic that gave the Trojans their first WPIAL title since 2007.
Feczko, a Wexford resident, is one of the WPIAL’s top sophomores. He’s the pitching ace and leading hitter for a team that starts eight seniors … and Feczko.
“I think they have taken me under their wing. I love all of them and I’ll miss them when they graduate,” said Feczko, also a starter on the North Catholic basketball team and a member ofthe golf team.
Feczkois batting .472 with 15 RBIs and 22 runs scored, all team highs. Haggerty praised Feczko’s composure at the plate and his ability to hit with two strikes.
As good of a hitter Feczko is, he’s likely an even better pitcher. A left-hander, his fastball often reaches the low-to-mid 80s and he has good control of his curveball and changeup. He’s 5-1 with a 2.13 ERA. In 38 innings, he’s struck out 57 and walked just five.
“It’s pretty rare to see a lefty as a sophomore hitting 85 on the gun and have command of his offspeed stuff,” Haggerty said. “I know a lot of college coaches will be licking their chops.”
The younger Jordano
Speaking of college coaches, one of North Catholic’s starters is the son of longtime Pitt baseball coach Joe Jordano, who recently finished up his 21st season. His son, also named Joe, is a senior left fielder forthe Trojans.
The younger Jordano typically bats sixth and is hitting .362. His two-run single helped North Catholic jump to a 3-0 lead in the first inning against Union City.
“You can tell he’s been extremely well-coached and he definitely knows the game,” said Haggerty. “It’s a lot of fun to have Joe and Joe Sr. around. Knowing he’s in the stands means a lot.”
Brownsville
Striking out 15 batters in a high school game is a huge accomplishment for any pitcher. When one does it in the state playoffs, it becomes allthe more remarkable.
Brownsville’s Dylan Brosky put forth a masterful performance in a 3-2 victory against Mercyhurst Prep in a Class 3A first-round game. Brosky gave up just two hits and struck out 15 in a complete-game win.
Brosky’s coach, Skooter Roebuck, said he had a feeling Brosky was destined for adominant outing when one of his assistants, Ralph Rice, said Brosky “has that look in his eyes today” when he was throwing pre game.
“He was sharp. He was really good,” Roebuck said of Brosky, who was the winning pitcher in the WPIAL championshipgame.
Brosky also was the star offensively. His drove in the winning run with a sixth inning double.
West Allegheny
Ninth. Second. Sixth. Wherever Logan Scheider hits in the lineup, he often comes through.
Scheider proved that again in West Allegheny’s PIAA Class 5A opener, a 9-5 win against Erie Cathedral Prep. A junior second baseman, Scheider batted sixth and went 4 for 4 with four RBIs. He had a tworun single in the third and a two-run double in the fourth.
“He was exceptional,” said West Allegheny coach Bryan Cornell. “He’s a kid that since the beginning of the season has batted in a bunch of different spots. He was our No. 9 hitter for a while.
“We moved him to the No. 2 spot and he came up with a couple of big hits late in the season. I moved him to the six spot [Monday] only for the fact that he’s a guy that doesn’t strike out much and we hoped to have a guy like that up with runners in scoring position. That’s what happened. He made me look smart as a coach.”