Montour ace Vietmeier focused on final season

After suffering from an inguinal hernia in the winter, which put him behind in training, Vietmeier has also focused on bouncing back after surgery.

He’s approaching 100-percent recovery, but the tough part was giving himself adequate time to heal. Tony Liska, Vietmeier’s pitching instructor who acted as the Pirates’ bullpen catcher for 17 seasons, watched Vietmeier battle to get his velocity back.

“Like anybody else, it played with him a little bit,” Liska said. “And once he was cleared, he was like a caged tiger. He’s a different breed, this kid. He’s a true competitor.”

Liska, who also does some scouting for the Colorado Rockies, lists Vietmeier as having a plus fastball, average curveball and plus changeup, in reference to how those skills rank compared to Major League players. His fastball reaches the low 90s.

With Baton Rouge or professional baseball awaiting, heading to a 10,326-capacity stadium or a shot at the pros, Vietmeier said he’s comfortable with either patch.

“If I get drafted, great,” Vietmeier said. “If I’m going to LSU, great. Both are great options, at this point.”

He also isn’t done at Montour yet, hoping for a better regular-season finish than in years past.

“Everybody’s going to say WPIAL championship and state championship,” Vietmeier said. “But realistically I’d like to go undefeated the rest of the season. I think we’ve got a good team this year. We’re all hyped up.”