Allegheny Valley a Fed League contender
A change in strategy caused Mike Dukovich to leave the Greater Pittsburgh Federation League after eight seasons.
The team he played for, Allegheny Valley Baseball, went with youth last year, fielding a team of recent high school graduates and players with college eligibility remaining.
Dukovich, a 2002 Hampton High School graduate, went to play in the Butler Eagle County Baseball League. This season, longtime Allegheny Valley Baseball manager Kevin Giza stepped down then offered the reins to Dukovich — who accepted.
Dukovich kept most of the core of the team, but brought in veteran pitchers who know their way around the Fed League.
“We wanted to put together a team I felt comfortable with,” he said. “I wanted guys who play the game right, rather than going out and trying to get all young guns, I wanted guys who had a good time and played hard. So far, it has worked out.”
Through 12 games, AVB was 5-6-1 and in fourth place in the eight-team league. The top four teams will make the playoffs, and with St. Johns-Lefty’s (11-0), Bellevue (6-3-1) and Steel City Blacksox (6-6) firmly entrenched in the top three spots, the playoff race may end up being five teams battling for the four seed.
“I would think so,” Dukovich said when asked whether the bottom five teams were essentially competing for one playoff spot. “St. Johns is tough to beat. They have a core group of veteran guys who take advantage of mistakes. Bellevue is right behind them, and obviously [Steel City Blacksox manager] Dustin Mills’ teams are always right in it.”
Allegheny Valley Baseball is 4-0 against South Hills, Ohio Valley and East End, but only 1-3 against Bellevue, St. JohnsLefty’s and Steel City Blacksox.
“We have to take care of business and beat the teams under us,” Dukovich said. “If we win the games we should and just knock off one of the top three teams, we will be right in it.”
Dukovich played at Harvard University. He had Tommy John surgery during his sophomore year, and upon graduating, used up his last year of collegiate eligibility playing at Duquesne University.
His younger brother, Ryan, is a 2003 Hampton graduate who is helping Mike run the team. Ryan played at Cleveland State University.
The youngest players on the team are two recent North Allegheny graduates, corner infielder David Steinbeck and outfielder Noah Davis. The core group who made up AVB the past three summers were mostly from Shaler Area, and the Dukoviches were able to keep that group mostly intact.
Center fielder Eric Temple, shortstop Eddie Skonieczny, third baseman Ryan Fazio and right fielder/catcher Eric Fichter are back this season. That group has spent the better part of the past seven years playing on the same team, first with Shaler then with AVB.
To that core, Dukovich added veteran pitchers Anthony Panza, a Hampton and Seton Hill graduate, and Adam Martin, a Quaker Valley and Bethany graduate.