Venezuelan cousins having big season for Shaler
Prank calls.
That’s what Shaler High School baseball coach Brian Junker labeled a few of the phone calls he received from a strange number in the fall of 2019.
“I couldn’t really understand the language,” Junker recalls. “It was broken English. I caught something about a player, Venezuela, if they come to the United States, would they be able to play for Shaler Area? And I blew it off. I kind of thought it was a friend joking around because we just won a WPIAL championship, so I didn’t even return the phone calls.
“Then all of a sudden in February (2020), here comes this kid that I’ve never seen before. He comes in, and as soon as I saw him, I said, ‘Oh my goodness.’”
Those calls turned out to be no joke at all.
Fast forward to today, and two of Shaler’s star players happen to be teens who didn’t grow up in Shaler Township, Etna or even Millvale.
They are cousins who hail from Venezuela.
Bryan Rincon and Miguel Hugas are big-time talents playing for a Shaler team that is one of the best in WPIAL Class 5A. The Titans are 8-2 overall and 5-1 in Section 3.
Rincon is a 5- foot- 11 switch-hitting junior shortstop who is a whiz defensively and is batting .421 with 3 doubles, a triple, 6 RBIs and 7 stolen bases.
“He’s tremendous,” Junker said. “A work ethic like we’ve never seen. A talent like we’ve never seen. And I’ve played at a lot of different levels.
“I’d be surprised if he doesn’t go in the ’22 (MLB) draft. His fielding is elite and his hitting gets better every day.”
Hugas is a 6-3 sophomore right- hander who has touched 90 mph on the radar gun. He’s 2-0 with a save and has a sterling ERA of 0.76. In 27 ⅔ innings, he has struck out 26 and walked just two. When he’s not pitching, he’s the starting center fielder and is hitting .316 with 4 doubles, a home run and 5 RBIs. He hit what was nearly a game-winning home run in the bottom of the seventh inning Monday against South Fayette, but the ball was caught just before the fence.
“He’s very impressive,” said Junker. “I wasn’t sure what to expect. He’s a big kid. The more he pitches, the better I think he’s going to be. And he’s only a sophomore. And you saw the swing he put on there. A little more weight room, and that’s a three-run homer for the victory.”
Rincon and Hugas live with an uncle in Etna, this after living about 10 minutes apart in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital. Several other cousins have also come over from Venezuela in recent years. Rincon arrived in January of 2020 and Hugas in January of this year.
Why did they come? Easy. Opportunity and for a better life.
“The situation is not good right now in Venezuela,” said Rincon, referring to the poverty, crime and poor economy.
“It’s a very bad situation in Venezuela right now and it’s getting worse and worse, so anytime people have the access to come over, I think that’s what they’re trying to do,” Junker said.
Since there was no 2020 season due to the pandemic, this is the first season for both cousins playing at Shaler. Junker said the two have meshed with their teammates perfectly, calling them team-first guys who want to bring the Titans another WPIAL title.
Rincon said he likes their chances.
“We have a lot of talent. We are like a family, and I like that,” said Rincon, whose favorite players are Francisco Lindor and fellow Venezuela native Jose Altuve.
Rincon’s English is limited, but rapidly improving, Junker said. Hugas, who has only been in the United States for a few months, isn’t quite that far along yet.
One of Rincon’s biggest goals is “to speak perfect English.” Another is, well, Junker told this story.
“I remember when he got here, I said, ‘What’s your goal, like Division I college?’ I don’t know if he even knew what Division I college was. I said, ‘Pros? Get drafted? And he says, ‘Hall of Fame.’ And I go, ‘Oh.’”
West Allegheny
Luke Lambert and Gavin Miller form an outstanding battery for West Allegheny. The catcher-pitcher combo has been fully charged the first month of the season.
Lambert, a senior, and Miller, a junior, have both committed to Power Five schools. Lambert has signed with Pitt. Miller has verbally committed to Auburn. Lambert has been sizzling at the plate, batting .551 (16 of 29) with three home runs and 17 RBIs in West Allegheny’s first nine games. Miller (3-0) has won each of his three starts, and has given up just two earned runs in 15 ⅓ innings. He has 27 strikeouts and has walked just three.
The tandem shined in Monday’s 15-0 four-inning win against Chartiers Valley. Lambert notched his second three-hit game in a row, going 3 for 3 with a season-high six RBIs. Miller gave up three hits, walked one and struck out eight over four scoreless innings.
West Allegheny, ranked No. 2 in WPIAL Class 5A, is 7-2 overall and 5-1 in Section 3.
Carmichaels
Carmichaels junior Nick Ricco outdid himself in the second inning of Monday’s game against Bentworth, which wasn’t easy considering he smacked a three-run home run in the first. But an inning later when Ricco stepped to the plate with three runners on, he belted a grand slam. It was a career day for Ricco in what was just a three-inning game. Carmichaels, ranked No. 5 in Class 2A, topped Bentworth, 20-2, and Ricco finished 2 for 3 with two home runs and seven RBIs. The Mighty Mikes are 7-1 overall and 4-0 in Section 1.